Box Elder Reservoir Number 5 in Larimer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Larimer County, Colorado, sits Box Elder Reservoir Number 5. It stands 5,446 feet above sea level. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Larimer County list holds plenty of bigger water. The closest town, Wellington, is 6 miles distant. The big place round here is Fort Collins, 14 miles distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Box Elder Reservoir Number 5

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Survey and observation records for Larimer County include black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At this water light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 70°F for July and 29°F for January. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. This water runs to that rhythm year in and year out. Cool nights slow the mornings but sharpen the evenings.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Boxelder Reservoir Number 2, 0.4 miles away. Check the position on this water before loading the car.