Fishing at Bulkley Reservoir, Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Out in Routt County, Colorado, sits Bulkley Reservoir. Elevation runs to 9,039 feet. At 5 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Kremmling at 19 miles is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Boulder, 78 miles distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Bulkley Reservoir

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Species logged across Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Fish Bulkley Reservoir to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 57°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Bulkley Reservoir runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Hadley Reservoir is 1.2 miles distant. Signs at Bulkley Reservoir carry more weight than any list.