Burnt Mesa Reservoir Fishing in Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Burnt Mesa Reservoir lies in Routt County, Colorado. It stands 9,022 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 7 acres — small enough to read in one session. The closest town, Steamboat Springs, is 26 miles distant. The big place round here is Boulder, 93 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line. It is the kind of place people fish for years without exhausting.

• Where to Fish on Burnt Mesa Reservoir

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Public occurrence data for Routt County names brook trout, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Read Burnt Mesa Reservoir for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 54°F and January reads 19°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid May. The season between ice runs from about mid May to mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Expect Burnt Mesa Reservoir to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try McChivvis Reservoir, 1.2 miles away. Confirm before you fish Burnt Mesa Reservoir.