Elk Lake Fishing Guide, Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  You will find Elk Lake in Routt County, Colorado. This is lake country bush country. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. It is a small entry by Routt County standards. Gypsum at 30 miles is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Boulder is 103 miles off. Near neighbours include: Skinny Fish Lake at 0.4 miles, 0.7 miles away is McGinnis Lake, Dines Lake at 2.2 miles, 2.3 miles away is Lake of the Woods and East Lost Lake at 2.4 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Elk Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Elk Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 53°F and January about 16°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late May. Climate figures give an open season running late May to early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Elk Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Skinny Fish Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat Elk Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.