Gardner Park Reservoir, Colorado: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Gardner Park Reservoir sits within Routt County in Colorado. It sits at 9,649 feet above sea level. The water covers some 50 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.4 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Size puts it in the front rank of our Routt County list. Gypsum sits 28 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Then Eagle, 29 miles, and Steamboat Springs, 32 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Gardner Park Reservoir

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Public occurrence data for Routt County names brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Gardner Park Reservoir to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 53°F in July and bottoms out near 17°F in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Gardner Park Reservoir rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Wood Lake, 1.4 miles away. For Gardner Park Reservoir in particular, ask before you travel.