Fishing at Gem Lake, Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Colorado holds Gem Lake, in Routt County. It lies 10,187 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 6 acres — small enough to read in one session. Steamboat Springs at 28 miles is the nearest place to stop. Hayden lies 38 miles off, Saratoga another 40 miles. No border sits close enough to matter. The shoreline gives more room than the map suggests.

• Where to Fish on Gem Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Routt County cover brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. At Gem Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 52°F, with January the cold end at about 17°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late May. Ice usually gives way near late May, and forms again about early November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan around that when you fish Gem Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, West Fork Lake is 2.7 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Gem Lake.