Lake Catamount Fishing in Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Lake Catamount lies within the bounds of Routt County, Colorado. The surface lies 6,903 feet up. The water covers around 525 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. With 3.8 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Routt County list. Steamboat Springs lies 9.1 miles from the water. Boulder is the closest city, 85 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lake Catamount

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Survey and observation records for Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Lake Catamount the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 60°F on average, January about 17°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly late November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Lake Catamount that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Failing this one, try Little Morrison Creek, 5.3 miles away. For Lake Catamount in particular, ask before you travel.