Fishing at Lily Lake, Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Lily Lake is set in Routt County, Colorado. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Surface area runs to about 18 acres — small enough to read in one session. The nearest town is Steamboat Springs, 15 miles away. Boulder sits 74 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Fish documented in Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Work Lily Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 55°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about mid May through to roughly mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Lily Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Lake Agnes at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Lily Lake in what we hold.