Long Lake Fishing near Hayden, Colorado

• Overview

  You will find Long Lake in Routt County, Colorado. The surroundings are lake country bush. At 6 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest place of any size is Hayden, 30 miles away. Gypsum is 32 miles and Eagle 34 miles. Water in the same corner: Round Lake (0.5 miles), East Lost Lake a touch under 1.4 miles, Causeway Lake (1.6 miles), Dines Lake a touch under 1.6 miles and Deep Lake (1.9 miles). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Long Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 53°F, with January the cold end at about 16°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late May. In an average year the thaw lands around late May and the freeze near early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Long Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Round Lake is 0.5 miles distant. Check the current arrangement for Long Lake.