Lower Rainbow Lake Fishing Guide, Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Lower Rainbow Lake falls in Routt County, part of Colorado. Elevation runs to 9,711 feet. Surface area runs to about 7 acres — small enough to read in one session. Steamboat Springs lies 16 miles from the water. For a city, Fort Collins is 81 miles off. Nearby, in order: Middle Rainbow Lake after 0.2 miles, Rainbow Lake at about 0.8 miles, Agua Fria Lake after 1.6 miles, Slide Lake at about 2.2 miles and Roxy Ann Lake after 2.5 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lower Rainbow Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Routt County list brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Lower Rainbow Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 54°F and February near 19°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid May. Ice clears near mid May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Lower Rainbow Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Middle Rainbow Lake, 0.2 miles away. Confirm before you fish Lower Rainbow Lake.