Rainbow Lake Fishing in Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Rainbow Lake falls inside Routt County. It lies 9,872 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 94 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Few waters listed in Routt County are bigger. Nearest place of any size is Steamboat Springs, 15 miles away. The big place round here is Fort Collins, 81 miles distant. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Rainbow Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Work Rainbow Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 54°F and February near 19°F on the long-run figures. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about mid May through to roughly mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Rainbow Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Middle Rainbow Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Rules at Rainbow Lake are worth checking on the day.