Fishing at Red Dirt Reservoir, Grand County, Colorado

• Overview

  Red Dirt Reservoir is a Grand County water, Colorado side. The surface lies 9,045 feet up. Surface area is around 181 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. A shoreline of some 2.4 miles keeps the choices simple. It is among the larger waters listed here for Grand County. Nearest place of any size is Kremmling, 13 miles away. Beyond it, Steamboat Springs at 25 miles and Granby at 34 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Red Dirt Reservoir

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Open biodiversity records for Grand County list black-spotted cutthroat trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Read Red Dirt Reservoir for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 56°F in July and bottom out at 17°F in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Red Dirt Reservoir rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Albert Reservoir at 4.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm access to Red Dirt Reservoir locally before you travel.