Shaefermeyer Reservoir Number 4 Fishing near Hayden, Colorado

• Overview

  Shaefermeyer Reservoir Number 4 lies in Routt County, in Colorado. It lies 8,274 feet above sea level. A splashy cast here empties the swim; a quiet one owns it. Our Routt County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest town is Hayden, 8.8 miles away. Boulder sits 106 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 Shaefermeyer Reservoir Number 4

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. 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. The shape of this water rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 59°F; the cold one sits at 20°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan any trip to this water around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Shaefermeyer Reservoir Number 1 is 2 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at this water for certain.