Shaffer Reservoir Fishing in Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Set in Routt County, Shaffer Reservoir is a Colorado water. It sits in mixed forest. At 7 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Hayden lies 16 miles from the water. Beyond it, Craig at 24 miles and Steamboat Springs at 26 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple. Most of the shoreline can be walked in a session.

• Where to Fish on Shaffer Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Species logged across Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Shaffer Reservoir a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 60°F, while January sits near 19°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Shaffer Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Dunckley and Dubeau Reservoir is 0.3 miles off. Nothing on Shaffer Reservoir should be assumed from this page alone.