Fishing at Smith Lake, Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  In Colorado, Smith Lake falls inside Routt County. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. At roughly 7 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. For a base, Gypsum sits 29 miles out. Then Eagle, 31 miles, and Hayden, 32 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications. Rain totals near 23 inches, with the dry end in October.

• Where to Fish on Smith Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Routt County: brook trout, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Smith Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 52°F, while January sits near 15°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Once it clears, about early June, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about early June and return around early November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on Smith Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Mud Mandall Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Smith Lake as something to verify.