Fishing Steamboat Lake in Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Look for Steamboat Lake in the Routt County part of Colorado. Around the bank it is rolling bush. Surface area runs to roughly 968 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Shoreline length is close to 10 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. By surface area it heads our Routt County listings. The nearest place of any size is Steamboat Springs, 22 miles away. Further out sit Hayden (26 miles) and Craig (37 miles). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Steamboat Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Public occurrence data for Routt County names brook trout, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Steamboat Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 19°F in January up to 57°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Steamboat Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Pearl Lake is 3.2 miles distant. Check the position at Steamboat Lake before loading the car.