Fishing Sunnyside Lakes in Routt County, Colorado

• Overview

  Routt County in Colorado is where Sunnyside Lakes sits. It stands 10,387 feet above sea level. About 5 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. For a base, Gypsum sits 24 miles out. It is 93 miles to Boulder, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it. For about six months of the year the average is below freezing.

• Where to Fish on Sunnyside Lakes

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Routt County include brook trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish and mountain sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Sunnyside Lakes repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 17°F in January up to 55°F in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid May. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about mid November in an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. At Sunnyside Lakes the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Benton Lake, 0.5 miles away. Treat Sunnyside Lakes as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.