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Best brown trout lakes in Colorado

34 Colorado waters hold brown trout, 1 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Wary, nocturnal-leaning predator. Shorelines and inflows in cold months; the thermocline in summer.

1. McPhee Reservoir — 262 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
2. Granby Reservoir — 221 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
3. Arkansas River (Colorado) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
4. Eleven Mile Res — 135 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Common Carp
5. Crystal Reservoir — 280 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
6. Morrow Point Reservoir — 146 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
7. Horsetooth Reservoir — 188 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
8. Turquoise Lake — 115 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
9. Clear Creek Reservoir — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
10. Twin Lakes Lower — 95 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
11. Cheesman Reservoir — 190 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
12. Colorado River (Upper) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
13. Spinney Mtn Res — 46 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
14. Ruedi Reservoir — 246 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brown Trout
15. Shadow Mountain Reservoir — 24 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
16. Gunnison River (Gorge) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
17. Trinidad Reservoir — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Saugeye
18. Gross Reservoir — 299 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Lake Trout, Brown Trout
19. Lemon Reservoir — 188 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee, Splake
20. Willow Creek Reservoir — 124 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
21. Strontia Springs Res — 212 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
22. San Cristobal Lake — 89 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout
23. Grand Lake — 389 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
24. Button Rock Res — 151 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
25. Island Lake — 77 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout

…plus 9 more Colorado waters holding brown trout.

When to fish brown trout in Colorado

• Spring 3–25 ft — Cold-water browns hug shorelines, river mouths and mud lines — often in a few feet of water early and late.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Browns sit at the thermocline by day and slide shallow after dark — the night troll takes the giants.
• Fall 5–30 ft — Spawn-run browns stage off tributaries and gravel shorelines, aggressive and territorial.
• Winter 5–35 ft — Browns feed all winter — nearshore when bait is in, deeper breaks otherwise.

Also in Colorado: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best saugeye lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes · best splake lakes

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