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Best cutthroat trout lakes in Colorado

36 Colorado waters hold cutthroat 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. The native trout of the West, named for the orange slash under its jaw. A shoreline cruiser that hunts drop-offs, inlets and rocky points for baitfish and insects.

1. Granby Reservoir — 221 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
2. Eleven Mile Res — 135 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Common CarpWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
3. Morrow Point Reservoir — 146 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
4. Horsetooth Reservoir — 188 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 6 public access sites
5. Road Canyon Reservoir — 49 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, SplakeWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
6. Turquoise Lake — 115 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
7. Clear Creek Reservoir — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Twin Lakes Lower — 95 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
9. Shadow Mountain Reservoir — 24 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
10. Carter Lake — 180 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
11. Gross Reservoir — 299 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Lake Trout, Brown TroutWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
12. Groundhog Reservoir — 90 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
13. Grand Lake — 389 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
14. Silverjack Reservoir — 52 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
15. Button Rock Res — 151 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
16. Island Lake — 77 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
17. Trappers Lake — 167 ft max · Brook Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #17: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
18. Barker Reservoir — 118 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Lake Trout, Brown TroutWhy #18: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
19. Steamboat Lake — 70 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
20. Estes Lake — 45 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Yellow Perch, Brown TroutWhy #20: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
21. Brush Hollow Reservoir — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
22. Bonham Reservoir — 48 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Arctic Grayling, Cutthroat TroutWhy #22: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
23. McReynolds Reservoir — 45 ft max · Cutthroat TroutWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
24. Eggleston Lake Little — 52 ft max · Brook Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
25. Sheriff Reservoir — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #25: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached

…plus 11 more Colorado waters holding cutthroat trout.

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When to fish cutthroat trout in Colorado

• Spring 3–15 ft — Pre- and post-spawn cutthroat gang up at tributary mouths and cruise gravel shorelines — swing a spinner or fly through the inlet current.
• Summer 10–35 ft — Summer cutthroat hold along the first shoreline drop and off rocky points, sliding deeper as the surface warms — troll or cast the 15-30 ft edge.
• Fall 5–25 ft — Cooling water brings cutthroat back onto rocky points and gravel shoals to feed hard before winter.
• Winter 10–40 ft — Cold-tolerant like all trout — cutthroat hang on the deep shoreline drops and basin edges through the cold months.

Also in Colorado: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best saugeye lakes · best northern pike 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 brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best kokanee lakes · best splake lakes

Cutthroat Trout elsewhere: British Columbia · Montana · Wyoming · Washington · Alberta · Utah · New Mexico · Idaho · Nevada