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Best cutthroat trout lakes in Colorado

36 Colorado waters list cutthroat trout (official records or labelled estimates), 3 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — 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. Horsetooth Reservoir — 188 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 6 public access sites
4. Turquoise Lake — 115 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
5. Clear Creek Reservoir — 61 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. Twin Lakes Lower — 95 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
7. Shadow Mountain Reservoir — 24 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
8. Carter Lake — 180 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Rainbow TroutWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
9. Groundhog Reservoir — 97 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
10. Gross Reservoir — 299 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Lake Trout, Brown TroutWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
11. Grand Lake — 389 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, KokaneeWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
12. Island Lake — 77 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
13. Steamboat Lake — 70 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
14. Brush Hollow Reservoir — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
15. Sheriff Reservoir — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
16. Andrews Lake — 18 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat TroutWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
17. Estes Lake — 43 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Yellow Perch, Brown TroutWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 19 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