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Best rainbow trout lakes in Colorado

65 Colorado waters hold rainbow trout, 2 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 classic stocked cold-water trout. Depth is everything: rainbows follow the temperature layer they like.

1. Blue Mesa Reservoir — 323 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout
2. McPhee Reservoir — 262 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
3. Granby Reservoir — 221 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
4. Arkansas River (Colorado) — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
5. Eleven Mile Res — 135 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Common Carp
6. Crystal Reservoir — 280 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
7. Morrow Point Reservoir — 146 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
8. Horsetooth Reservoir — 188 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
9. Road Canyon Reservoir — 49 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Splake
10. Turquoise Lake — 115 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
11. Clear Creek Reservoir — 61 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
12. Twin Lakes Lower — 95 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
13. Cheesman Reservoir — 190 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
14. Colorado River (Upper) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
15. Spinney Mtn Res — 46 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Brown Trout
16. Ruedi Reservoir — 246 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout, Brown Trout
17. Chatfield Reservoir — 60 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
18. Pueblo Reservoir — 135 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
19. Shadow Mountain Reservoir — 24 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
20. Boyd Lake — 16 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
21. Gunnison River (Gorge) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
22. Steamboat Lake — 70 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
23. Trinidad Reservoir — 70 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Saugeye
24. Carter Lake — 180 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
25. Standley Lake — 96 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie

…plus 40 more Colorado waters holding rainbow trout.

When to fish rainbow trout in Colorado

• Spring 5–20 ft — Post-ice-out trout roam shallow; fish inflows and windblown shorelines.
• Summer 8–30 ft — Rainbows hold near cold inflows, current seams and the thermocline — find the cool water and you've found the fish.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fall feeding on rock shoals, current and channel edges as water cools.
• Winter 8–40 ft — Trout are comfortable in cold water — one of the best winter targets; streams and tailwaters fish shallow, deep lakes hold on basin edges.

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 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 cutthroat trout lakes · best splake lakes

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