Drop a line after dropping your game

Done dressing your elk?

With the Yampa River flowing through the heart of downtown Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Craig, the Elk and White rivers nearby, and countless smaller streams, lakes and reservoirs in the surrounding hillsides, Routt and Moffat counties are the perfect places to complement your hunt with trout fishing.

“Fishing is the perfect companion activity to hunting,” says Brett Lee, a veteran hunter and co-owner of Straightline Sporting Goods in Steamboat Springs. “And Northwest Colorado offers some great options.”

Lee adds that this year the fishing should remain especially good well into fall. “With the amount of water we’ve had this year, in the form of both snow and rain, the fishing will be awesome all hunting season,” he says. “Some years, the rivers get too low and warm, but this fall should be great.”

He adds that, like the area’s hunting options, hot spots are strewn throughout Northwest Colorado. “The Yampa through Steamboat has great fishing with a lot of public access, the White down by Meeker is great, and the high mountain lakes where people hunt are fantastic also,” he says. “Come fall, those fish know winter’s coming and start feeding like crazy. It’s pretty easy fishing.”

So if time allows, swap your rifle for a rod and pursue another prized quarry in Northwest Colorado.

Rivers

Winding its way from the Flat Tops Wilderness Area west to its confluence with the Green River near Dinosaur National Monument, the Yampa River offers more than 100 miles of prime fishing, especially during the cooler hunting months of autumn when trout metabolisms come alive.

Prime public areas include the Stagecoach tailwaters just below Stagecoach Lake, the Chuck Lewis State Wildlife Area three miles south of town on County Road 14 (note: you also can take a footbridge to a pond teeming with northern pike), and the six-mile Steamboat “town stretch,” which extends to the west side of town and carries as many as 2,000 trout per mile. Favorite locations include the tall grass meanders of Rotary Park, and the fast water along the Yampa River Core Trail (note: catch and release, with flies and lures only). For flies, try elk hair caddis, bright green caddis emergers or weighted streamers.

The Elk River offers public access upstream of Hinman Park Bridge along Seedhouse Road, or at the Christina Wildlife Area along the lower portion of the river on Routt County Road 129 northwest of town.

Those hunting in game units west of Craig also can fish for smallmouth bass and northern pike in Elkhead Reservor and the Yampa (hint: try white/chartreuse streamers and lures for the hard-fighting “smallies”). While wildlife officials are removing the unwanted bass from the Moffat County stretch to protect endangered native species, local fishermen still are reporting success.

Another autumn option in Moffat County is to drive west of Craig to Maybell and turn northwest on Colorado Highway 318 to the Green River in Browns Park, where 19th century outlaws once hid out and wild horses still roam.

With three world-class stretches of water (Sections A, B and C), the area is known for its large brown trout and clear, cold water released from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Stop at any sporting goods shop in Craig for directions.

Finally, the White River, which flows through Meeker and Rangely, drains the Flat Tops Wilderness Area and teems with trout in the fall. Head upstream from Meeker on County Road 8 toward Buford, where you can branch up the south or north fork, or try the Meeker town stretch, the section between Meeker and Rangley, or the the Rangely reach.

Lakes and Reservoirs

For lake fishing, hit any number of reservoirs throughout Routt and Moffat counties (i.e. Stagecoach Lake, Steamboat Lake and Elkhead Reservoir). “The Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife has been stocking them with bigger fish than normal to give them a chance to survive the giant northern pike cruising the lake,” says Straightline’s Lee.

The strategy is succeeding, and October is the month the fish charge out of the depths to feed before winter sets in. Cooler temperatures also bring rainbow trout back into shallower water in large impoundments.

Anglers also can take advantage of more surface area to fish, with recent expansions increasing the sizes of Stagecoach and Elkhead reservoirs.

Located 13 miles south of Steamboat Springs via Colorado Highway 131 and Routt County Road 14 just outside of Oak Creek, Stagecoach Lake State Park recently benefitted from a construction project adding 4 feet of concrete to the top of the dam. An expansion project also recently nearly doubled the size of Elkhead Reservoir.

Wherever you go, hit it first thing in the morning for the best luck and be prepared to get your fly down 10 to 11 feet. Boat rentals are available at the marinas of both state parks (Stagecoach and Steamboat Lake), which can be a big help for novices who don’t have their fly-casting technique down pat.

For fly patterns, try woolly buggers in olive, black and brown to imitate minnows. Remember, as water temperatures drop, retrieval rates on streamers and lures should drop with them.

“The cold water of autumn dictates a slower retrieve than fishermen are accustomed to in summer,” says Lee, adding that at Steamboat Lake trout often are looking for crayfish, an easy food source to imitate with lures.

Aside from these big three, there are also countless smaller lakes where you can dip a line after your hunt. On the other side of the Park Range from Steamboat, in Jackson County, anglers will find their best opportunity for a trophy brown out of North Delaney Lake.

All three Delaney Buttes lakes offer free camping. Other lakes in the area include Big Creek and Lake John.

Lakes abound in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, as well, from popular Trapper’s Lake, where you can rent canoes, rowboats and rustic accommodations, to Chapman and Sheriff reservoirs, Stillwater Reservoir at the headwaters of the Yampa River, and smaller fish hideouts like Rainbow and Mosquito lakes.

If you want to get farther off the beaten track, try the countless small alpine lakes in Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area, including Gilpin, Three Mile and Mica lakes.