- Steamboat Springs anglers preferring stillwater fishing should try Steamboat, Bear and Dumont lakes.
- Streamers, damsel flies and attractor patterns will produce rainbows at all lakes.
- Fish in May at Steamboat to capitalize on ice out.
- Target Bear and Dumont lakes in July and August.
- Also try a jerkbait like a Rapala or Yo-Zuri Pins Minnow in these waters.
Lakes Shouldn't Be Overlooked
Steamboat Lake, Bear Lake and Dumont Lake headline the high mountain lake action around Steamboat Springs. Steamboat Lake, a gold medal fishery, offers excellent ice-off fishing for big rainbows in early to mid-May. Located just 30-minutes north of Steamboat Springs, the lake is best fished where the many feeder creeks come in along the west bank.
Seasons In The High Country
These lakes feature a short fishing season, but make up for it with eager, willing trout from mid-May on Steamboat to about November every year. Smaller Bear and Dumont, located at 9,500 feet, will even see a shorter fishing season with conditions getting just right in July. Dumont can be found off Highway 40 about 20 miles east of Steamboat Springs in Rabbit Ears Pass. Bear Lake can be found 14 miles southwest of the town of Yampa.
Species Found In These Waters
Rainbows and cutthroat and the occassional browns are found in Steamboat, but Bear and Dumont offer only rainbows and brookies. Don't count on any state records in these waters, but Steamboat gets a lot of attention with 20-plus-inch rainbows being relatively common.
