Fishing at Barnes Lake, Sublette County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Set in Sublette County, Wyoming, this is Barnes Lake. The ground round it is rolling bush. The water covers some 62 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 1.4 miles in total. It is among the larger waters listed here for Sublette County. Nearest town is Pinedale, 15 miles off. Fort Washakie is 36 miles and Marbleton 38 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Barnes Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Sublette County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Barnes Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 52°F and January near 14°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late May. Averages suggest open water from about late May through to roughly early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Barnes Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Bell Lakes is 0.7 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Barnes Lake.