Fishing Bear Lake in Albany County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Bear Lake stands in Albany County, Wyoming. Everything around it is mixed forest. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The closest town, Saratoga, is 30 miles away. Laramie follows at 34 miles, then Rawlins at 60 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules. About 1,700 people live in Saratoga.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Albany County: brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and longnose sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Bear Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 53°F, with January the cold end at about 21°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. On average, mid May opens the water and mid November closes it again. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Bear Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Silver Run Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Bear Lake for certain.