Fishing at Bearpaw Lake, Teton County, Wyoming

• Overview

  The Teton County entry here is Bearpaw Lake, in Wyoming. This is mixed forest ground. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Driggs is the closest town at 20 miles. The nearest city of size is Billings, 173 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bearpaw Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name mountain whitefish, lake trout, Utah sucker and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Bearpaw Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 14°F in January up to 59°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Bearpaw Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Trapper Lake, 0.2 miles out. For Bearpaw Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.