Black Joe Lake in Sublette County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Black Joe Lake sits in Sublette County, out in Wyoming. The bank gives way to pine and birch. It runs to roughly 79 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. On our Sublette County list it sits near the top for size. For a base, Lander sits 23 miles out. For a city, Salt Lake City is 196 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Black Joe Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Sublette County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Work Black Joe Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 48°F on average, January about 15°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid June. In an average year the thaw lands around mid June and the freeze near early November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Anyone fishing Black Joe Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Clear Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Black Joe Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.