Clear Lake, Wyoming: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Wyoming holds Clear Lake, in Sublette County. Height above sea level is 10,036 feet. It runs to roughly 43 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 1.1 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. 24 miles away sits Lander, the nearest town. After that come Fort Washakie at 24 miles and Ethete at 29 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Sublette County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Treat Clear Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 51°F and January reads 15°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. After early June the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around early June and the freeze near early November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Clear Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Rapid Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Nothing on Clear Lake should be assumed from this page alone.