Cliff Lake Fishing in Sublette County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Wyoming holds Cliff Lake, in Sublette County. It sits at 9,908 feet above sea level. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by Sublette County standards. Some 20 miles away sits Fort Washakie, the nearest settlement. Lander lies 20 miles off, Ethete another 24 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Cliff Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Cliff Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 50°F; the cold one sits at 16°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early June. The season between ice runs from about early June to early November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Cliff Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. High Meadow Lake sits 0.3 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Cliff Lake may have changed since it was mapped.