Cotton Reservoir in Carbon County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Carbon County, Wyoming. Elevation runs to 7,434 feet. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Carbon County. Nearest place of any size is Saratoga, 20 miles away. Steamboat Springs lies 49 miles off, Rawlins another 50 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Cotton Reservoir

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Public occurrence data for Carbon County names brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and white sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Cotton Reservoir light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 63°F; the cold one sits at 22°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Cotton Reservoir rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Cherokee Trail Reservoir is 0.7 miles distant. Nothing on Cotton Reservoir should be assumed from this page alone.