Fortress Lakes, Wyoming: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Wyoming holds Fortress Lakes, in Big Horn County. Elevation runs to 10,538 feet. The water measures roughly 10 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Compared with other Wyoming water on our list, it sits high. The nearest place of any size is Buffalo, 25 miles away. Sheridan lies 34 miles off, Basin another 42 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Fortress Lakes

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Big Horn County names brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Fortress Lakes to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 12°F in January to roughly 48°F in August. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in mid June, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at mid June and the freeze at late October. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Fortress Lakes.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Gunboat Lake, 0.3 miles away. Check the current arrangement for Fortress Lakes.