Gem Lake Fishing Guide, Johnson County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Gem Lake is a Johnson County water, Wyoming side. The setting is pine and birch on every side. About 9 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Supplies mean a trip to Buffalo, 18 miles off. Then Sheridan, 28 miles, and Basin, 49 miles. Alternatives close at hand: Elk Lake 1.2 miles away, Flatiron Lake within 1.7 miles, Lake Mead 3.4 miles away, South Piney Lakes within 3.7 miles and Willow Park Reservoir 4 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Gem Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, white sucker and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read Gem Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 52°F and January near 17°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early June. Expect the water usable from around early June until roughly early November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Gem Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Elk Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Gem Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.