Fishing at Golden Lake, Fremont County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Golden Lake lies in Fremont County, Wyoming. Height above sea level is 10,535 feet. Small at around 18 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Compared with other Wyoming water on our list, it sits high. Head to Pinedale, 35 miles away, for anything you forgot. The nearest city of size is Billings, 178 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Golden Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Fremont County cover brown trout, rainbow trout, white sucker and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Golden Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between February at about 15°F and July at about 46°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Once it clears, about late June, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between late June and late October. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Golden Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Upper Phillips Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Golden Lake if anything is unclear.