Goose Lake in Teton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Wyoming, Goose Lake falls inside Teton County. The ground round it is lake country bush. At about 37 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The town to know is West Yellowstone, 15 miles out. Ashton lies 44 miles off, Big Sky another 57 miles. Nearby alternatives: Goose Lakes some 0.2 miles off, 0.4 miles away is Feather Lake, Lower Basin Lake some 1 mile off, 1.6 miles away is Rush Lake and Mallard Lake some 5.5 miles off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Goose Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Teton County names mountain whitefish, lake trout, Utah sucker and brown trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Fish Goose Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 13°F in January up to 56°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Anyone fishing Goose Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Goose Lakes is 0.2 miles off. Treat Goose Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.