Knapp Lake in Carbon County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Knapp Lake falls in Carbon County, part of Wyoming. The ground round it is lake country bush. Small enough that any disturbance crosses the whole surface. Most waters listed here for Carbon County are larger. You are 24 miles from Saratoga. For a city, Fort Collins is 86 miles off. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Knapp Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Carbon County records list brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout among the fish reported. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Knapp Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 52°F at the top of summer and 18°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Break-up comes around late May, and the run that follows is short and strong. On average, late May opens the water and early November closes it again. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on Knapp Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Upper Missouri Lake sits 0.3 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Knapp Lake carry more weight than any list.