Fishing at Lake De Smet, Johnson County, Wyoming

• Overview

  The Johnson County end of Wyoming holds Lake De Smet. The bank is 4,610 feet above sea level. Around 5.2 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. The outline measures near 14 miles, so local knowledge counts. Nothing else we list in Johnson County covers more water. The town to know is Buffalo, 9.4 miles out. The big place round here is Billings, 124 miles distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lake De Smet

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Johnson County cover brown trout, rainbow trout and brook trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Lake De Smet decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 68°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Anyone fishing Lake De Smet regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a reservoir by origin, with the deepest water near the dam. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Shell Creek Reservoir is 2.2 miles off. Ask locally about Lake De Smet if anything is unclear.