Lake Surprise Fishing Guide, Sublette County, Wyoming

• Overview

  The Sublette County end of Wyoming holds Lake Surprise. Everything around it is mixed forest. Roughly 29 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Head to Pinedale, 13 miles away, for anything you forgot. Marbleton follows at 36 miles, then Fort Washakie at 38 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake Surprise

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Sublette County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Lake Surprise responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 52°F in July and bottoms out near 14°F in January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. After late May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate averages put the opening at about late May and the closing near early November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. On Lake Surprise the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Hidden Lake, 0.6 miles away. Where Lake Surprise is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.