Little Shell Lake Fishing Guide, Big Horn County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Little Shell Lake stands in Big Horn County, Wyoming. Height above sea level is 9,573 feet. Surface area runs to about 4 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Big Horn County list. Sheridan at 29 miles is the nearest place to stop. Billings sits 106 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Little Shell Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, white sucker and common carp. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Little Shell Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 13°F to 51°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early June. The lid tends to go about early June and return around early November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Anyone fishing Little Shell Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Shell Lake is 0.3 miles distant. Treat access at Little Shell Lake as something to verify.