Lower Jean Lake, Wyoming: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Sublette County in Wyoming is where Lower Jean Lake sits. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. It measures about 58 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 1.5 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Compared with other Wyoming water on our list, it sits high. Pinedale sits 19 miles from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Billings, 193 miles distant. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Lower Jean Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Sublette County cover brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Fish Lower Jean Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 13°F and July at about 47°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually mid June. The season between ice runs from about mid June to late October. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Lower Jean Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Upper Jean Lake, 1.4 miles out. For Lower Jean Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.