Fishing at Lower Missouri Lake, Carbon County, Wyoming

• Overview

  In Wyoming, Lower Missouri Lake belongs to Carbon County. Mixed forest runs right down to the water. At roughly 3 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is a small entry by Carbon County standards. Saratoga is the closest town at 24 miles. The big place round here is Fort Collins, 86 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lower Missouri Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Carbon County: brown trout, brook trout and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Lower Missouri Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 52°F at the top of summer and 18°F at the bottom of winter. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Once it clears, about late May, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at early November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Lower Missouri Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Upper Missouri Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Lower Missouri Lake in what we hold.