Fishing at North Fork Lake, Sublette County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Set in Sublette County, North Fork Lake is a Wyoming water. Height above sea level is 9,767 feet. Roughly 159 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 2.5 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Few waters listed in Sublette County are bigger. Pinedale lies 19 miles from the water. Fort Washakie is 32 miles away, with Ethete at 38 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on North Fork Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Sublette County include brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout. The county list is broader than any single water. The near bank of North Fork Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 49°F, with January the cold end at about 13°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Count the season from break-up, usually early June. In an average year the thaw lands around early June and the freeze near early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. North Fork Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. August Lake at 0.8 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for North Fork Lake.