Fishing at Phelps Lake, Teton County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Phelps Lake sits in Teton County, out in Wyoming. The ground round it is rolling bush. It measures some 457 acres, and wind has room to build across it. The margin runs to about 3.5 miles in total. It is among the larger waters listed here for Teton County. For supplies, Moose Wilson Road is 8.5 miles out. It is 186 miles to Billings, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Phelps Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Teton County include mountain whitefish, lake trout and Utah sucker. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Phelps Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 59°F; by January the average is down near 16°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Phelps Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Rimrock Lake, 2.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Phelps Lake carry more weight than any list.