Rob Roy Reservoir, Wyoming: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Albany County end of Wyoming holds Rob Roy Reservoir. The setting is mixed forest. The water covers around 800 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The perimeter runs near 10 miles, so plan the walk before you start. Few waters listed in Albany County are bigger. Nearest town is Saratoga, 33 miles off. Further out sit Laramie (35 miles) and Steamboat Springs (58 miles). Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Rob Roy Reservoir

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Survey and observation records for Albany County include brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and longnose sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Rob Roy Reservoir the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 53°F; by January the average is down near 19°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Once it clears, about mid May, the fishing comes on quickly. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Rob Roy Reservoir fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Silver Run Lake is 8.3 miles off. For Rob Roy Reservoir, the notice at the access point is the final word.