Rourke Reservoir Fishing in Campbell County, Wyoming

• Overview

  The Campbell County end of Wyoming holds Rourke Reservoir. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. Small at around 12 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Wyoming listings. The town to know is Sleepy Hollow, 4 miles out. Further out sit Antelope Valley-Crestview (4.1 miles) and Gillette (8.8 miles). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Rourke Reservoir

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Survey and observation records for Campbell County include green sunfish, black bullhead, white sucker and stonecat. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Rourke Reservoir before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 70°F, with January the cold end at about 21°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Expect the water usable from around early April until roughly late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Rourke Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Hill Reservoir, 4.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Rourke Reservoir as something to verify.