Sandy Lake Fishing Guide, Albany County, Wyoming

• Overview

  The Albany County end of Wyoming holds Sandy Lake. It lies 10,899 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 4 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Albany County are larger. The town to know is Saratoga, 28 miles out. It is 83 miles to Fort Collins, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Sandy Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Albany County list brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout and longnose sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Sandy Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 50°F in July and bottoms out near 17°F in January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early June. Break-up sits around early June on average, with the water closing again about early November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Sandy Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. A picnic spot sits half a mile from the bank. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Pinchot Lake is 0.4 miles off. Confirm access to Sandy Lake locally before you travel.