Fishing at Stockade Lake, Park County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Out in Park County, Wyoming, sits Stockade Lake. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. Surface area is around 30 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Start from Red Lodge, 20 miles down the road. The nearest city of size is Billings, 75 miles away. Neighbouring water: Losekamp Lake 0.8 miles off, 1.1 miles away is Solar Lake, Hauser Lake 1.3 miles off, 1.4 miles away is Top Lake and Fort Lake 1.5 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Stockade Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Park County records list brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and black-spotted cutthroat trout among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Stockade Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 15°F in January to roughly 49°F in August. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early June. Ice usually gives way near early June, and forms again about early November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Expect Stockade Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Losekamp Lake at 0.8 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Stockade Lake may have changed since it was mapped.