Upper Missouri Lake Fishing in Carbon County, Wyoming

• Overview

  Upper Missouri Lake is one of the Carbon County waters in Wyoming. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. At 7 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Carbon County list. The closest town, Saratoga, is 24 miles distant. Laramie lies 40 miles off, Rawlins another 54 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Upper Missouri Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Carbon County include brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, white sucker and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Upper Missouri Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 52°F and January near 18°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late May. Break-up sits around late May on average, with the water closing again about early November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Upper Missouri Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Lower Missouri Lake is 0.2 miles distant. What applies at Upper Missouri Lake may have changed since it was mapped.