Wales Reservoir in Hot Springs County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, this is Wales Reservoir. The bank is 5,174 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 17 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Of the waters listed here in Hot Springs County, this is the largest. Thermopolis lies 20 miles from the water. Billings is the closest city, 136 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Wales Reservoir

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Survey and observation records for Hot Springs County include rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout and blackside darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Wales Reservoir the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 69°F in July and bottoms out near 20°F in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Wales Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Thompson Reservoir Number Two, 8.7 miles out. Rules at Wales Reservoir are worth checking on the day.