Willett Lake in Sheridan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Willett Lake is a Sheridan County water, in Wyoming. What surrounds it is rolling bush. Small at around 5 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. You are 27 miles from Sheridan. Then Greybull, 32 miles, and Basin, 34 miles. Water in the same corner: Calvin Lake about 2.8 miles, Coney Lake near enough 3.2 miles, Adelaide Lake about 4.3 miles, Lost Lake near enough 4.7 miles and Duncan Lake about 4.7 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Willett Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. 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. Across Sheridan County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, white sucker and rock bass. The county list is broader than any single water. The near bank of Willett Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 15°F in January to roughly 51°F in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early June. Ice clears near early June and comes back about early November in a typical year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Willett Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Calvin Lake, 2.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Willett Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.