WGFD 2025 fishing outlook
Whether you pursue trout, walleye, kokanee salmon or even channel catfish, Wyoming has angling opportunities for you. The forecast for these fish - and other species - looks promising this spring and summer. Wyoming Game and Fish Department fish division personnel provided a spring-summer fishing outlook for their respective regions. From beginner anglers to the most skilled and experienced, there is something out there for everyone.
Casper Region:
As always, Glendo Reservoir is one of the best places in the state for spring and summer walleye fishing.
"Our netting surveys show strong numbers of 3- and 4-year-old walleye which will range from 14 inches long to around 18 inches by summer," said Matt Hahn, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Casper Region. "The number of large walleye - fish greater than 20 inches - is expected to be consistent with years past."
Black and white crappie and yellow perch are present in Glendo. However, those populations are down due to walleye predation and a winterkill of gizzard shad during the winter of 2023-24. Glendo also offers exceptional fishing for channel catfish with a strong population of fish longer than 30 inches.
Seminoe Reservoir rainbow trout numbers look good this year. Sampling showed good survival of 2024-stocked trout. Anglers should have great success catching fish in the 16-18-inch range. Walleye anglers at Seminoe should expect fast fishing. Many of the walleye are small, so Game and Fish is encouraging anglers to harvest limits of the smaller fish as they are showing signs of stunting.
Pathfinder Reservoir also has a lot of small walleye, and the department is encouraging harvest of fish shorter than 14 inches.
Trout fishing on the North Platte River between Seminoe Dam and Dave Johnston Power Plant Dam near Glenrock is a great option. Being downstream of major dams, these river reaches are typically unaffected by seasonal droughts or high-water temperatures and fish great all year.
Cody Region:
Some of the region's most popular trout fisheries are at their best April-June. Rivers such as the South Fork Shoshone, the lower portion of the Shoshone and Clarks Fork Yellowstone prior to runoff offer outstanding angling, said Sam Hochhalter, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Cody Region.
The Bighorn River in Thermopolis is at its best in the spring and early summer before aquatic plants and algae get too thick.
Lakes such as East Newton, Luce and Hogan are go-to places once rivers swell with snowmelt. The Sunshine reservoirs west of Meeteetse offer excellent shoreline angling as the ice begins to melt.
Green River Region:
Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of the unlimited harvest of lake trout shorter than 28 inches at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
"Angler harvest will be critical to recovering the kokanee salmon and stocked trout populations," said Robb Keith, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Green River Region who retired in March after 30 years with the department. "Lake trout predation impacts on these populations are still really high. Trolling and jigging small lake trout this spring and early summer should be excellent.
"Not only is there an abundance of lake trout between 17-23 inches in the reservoir, we are very concerned about the numbers of smaller lake trout less than 16 inches that we are seeing close to most of the cliffs which are adjacent to the river channel," Keith said. "These small lake trout are great for canning, pickling and smoking."
Keith added trophy lake trout fishing should continue to be good and similar to last year.
Keith said kokanee fishing at Flaming Gorge should be fair and similar to last year. Rainbow trout fishing improved last fall and this winter, so the expectation is positive this spring. Anglers should find several year classes of rainbows near shore in most areas, especially toward the backs of bays and on the big flats that are abundant north of the canyon section of the reservoir.
Anglers should be aware of another trout in the Gorge.
"We keep hearing about and seeing pictures of Bear River cutthroat between 5-10 pounds. Although not numerous, they are out there," Keith said.
Trout fishing should be good to excellent at Fontenelle Reservoir this spring and into summer until water temperatures warm. Kokanee have been scarce through the ice this winter, but there should be a good number of fish between 15-17 inches with the occasional fish longer than 19 inches. Fishing for kokanee should heat up in May and will produce a nice summer fishery for boat anglers.
The Green River below Fontenelle Reservoir continues to produce exceptional rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout.
"The Green River does not have huge numbers of trout per mile, but it has plenty of memorable fish," Keith said. "The fish can be tough to catch at times and will tax the patience of the most experienced anglers, but it's worth it when that big one grabs your fly, lure or bait."
Viva Naughton Reservoir may be a little slow this year. No rainbow trout were stocked in 2023 due to poor water conditions at the time of stocking. Fish were stocked in 2024 and those should be close to 12-13 inches by June.
The tiger trout state record was caught from Viva Naughton each of the last two years, and prior to that it was caught from High Savery Reservoir near Baggs. Keith said the next tiger trout record is "undoubtedly swimming around" in Viva Naughton, High Savery or possibly the Kemmerer City Reservoir just downstream from Viva Naughton.
Jackson Region:
Spring and early-summer fishing around Jackson is all about timing.
Once the weather starts to warm but the snow is still on the mountains, the main stem of the Snake River is a wonderful place to target mountain whitefish and Snake River cutthroat trout. These fish become more active as temperatures increase and the river is still fishable.
Once runoff takes over the river, it is time to head to the lakes.
"Right after ice-off can be a great time to catch lake trout from shore on Jackson, Jenny, Leigh and Phelps lakes as they have not yet been pushed into deeper water by warm water temperatures," said Diana Miller, Game and Fish fisheries biologist in the Jackson Region. These fish, along with brown trout and Snake River cutthroat trout, become more active as water temperatures warm. They are drawn toward the shoreline, which warms quicker and is more productive than other areas of the lake.
Keep in mind that streams inside Grand Teton National Park, with the exception of Buffalo Fork River, Gros Ventre River, Pacific Creek, Polecat Creek and the Snake River, are closed to fishing in the spring to protect spawning cutthroat trout. If you do catch a cutthroat trout in a legal area and do not intend to harvest it, land it quickly and release it back into the water gently so it can resume spawning.
-Robert Gagliardi
Photo: WGFD
Read part 2 for Lander, Laramie, Pinedale and Sheridan here: [log in for link]
Casper Region:
As always, Glendo Reservoir is one of the best places in the state for spring and summer walleye fishing.
"Our netting surveys show strong numbers of 3- and 4-year-old walleye which will range from 14 inches long to around 18 inches by summer," said Matt Hahn, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Casper Region. "The number of large walleye - fish greater than 20 inches - is expected to be consistent with years past."
Black and white crappie and yellow perch are present in Glendo. However, those populations are down due to walleye predation and a winterkill of gizzard shad during the winter of 2023-24. Glendo also offers exceptional fishing for channel catfish with a strong population of fish longer than 30 inches.
Seminoe Reservoir rainbow trout numbers look good this year. Sampling showed good survival of 2024-stocked trout. Anglers should have great success catching fish in the 16-18-inch range. Walleye anglers at Seminoe should expect fast fishing. Many of the walleye are small, so Game and Fish is encouraging anglers to harvest limits of the smaller fish as they are showing signs of stunting.
Pathfinder Reservoir also has a lot of small walleye, and the department is encouraging harvest of fish shorter than 14 inches.
Trout fishing on the North Platte River between Seminoe Dam and Dave Johnston Power Plant Dam near Glenrock is a great option. Being downstream of major dams, these river reaches are typically unaffected by seasonal droughts or high-water temperatures and fish great all year.
Cody Region:
Some of the region's most popular trout fisheries are at their best April-June. Rivers such as the South Fork Shoshone, the lower portion of the Shoshone and Clarks Fork Yellowstone prior to runoff offer outstanding angling, said Sam Hochhalter, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Cody Region.
The Bighorn River in Thermopolis is at its best in the spring and early summer before aquatic plants and algae get too thick.
Lakes such as East Newton, Luce and Hogan are go-to places once rivers swell with snowmelt. The Sunshine reservoirs west of Meeteetse offer excellent shoreline angling as the ice begins to melt.
Green River Region:
Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of the unlimited harvest of lake trout shorter than 28 inches at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
"Angler harvest will be critical to recovering the kokanee salmon and stocked trout populations," said Robb Keith, Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Green River Region who retired in March after 30 years with the department. "Lake trout predation impacts on these populations are still really high. Trolling and jigging small lake trout this spring and early summer should be excellent.
"Not only is there an abundance of lake trout between 17-23 inches in the reservoir, we are very concerned about the numbers of smaller lake trout less than 16 inches that we are seeing close to most of the cliffs which are adjacent to the river channel," Keith said. "These small lake trout are great for canning, pickling and smoking."
Keith added trophy lake trout fishing should continue to be good and similar to last year.
Keith said kokanee fishing at Flaming Gorge should be fair and similar to last year. Rainbow trout fishing improved last fall and this winter, so the expectation is positive this spring. Anglers should find several year classes of rainbows near shore in most areas, especially toward the backs of bays and on the big flats that are abundant north of the canyon section of the reservoir.
Anglers should be aware of another trout in the Gorge.
"We keep hearing about and seeing pictures of Bear River cutthroat between 5-10 pounds. Although not numerous, they are out there," Keith said.
Trout fishing should be good to excellent at Fontenelle Reservoir this spring and into summer until water temperatures warm. Kokanee have been scarce through the ice this winter, but there should be a good number of fish between 15-17 inches with the occasional fish longer than 19 inches. Fishing for kokanee should heat up in May and will produce a nice summer fishery for boat anglers.
The Green River below Fontenelle Reservoir continues to produce exceptional rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout.
"The Green River does not have huge numbers of trout per mile, but it has plenty of memorable fish," Keith said. "The fish can be tough to catch at times and will tax the patience of the most experienced anglers, but it's worth it when that big one grabs your fly, lure or bait."
Viva Naughton Reservoir may be a little slow this year. No rainbow trout were stocked in 2023 due to poor water conditions at the time of stocking. Fish were stocked in 2024 and those should be close to 12-13 inches by June.
The tiger trout state record was caught from Viva Naughton each of the last two years, and prior to that it was caught from High Savery Reservoir near Baggs. Keith said the next tiger trout record is "undoubtedly swimming around" in Viva Naughton, High Savery or possibly the Kemmerer City Reservoir just downstream from Viva Naughton.
Jackson Region:
Spring and early-summer fishing around Jackson is all about timing.
Once the weather starts to warm but the snow is still on the mountains, the main stem of the Snake River is a wonderful place to target mountain whitefish and Snake River cutthroat trout. These fish become more active as temperatures increase and the river is still fishable.
Once runoff takes over the river, it is time to head to the lakes.
"Right after ice-off can be a great time to catch lake trout from shore on Jackson, Jenny, Leigh and Phelps lakes as they have not yet been pushed into deeper water by warm water temperatures," said Diana Miller, Game and Fish fisheries biologist in the Jackson Region. These fish, along with brown trout and Snake River cutthroat trout, become more active as water temperatures warm. They are drawn toward the shoreline, which warms quicker and is more productive than other areas of the lake.
Keep in mind that streams inside Grand Teton National Park, with the exception of Buffalo Fork River, Gros Ventre River, Pacific Creek, Polecat Creek and the Snake River, are closed to fishing in the spring to protect spawning cutthroat trout. If you do catch a cutthroat trout in a legal area and do not intend to harvest it, land it quickly and release it back into the water gently so it can resume spawning.
-Robert Gagliardi
Photo: WGFD
Read part 2 for Lander, Laramie, Pinedale and Sheridan here: [log in for link]
