Fishing
Lake DeSmet
Game and Fish counts about 35,000 anglers a year here, landing around 60,000 trout. What bites, where to launch and what changed in 2026.
Today: Sunny, wind E 3 to 9 mph.
Caught a northern pike? Kill it, keep it, call it in.
Game and Fish netted an illegally released pike in Lake DeSmet during its fall survey. No limit. Keep the carcass for biologists and call the Sheridan Region office. Know who released it? Stop Poaching hotline 1-877-WGFD-TIP. [WGFD, Oct 9, 2026]
What swims in DeSmet
Tap a fish. Every line is from Wyoming Game and Fish or the local paper, linked so you can check it.
Rainbow trout
The fish that carries Lake DeSmet.
- Game and Fish has stocked rainbows here regularly for about 100 years. [Source, 2]
- The lake draws about 35,000 anglers a year who catch around 60,000 trout (2016 report). [Source]
- After walleye showed up illegally, the agency switched to stocking larger trout that could hold their own. [Source]
- Stocking moved from several hundred thousand fingerlings a year to about 100,000 larger fish. [Source]
- Rainbow numbers were increasing in the 2025 sampling. [Source]
Deep, cold and big
About 3,400 surface acres with an average depth near 69 feet and a deepest point around 120 feet, sitting at about 4,570 feet above sea level. [WGFD, 2, 3] That much cold water is why trout do so well here, and it is where the lake trout live.
Profile is a schematic, not a chart for navigation.
2026 on the water
- FebIce derby
The Rotary Club of Sheridan ran its 5th annual derby here on February 22, 2025. The 2027 date is not yet announced. [Source]
- Mar 1AIS season opens
Boats coming into Wyoming need an invasive species inspection from March 1 to November 30. [Source]
- Jun to AugCreel cards
Summer creel survey cards go in drop boxes at the ramps. Fill one out; it shapes the rules. [Source]
- JulAngler survey
Game and Fish surveyed DeSmet anglers in July 2026 about lake trout. [Source]
- SepPublic meetings
Sheridan and Buffalo meetings on September 22 and 24, 2026 weighed a higher lake trout limit. [Source]
- OctPike found
The fall survey turned up an illegally released northern pike. [Source]
- Nov 30AIS season closes
Monument Point stays open all year. Before you walk out, Game and Fish wants at least 4 inches of clear ice. [Source, 2]
Updated October 27, 2026. Regulations change; Game and Fish has the final word.
All species at a glance
Game and Fish lists walleye, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon, yellow perch and rock bass at Lake DeSmet. [WGFD]
| Fish | What to know | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rainbow trout | The backbone. Stocked regularly for about 100 years. | [WGFD, 2] |
| Lake trout | Caught more often over the last decade. Most in recent nets were under 20 inches and in good shape. | [WGFD] |
| Kokanee salmon | About 40,000 fingerlings stocked in April 2019. | [WGFD] |
| Walleye | Introduced illegally in the early 1990s. Some big, old fish. | [WGFD, 2] |
| Brown and cutthroat trout | Present. Rainbows dominate the sport fishery. | [WGFD, 2] |
| Northern pike | Not supposed to be here. One illegally released pike was found in fall 2026. Kill, keep and report any you catch. | [WGFD] |
| Yellow perch, rock bass | Present. Perch were a category in the 2025 ice derby. | [WGFD, 2] |
The lake trout question
Lake trout have been in DeSmet for years, but anglers have been catching more of them over roughly the last ten. In 2025, 80 percent of the lake trout in Game and Fish gill nets were under 20 inches and in good condition. The agency has not stocked them recently and found no sign of an illegal introduction. They likely came down from higher lakes upstream. [WGFD]
The rule in 2026 was the statewide limit: 6 lake trout a day, no more than 1 over 24 inches. Game and Fish ran an angler survey in July 2026 and held public meetings in Sheridan and Buffalo on September 22 and 24 about raising the limit on small or all lake trout. [WGFD, 2] This page gets updated when the rule changes.
Kokanee
Game and Fish stocked about 40,000 kokanee fingerlings, 3 to 4 inches long, in April 2019. Two of them turned up in fall nets that year at about 7 inches, faster growth than the biologists expected. [WGFD]
Walleye
Walleye were not supposed to be here. Someone put them in illegally in the early 1990s, and Game and Fish answered by stocking larger trout that could hold their own. [WGFD] Game and Fish estimated the 2018 record walleye, based on similar fish from the lake, at 16 to 20 years old. [WGFD AnglerNews 2019]
Where to fish
- Mikesell-Potts, south shore (Exit 51): two free ramps, shore access and a first come, first served campground with no potable water. [Johnson County]
- Monument Point (Exit 47): Game and Fish access with a concrete ramp and dock, open all year. Accessible dock and restroom. No camping. [WGFD]
- Through the ice: see the ice fishing guide.
Check the live conditions at the top of this page before you hook up the boat.
License and rules
- Buy a Wyoming fishing license and conservation stamp from Game and Fish. Daily and annual options exist; prices change, so check there. [WGFD]
- Boats coming into Wyoming need an aquatic invasive species inspection from March 1 to November 30, and nearly every boat, kayaks and canoes included, needs a current AIS decal (small inflatables and paddleboards excepted). [WGFD] See boating.
- Questions about the fishery: Game and Fish Sheridan Region, 700 Valley View Dr, Sheridan, (307) 672-7418. [WGFD]
The record
On July 14, 2018, a Colorado Springs diver speared a 17.29-pound walleye at Lake DeSmet, a world spearfishing record recognized by the International Underwater Spearfishing Association. It is not a Wyoming state record, which requires hook and line. [WGFD, 2]
FAQ
Are there northern pike in Lake DeSmet?
They are not supposed to be. Game and Fish found an illegally released northern pike in October 2026. If you catch one, kill it, keep the carcass and report it to (307) 672-7418.
What is the best fish to target at Lake DeSmet?
Rainbow trout. Game and Fish has stocked them for about a century and they carry the fishery. Lake trout are showing up more often, and walleye and perch round it out.
What is the lake trout limit at Lake DeSmet?
As of fall 2026 the statewide limit applied: 6 per day, no more than 1 over 24 inches. Game and Fish held public meetings in September 2026 about raising the limit at DeSmet, so check the current regulations before you keep fish.
Are there salmon in Lake DeSmet?
Yes. Game and Fish stocked about 40,000 kokanee salmon fingerlings in April 2019 and found faster growth than expected that fall.
Do I need a Wyoming fishing license?
Yes, in most cases. Check age rules and whether you also need a conservation stamp, and buy it from Wyoming Game and Fish. Prices change, so we do not print them here.
Where can I launch a boat to fish?
Mikesell-Potts on the south shore (Exit 51) has two ramps. Monument Point (Exit 47, Shell Creek Road) has a concrete ramp and dock and is open year-round.
Stay close to the ramp
First light on the water is easier when you sleep nearby.
Know when the limit changes
If Game and Fish changes the lake trout rule, the Lake Letter will say so. One email a season.