Wyoming Public Waters

Public waters in Wyoming covered here

This state hub indexes 3 notable public water bodies: 2 lakes, 1 river. The dataset is a curated list of destination waters rather than every public access point, so a productive local pond or municipal lake near you may still be missing.

Species profiles exist for 3 of the 3 tracked waters. Commonly indexed destinations include Yellowstone Lake, Jackson Lake and North Platte River.

Use the "Fishing near me" sorter on this page to reorder the list by straight-line distance from your location. Straight-line distance is a planning estimate, not a drive time — a water 20 miles away across a ridge or a bay can take far longer to reach than one 40 miles down a highway, and seasonal closures, launch fees, and permit requirements are set by the managing agency rather than by this list.

What a Wyoming fishing license costs

A resident annual license for Wyoming is $27.00, and the non-resident annual license is $102.00 — a difference of $75.00. The non-resident rate is roughly 3.8 times the resident rate — meaning the license is usually the smallest expense in the trip budget.

Short-term options as published: Resident daily $6.00; Nonresident daily $14.00; Nonresident 5-consecutive-day $56.00 (daily and 5-day exempt from Conservation Stamp).

Senior and reduced-rate options: Resident Pioneer lifetime free (age 65+ with 30 years WY residency).

Separate aquatic-invasive-species stamp: 2026: resident $10 motorized / $5 nonmotorized; nonresident $30 / $15. Fee increase effective Nov. 1, 2026: resident motorized $20, nonresident $50.

Reciprocal border waters to check before travelling: Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Source: Wyoming Game & Fish Department — 2026 Licenses & Fees (wgfd.wyo.gov / eRegulations).

Stocking in Wyoming

A statewide annual stocking total for Wyoming is pending verification in this dataset, so this tool shows no number rather than an estimate. Wyoming Game and Fish Department publishes stocking by water, county, and species.

Stocking totals for Wyoming are pending verification. State fish agencies publish annual stocking lists by water, county, and species; consult Wyoming Game and Fish Department for current figures before relying on any number.

Source: verify locally — see Wyoming Game and Fish Department stocking reports.

Why stocking matters to planning: put-and-take fisheries are the most catch-rate-sensitive to plant timing, so a water that fishes poorly in April can fish well in May once the trucks arrive. Check the current-year plant list before writing off a water, and check it again before assuming a hot bite will last.

Size and bag limits tracked for Wyoming

Wyoming has 10 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Bluegill, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout and Smallmouth Bass, among 10 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.

Bluegill: bag 50 (combined panfish); season Year-round. Citation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — 2026 Fishing Regulations (Statewide Creel Limits). https://www.eregulations.com/wyoming/fishing/statewide-creel-limits/

Brook Trout: bag 16; season Year-round. Citation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — 2026 Fishing Regulations (Statewide Creel Limits). https://www.eregulations.com/wyoming/fishing/statewide-creel-limits/

Brown Trout: bag 6 (lakes) / 3 (streams); combined 6; only 1 may exceed 16 in; season Year-round; Trout aggregate (excludes brook, lake trout, splake).. Citation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — 2026 Fishing Regulations (Statewide Creel Limits). https://www.eregulations.com/wyoming/fishing/statewide-creel-limits/

Channel Catfish: bag 6; season Year-round. Citation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — 2026 Fishing Regulations (Statewide Creel Limits). https://www.eregulations.com/wyoming/fishing/statewide-creel-limits/

Crappie: bag 50 (combined panfish: yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, etc.); season Year-round. Citation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — 2026 Fishing Regulations (Statewide Creel Limits). https://www.eregulations.com/wyoming/fishing/statewide-creel-limits/

Largemouth Bass: bag 6 (combined with smallmouth bass); season Year-round. Citation: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — 2026 Fishing Regulations (Statewide Creel Limits). https://www.eregulations.com/wyoming/fishing/statewide-creel-limits/

These are statewide general rules only. Slot limits, special-regulation waters, catch-and-release stretches, and zone-by-zone seasons override them — and a general rule that is absent from this list is not the same as no restriction. Confirm the rule for the exact water you are fishing with Wyoming Game and Fish Department before keeping a fish.

Free fishing days in Wyoming

Reported license-free dates for 2026: June 6, 2026. Most states waive the license only, not the rules — size and bag limits, gear restrictions, seasons, and any required report card still apply, and some states still require a free or zero-cost license to be issued before you fish.

Reported for 2026 by public aggregators and may not match the official state schedule. Always confirm the current year’s dates and any species/stamp exceptions with the agency before planning.

Source: Compiled from 2026 public Free-Fishing-Day roundups (modefreefinds.com, heyitsfree.net, fishkillflea.com). Not an official source — verify with the state agency. (compiled 2026-08-29).