Hiding six miles from the nearest "road" (a barely-discernable dirt track narrow enough to make spelunkers claustrophobic), I'm thinking the fish I am in search of aren't as stupid as I've been told. If they were stupid they'd be right off the road, where even the laziest of fishermen could toss a line in. But no, these guys have secreted themselves in remote lakes deep in the wilderness of the Wind River Mountains, where fishermen who have committed to the hike or horseback ride in are as few and far between as Wyoming traffic jams. Seems a smart move on the fishes' part to me.
Arriving at Simpson Lake and tossing in a line with only a shimmery hook on its end, I discover a different type of stupidity. Within seconds, a fish has bit and snared itself. You see, unlike the fish in easily accessible waters, these wilderness guys don't know hooks are bad and find a double humpy and a piece of tin equally intriguing. They haven't seen enough to know better. For a novice fisherwoman like myself, it's heaven. Within 30 minutes I've caught more fish (including the same fish three times in a row... now that's nothing if not a stupid fish) than on all of my other outings combined. I keep four for dinner and the rest are tossed back... hopefully still every bit as
Brooks Lake
ignorant as before their encounter with my hook.
While backcountry – meaning accessible only by foot or horse – fishing spots abound throughout the state, here are a few of my favorites.
Moon Lake/Blanket Lakes/Simpson Lake/Pinto Lake
Just outside Dubois, these lakes are lined up along a well-maintained hiking/riding trail starting first with bear-favorite Moon Lake (I've never been there and not seen a bear, so be sure to be aware). Simpson Lake is the biggest, has some beautiful non-maintained camping spots along its miles of shoreline, and offers great views of Square Top Mountain, an aptly named 11,570-foot peak towering over the lake's southern end. I've had luck both with fly and baitcasting (minus the bait) setups here. If you're really looking for an adventure, hike all the way back to tiny Pinto Lake, only a stone's throw from the Continental Divide, and as remote a place as you'll find. Looking for stream action rather than lakes? The stream connecting Simpson Lake to Pinto Lake has some nice pockets, as does the stream leaving the northern end of Moon Lake (heading towards Grass Lake). Really, you can't go wrong with any of the lakes and streams in here.
Brooks Lake/Jade Lake/Rainbow Lake
Some longtime visitors to this portion of the Winds don't even bother with fishing rods
Medicine Bow National Forest Rick Carpenter
anymore. Why carry a rod when there are streams and lakes you can pluck, barehanded, a rainbow, brook, lake, or cutthroat trout from? Really. It's called "tickling." It's not easy, but it is possible to tickle a fish right into your creel. For the more traditional, grab your rod and head to the inlet of Lower Brooks Lake or hike a few miles up trail #823 to the Jade Lakes, where Technicolor waters teem with fish. Make a night of it by hiking even further into the Teton Wilderness (trail #823 becomes #3056), where you can camp a few hundred feet from Cub Creek and have dozens of lakelets – there are so many most aren't even named – to toss a line into. Cub Creek isn't too shabby itself.
North Platte River
In the Medicine Bow Mountain Range in the southern part of the state, the Platte River Wilderness might not be in the middle of nowhere, but it sure is close. Just north of the Colorado border and 20-some miles from Encampment, it is, unusual for a designated wilderness area, only a short hike from a decent road. The Platte River Trail starts just off state highway 230 and parallels the North Platte River for several miles, in official wilderness for nearly its entirety (which means no motorized vehicles allowed). In addition to being fecund with fish, this area also has some great somewhat-developed campsites, complete with fire pits where you can fry up the day's catch.
Happy casting!
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