Fishing Report For Lake DeSmet, WY

By Rick Seaman

April 15, 2025

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Fishing Report Lake DeSmet, WY

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Lake DeSmet, WY

Walleye

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Ice-out is in progress, and both the walleye and anglers ape heading to shallow flats in the 15' to 20' range. Lake DeSmet is full of big walleye and the warm-water fishing season is ready to begin. Spring and Fall are the best season for catching walleye. They will spawn in Spring, then move to flats, shoals and ledges off shore. Throughout Summer, early in the morning and from dusk to long after dark are good times to catch walleye, as they move shallow to feed. Worm harnesses, spoons, deep-diving crankbaits, blade baits, jigs and swimbaits are popular lure choices. Local anglers have reported using electronics to locate schools of bait, and walleye, to increase their odds.

Lake Trout

Current Report: Poor To Fair To Good To Very Good To Excellent
Outlook: Poor To Fair To Good To Very Good To Excellent

Lake trout spend the majority of their lifetime in deep water, moving up only to feed. Reports by anglers here indicate trolling is the best way to find and catch these big trout. Trolling in the depths around 40' to 60' is a good place to start. Spinners, flatfish and crankbaits, trolled behind a dodger is working well. Lake trout feed on small fish, so lures imitating baitfish, yellow perch or small trout are good choices. Other choices include nightcrawlers or Berkeley Power Crawlers, fished on drop-shot rigs or jigheads. Flashy spoons can be fished at any depth, either jigging, trolling or cast and retrieve.

Kokanee Salmon

Current Report: Fair
Outlook: Good To Very Good

After a significant stocking in 2019, kokanee have been showing up in good numbers in Lake DeSmet. Downriggers or leaded line are the two primary methods for catching kokanee here, while trolling. Kokanee school up and hang out over deep water, usually above some type of structure. Worm harnesses and wedding ring spinner setups are popular when trolled behind a 4" dodger. Locals are tipping these baits with shoepeg white corn, PowerBait, Z-Man Scented ShrimpZ, or live nightcrawlers to helps attract bites. Experiment with depth, starting around 20'. Trolling these baits between 1.2 mph and 1.8 mph is a good speed for these kokes.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for walleye, rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, rock bass and yellow perch at Lake DeSmet in Wyoming.

Lake DeSmet is a 4,000-acre lake with over 12 miles of shoreline. Anglers will find nice populations of rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, walleye, perch and kokanee salmon. Fishing from the bank is available at numerous locations. Once the ice is safe, ice fishing is very good here.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

Click here for boat ramps available at this lake.

Fishing License

Click here for a Wyoming Fishing License.

Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".