This month, residents of Johnson, Sheridan and Campbell counties who hold current fishing licenses will receive an email from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department with a link to a brief survey. The survey provides a set of questions about angler experiences and interests at Lake DeSmet, one of the largest and most popular fisheries in the Sheridan region.
The survey seeks to learn more about which fish anglers pursue and catch most often at Lake DeSmet. Local fisheries managers will gather input from as many local anglers as possible as they determine future management direction with a growing population of lake trout in DeSmet.
Lake trout have been present in DeSmet for many years, though they have not been stocked there by Game and Fish in recent times and there is no evidence of an illegal introduction. It is believed they came downstream into the lake from higher elevation lakes and reservoirs.
“Low numbers of lake trout were observed in our annual surveys or caught by anglers until about 10 years ago,” said Gordon Edwards, a Sheridan Region fisheries biologist who manages Lake DeSmet. “Since then, anglers are catching them more frequently and catch rates in our gill net sampling have gone up substantially.”
Recent data shows the lake trout population is increasing. In 2025, 80 percent of lake trout captured with gill nets were less than 20 inches and in good body condition, suggesting the population will continue to grow.
While the presence of lake trout offers angling opportunity, an abundance of lake trout could negatively impact other fish populations. Rainbow trout have been stocked in the reservoir regularly for 100 years, with kokanee first introduced in April 2019.
“Lake trout are long-lived, predatory fish,” said Edwards. “Data from other lakes in the region show that lake trout can become overabundant and stunted, with few large fish that anglers prefer. They can also reduce the success of stocked kokanee and trout. In response to the illegal introduction of walleye into the lake in the early 1990s, we had to change our stocking regime, mainly by stocking larger trout. Now we have another major challenge to address which is a booming lake trout population. We really need the help of anglers to harvest lake trout to control this growing population.”
Local fisheries managers are considering a regulation change for lake trout at Lake DeSmet to encourage higher harvest. Lake trout at DeSmet currently fall under the statewide creel limit of six fish, no more than one exceeding 24 inches. New options could include increasing the creel limit on small lake trout, or increasing the creel limit on all sizes of lake trout.
“The purpose of the survey is to hear directly from anglers on what changes they might support on lake trout regulations at DeSmet,” said Edwards. “We hope everyone who receives a survey and fishes at DeSmet will submit answers and comments.”
Follow up public meetings will be held in September in Sheridan and Buffalo to continue conversations with anglers about how to manage lake trout in DeSmet and potential regulation changes.
