PINEDALE —The prolonged drought and warm temperatures plaguing the Rocky Mountain states continue to have a major impact on trout in Soda Lake. Located just north of Pinedale, this popular fishery is known for the trophy brown trout and brook trout it can produce.  However, populations of trout in the lake have struggled since water levels began to drop early in the 21st century. Therefore, when the lake opens to angling on May 1, there will be few fish available for anglers to pursue. 

The water level of Soda Lake dropped more than 19 inches last summer, and this winter’s snow pack did not replenish the loss, only refilling the lake with less than 4 inches. Similar fluctuations have occurred for a number of years, and very few trout remain in the lake as a result. For brook trout, sampling in October 2025 indicated that approximately 1,400 adults remained at that time. For adult brown trout sampled at that time, the number captured was too low to calculate a valid population estimate, but there were likely fewer than 50 remaining. Similar results were obtained in October 2024.  While a winter mortality survey was not conducted, live brook trout were captured in April 2026, confirming that some fish overwintered.  

Because Soda Lake lacks suitable spawning habitat for trout, all trout found there began life in a fish hatchery. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department stocked 30,000 brook trout and 30,000 brown trout annually until 2003.  Those numbers have been reduced several times since then as habitat conditions declined.  In the spring of 2026, 10,000 of each species will be stocked at an average size of about five inches long. Those numbers will be repeated in 2027, and an additional 5,000 Bonneville cutthroat trout will be introduced. This subspecies of cutthroat trout is well adapted to warmer water and poor water quality, and might be better adapted for survival in warmer and fluctuating conditions in Soda Lake. In addition, if brown trout survival does not improve within the next couple of years, that species could be removed from the annual stocking request for the lake.

While the odds of catching a trophy brown trout are now very low, the lake should still produce some big brook trout. The average brook trout captured last fall weighed over a pound, and some approached 2.5 pounds. Since some of those fish did survive through the winter, patient anglers can expect to catch fish of a similar size this season.

For more information or for further questions, contact the Pinedale Regional Office at (307) 367-4352.