Pinedale’s Soda Lake, ‘Still Struggling,’ Anglers Should Lower Expectations

For the fifth consecutive year, anglers hoping to fish Soda Lake near Pinedale will find limited opportunities. Once a world-class brown and brook trout fishery and a favorite quick-getaway spot for locals, the lake has been in sharp decline. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department cites persistent drought and warm temperatures as the primary culprits. “When the lake opens to angling on May 1, there will be few fish available for anglers to pursue,” the agency said.

Some local fishing enthusiasts say they haven’t even bothered going to Soda Lake for years. Rhett Bain of Pinedale, owner of Real Deal Anglers guide service, said the lake used to be his favorite place to relax and catch a few fish. “It used to be so amazing. I would usually go fish there in the evenings, and you could just see fish rising all around you,” he said. The quality started to decline around 2004, and over the past five years it has absolutely tanked. “It’s just not worth the time or effort now,” Bain said.

Noted outdoorsman and fishing guide Paul Ulrich said when he first moved to Pinedale in the early 2000s, the trout angling at Soda Lake was beyond belief. “Soda Lake was a destination for still water anglers from all over the country at one point. It was a special resource for Wyoming,” he said. “Two Rivers Fly Shop used to sell flies specifically made just for fishing at Soda.” Those days are over. “It’s made it very sad. We’re sad about it,” Ulrich said.

Trout do not spawn at Soda Lake, so Game and Fish has historically stocked it. The population peaked in 1997 with an estimated 47,000 adult trout. By 2004, numbers plummeted to about 1,500 adult fish and have struggled ever since. The water level dropped more than 19 inches last summer, and this winter’s snowpack replenished less than 4 inches. High pH levels have also contributed to algae blooms that kill fish.

Until 2003, Game and Fish stocked 30,000 brook and 30,000 brown trout annually. Those numbers have been reduced. This spring, the agency stocked 10,000 young fish of each species, about 5 inches long. Next year, it plans to add 5,000 Bonneville cutthroat trout, a subspecies well adapted to warmer water and poor quality. The odds of catching trophy-sized brown trout are “very low,” though some large brook trout may remain.

Ulrich and Bain are not sure the lake can ever be restored to its full former glory. But Bain said spring precipitation could give the newly stocked trout a chance to survive and grow. “Pray for snow, rain, sleet. Anything with water,” he said. He encouraged anglers to stay away from Soda Lake to aid recovery. “The whole thing just needs a break,” he said. Ulrich appreciates Game and Fish’s efforts and remains hopeful. “As an eternal optimist when it comes to good fishing, I always hold out hope for the future,” he said.