Bear River Fishing Guides
Quiet ranch-country trout water below Pixley Dam, on the only river in the West that runs five hundred miles and never reaches the sea.
Guides on the Bear River
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About the Bear River
The Bear River is a geographic oddity worth knowing about before fishing it. It rises in the Uinta Mountains, loops through Wyoming, Utah and Idaho across roughly five hundred miles, and ends in the Great Salt Lake without ever reaching an ocean – the longest river in the Western Hemisphere that does not. The reach below Pixley Dam near Cokeville is a working agricultural river in a broad valley, flanked by hay meadows and willow bottoms with the Wyoming Range standing off to the east.
This is not a famous fishery and it does not pretend to be. What it offers is uncrowded water in a part of Wyoming most anglers drive straight through on the way to the Green or the Snake. Cutthroat are the native fish of the drainage and the Bonneville strain here is a genuine conservation interest for the state, holding in the cooler water and the better habitat. Brown trout have established themselves well and provide most of the larger fish. Whitefish are abundant, and carp work the slower warm reaches in numbers.
The dam release matters more than the drainage area suggests. Irrigation demand drives the flow pattern through the summer, so the river can drop hard in July and August and then come back up in the fall when the headgates close. That makes gauge-watching essential rather than optional here, and it means the same reach can fish beautifully in one month and be barely floatable the next.
Access is the real constraint. This is ranch country and much of the riverbank is private, so the public points matter and the state’s walk-in and public access programs are worth checking before a trip. Wyoming’s rules on floating through private land differ meaningfully from those in neighboring states, so understand where you can legally be. Anglers who do the homework find quiet water and very little company.
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Access
Below Pixley Dam near Cokeville - the gauge reach and the top of the release water.
Cokeville town access - the most convenient public point on the middle river.
Highway 30 crossings - bridge access at several points through the valley.
Bear River State Park, Evanston - developed access on the upper river.
Wyoming Game and Fish walk-in areas - seasonal public access through private ranch land.
Border area near the Idaho line - the bottom of the Wyoming reach.
Sublette Creek confluence area - tributary junction access on the upper valley.
Seasons
Spring: runoff and irrigation diversions make flows unpredictable through the valley.
Summer: low water in the heat of the irrigation season, best fished early and late.
Fall: the strongest period, with headgates closing, flows recovering and brown trout active.
Winter: cold and often iced, with limited practical access through the valley.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Bear River?
As of Sep 17, 5:15 am, the USGS gauge BEAR RIVER BELOW PIXLEY DAM, NEAR COKEVILLE, WY reads 13 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Bear River?
Anglers target Brown Trout, Common Carp, Cutthroat Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout on the Bear River in Wyoming.
Where can you access the Bear River?
Below Pixley Dam near Cokeville - the gauge reach and the top of the release water. Cokeville town access - the most convenient public point on the middle river. Highway 30 crossings - bridge access at several points through the valley. Bear River State Park, Evanston - developed access on the upper river. Wyoming Game and Fish walk-in areas - seasonal public access through private ranch land. Border area near the Idaho line - the bottom of the Wyoming reach. Sublette Creek confluence area - tributary junction access on the upper valley.
When is the best time to fish the Bear River?
Spring: runoff and irrigation diversions make flows unpredictable through the valley. Summer: low water in the heat of the irrigation season, best fished early and late. Fall: the strongest period, with headgates closing, flows recovering and brown trout active. Winter: cold and often iced, with limited practical access through the valley.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Bear River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Wyoming agency site: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/regulations