KSL Outdoors: Trout King Lake

(Adam) Thanks for tuning into KSL Outdoors and welcome to Evanston Wyoming, the hub of tonights show. Paul Knoph with Evanston City, good to see you sir. (paul) hey good to see you. (adam) I’m excited to be up here and Brandon Sparrow with Camp Chef and his son Tye. The last time you and I fished together, you caught the big fish if I recall. (brandon) hopefully I can do it again. (adam) and where we are headed there’s big fish. (paul) there are huge Moby Dick sized fish, yes. (adam) I’m excited, let’s go get them. (paul) let’s get them.

Located off exit 24 off of I-80, about 30 minutes southwest of Evanston lies a hidden gem. A world class still water fishery. It’s been called “hawg Heaven, Guild and Dean Reservoir, Piedmont Reservoir, but local know it as Trout King Lake.

(Kelly Guild, Rancher) This is a wild reservoir, it’s not like fishing a pond where they’ve been fed in, this reservoir will skunk as many people that will as you’ll catch.

The Guild family owns this ranch and reservoir, Adam Guild runs the fishery.

(Adam Guild, guildranchwyoming.com) We pull a lot of people from Utah to come up here. The unique thing about this lake, people don’t come to this lake to catch a lot of fish. Because you are not going to do that. They come here for the quality and the size, we have five different species of fish in the lake. We’ve got brook trout, brown, cuttbows, rainbows, tigers. So they come here because they can catch different species. But also it’s the quality of the species. The biggest trout we’ve had caught out here was 34 inches.

Brandon and his son Tyler Sparrow from Camp Chef, as well as Detective Ken Pearson with Evanston P.D. are here to help us catch some fish.

(Adam) There’s a fish! oh yeah imagine that, who brought that kid! (guild) woo. (eakle) Hey I guess we know who’s not doing dishes right. It would be that kid right there. >

(Adam) nice fish, good starter fish.

(Adam) you didn’t want to do dishes huh? (ty) no. (eakle) nice job. Way to catch the first, now catch the biggest.

(Adam Guild) well it’s a good thing we brought your family. (eakle) man I’ll tell ya, oh yeah, nice jumper.

This 200 acre reservoir averages 8 to 10 feet deep. It’s fed by springs and a small creek. Here they allow only artificial lures and flies. They advise using at least a 6 weight rod, not just for the size of the fish, but to help you haul the fish out of the heavy grass.

This fishery is incredibly fertile, the amount of food on which these trout gorge on is daunting.

(Adam) yeah it’s a good thing we brought you guys. (brandon) I’m not washing dishes man. (Eakle) I know.

Now, we wouldn’t do a story here if you couldn’t fish it. It’s what is called a pay for play fishery.

(Adam Guild) We have two different options, we have season passes that people can buy then they can come whenever they want, they get to bring a buddy with them for free.

(Adam Guild) then we sell daily passes like the guys that were out here today, it was their first time up fishing today, so you can buy a day pass too.

(Adam Guild) it’s a hundred and twenty five per day, per rod and then the season passes are eight, fifty.

(Adam Guild) A lot of people will come from CA, TX and all over to get away from people. Just be in the outdoors, where there is not a lot of people.We limit it to 15 people as a max on the reservoir. So you are never going to run into people. That’s another reason people come out here, just peaceful.

The family also rents this little cabin situated right on the water. It sleeps five, has electricity, a wood burning stove, three beds, a fire pit and a two burner Camp Chef stove to cook on. But the fishing is the real lure.

(Brandon) oh he just got off! (eakle) he got off? (brandon) I think, no he’s going your way, he must be on. He’s thick. (nats reel taking off)>

(Brandon) (brandon getting ready to net) oh he’s thick man. On a callibaetis (try to net) oh, got to love when you can’t get them in the net.>

Trying to find a place to fish away from the crowds is harder and harder. Here you can have your very own, quiet personal experience in the great outdoors with just you and your family.

that is some good food. (brandon) awesome. (adam) chief Kirby is not bad. (brandon) not bad at all. (adam) the detective is ok to. (brandon) I think they can quit their day jobs. (adam) that’s true, and hey by the way your son caught the first fish. (brandon) yeah he did, congrats. (adam) good times had here at the Guild ranch, the sun is going down, I’m going catch a fish. Day two tomorrow, I’m going to catch a fish.

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