New Fork River, Wyoming
Wind River Range — Wild cutthroat draining one of Wyoming's great wilderness ranges
The New Fork River drains the western slopes of the Wind River Range — Wyoming's highest and most spectacular mountain range — through the Sublette County ranching country before joining the Green River near La Barge. The upper New Fork, accessible through the New Fork Lakes area west of Pinedale, provides excellent wild cutthroat fishing in the shadow of the Wind Rivers' 13,000-foot peaks, while the lower river through the ranching valley offers a completely different, more pastoral character.
The New Fork is overlooked by most visiting anglers who drive through Pinedale en route to Jackson Hole or other more famous destinations. This is a genuine oversight — the upper river holds wild cutthroat averaging 12–16 inches in clear, cold mountain water with minimal fishing pressure. The New Fork Lakes area, accessed via the Big Sandy Lodge road or the Elkhart Park trailhead, provides some of the finest and most accessible Wind River Range fishing without requiring wilderness permits or extensive hiking.
Pinedale, Wyoming — the gateway town — is one of the West's finest small western communities, with a genuine cattle and hunting culture supplemented by outdoor recreation. The surrounding landscape encompasses the Wyoming Range to the west, the Wind Rivers to the east, and the vast Green River Basin — a sweep of western Wyoming that feels genuinely vast and unpeopled even by Wyoming standards.
The New Fork's Caddis and Golden Stone hatches in June and July provide good dry fly action through the upper valley, while grasshopper fishing in August along the ranch land sections below Pinedale is genuinely productive and largely unexploited.
New Fork Lakes — Upper River
Access via the New Fork Lakes Road west of Pinedale. Upper river sections with the Wind River Range backdrop. Excellent cutthroat fishing with minimal pressure.
Pinedale — Town Access
Multiple bridge crossings in and near Pinedale. Walk-wade access from public road crossings. Good summer Caddis and hopper fishing.
Big Piney — Lower Valley
Access from Big Piney along valley roads. Agricultural character with good fall brown trout fishing.
Snake River Fine-Spotted Cutthroat
Dominant species in upper sections. Wild fish averaging 12–16 inches. The Wind River Range strain of fine-spotted cutthroat — responsive attractor dry fly feeders.
Brown Trout
Present in lower valley sections near Big Piney. Larger average size. Best fall pre-spawn fishing with streamers.
The New Fork is the Wind River Range fishing without the wilderness commitment — access quality cutthroat without backpacking.
Hopper fishing in August on the ranch land sections near Pinedale is the New Fork's underutilized secret — big presentations, willing browns.
Pinedale has excellent outfitter culture — the Pinedale Brewing Company and local gear shops are great sources of current fishing reports.
The Wind River Range backdrop makes this one of Wyoming's most photogenic fishing destinations — spectacular even by Wyoming standards.
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