When is kokanee season in Wyoming?

Wyoming keeps kokanee open to fishing year-round for the 2026 regulation year — there is no closed season, though the daily bag and size limits below still apply every day.

What is the Wyoming bag limit for kokanee?

The Wyoming daily bag limit for kokanee is Water-specific — Flaming Gorge 3 / day within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no more than 3 of the 4 trout-limit fish may be kokanee — joint WY/UT compact, reduced from 4 effective Oct 2024); Fremont Lake + New Fork Lakes + Buffalo Bill Reservoir per WGFD area regulations. No statewide kokanee creel number.. The possession limit is Twice the daily creel limit on the applicable water. Some named waters set a different limit — check the water-body overrides above.

Do you need a license to fish for kokanee in Wyoming?

Yes. Wyoming requires a valid fishing license to fish for kokanee, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. A license is valid only in the state that issued it, so non-residents need a Wyoming license — compare resident and non-resident Wyoming fees on the state regulations page below.

Are there gear restrictions for kokanee in Wyoming?

Yes. In Wyoming, kokanee fishing carries these gear rules: Hook-and-line; trolling with downriggers + dodger / squid rigs is the standard open-water method; Snagging permitted only where specifically authorized by WGFD during the fall spawning run; Conservation Stamp + Fishing License required ages 14+ ($21.50 res Conservation Stamp + $27 res annual fishing / $21.50 NR Conservation Stamp + $102 NR annual fishing); Confirm current-year WGFD Fishing Regulations for water-specific kokanee creel limits, snagging seasons + spawning-tributary closures.

Do specific Wyoming waters have different kokanee rules?

Yes. 4 named Wyoming waters carry rules that override the statewide kokanee regulation, including Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Fremont Lake, Pinedale Green River lakes, and 1 more. See the named water-body overrides above for the exact rule on each.

2026 regulation year

Wyoming Kokanee salmon 2026 — Season, Bag Limit, Size Rules

Oncorhynchus nerka

Last updated May 30, 2026

Wyoming kokanee salmon fishery is anchored by Flaming Gorge Reservoir (91 sq mi Green River reservoir on the WY/UT boundary under the long-standing WY/UT joint reciprocal compact — Sweetwater + Sublette + Uinta Counties WY + Daggett County UT) and the Pinedale-area Green River glacial lakes — Fremont Lake (~5,000-acre, ~600-ft-deep natural glacial lake near Pinedale — Sublette County — one of the deepest natural lakes in the country and a flagship WY kokanee fishery) + New Fork Lakes + Half Moon Lake + Willow Lake — plus Buffalo Bill Reservoir (8,300-acre Shoshone River reservoir near Cody — Park County — USBR Buffalo Bill Dam). Kokanee are the landlocked, non-anadromous form of Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) — they live their entire lives in fresh water, never reaching the ocean, and the males turn brilliant red with a hooked-jaw kype during the September – November fall spawning run. WGFD stocks kokanee fry annually into Flaming Gorge + the Pinedale glacial lakes + Buffalo Bill Reservoir to maintain a put-grow-take fishery (kokanee rarely sustain meaningful wild reproduction in WY reservoirs). Flaming Gorge is the premier WY kokanee water — trolled with downriggers + dodger-and-squid rigs over the summer thermocline before the fish stage and run the tributaries in fall — but the Flaming Gorge kokanee population has declined enough that WGFD + UDWR jointly REDUCED the daily limit from 4 to 3 kokanee effective October 2024 (WY side; January 2025 UT side) and now encourage anglers to target lake trout after reaching the kokanee limit. On Flaming Gorge kokanee count WITHIN the 4 / day combined trout limit (no more than 3 of the 4 may be kokanee) under the joint compact — they are NOT a separate statewide bag. Wyoming has no statewide kokanee creel number; limits are set water-by-water in the WGFD area regulations. Open year-round on most kokanee waters.

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Season

Open year-round Open year-round on most kokanee reservoirs; densest September – November fall spawning run; Flaming Gorge limit reduced from 4 to 3 kokanee effective Oct 2024 (joint WY/UT compact) due to a declining population; snagging permitted only where specifically authorized by WGFD.

Bag & possession

Daily bag: Water-specific — Flaming Gorge 3 / day within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no more than 3 of the 4 trout-limit fish may be kokanee — joint WY/UT compact, reduced from 4 effective Oct 2024); Fremont Lake + New Fork Lakes + Buffalo Bill Reservoir per WGFD area regulations. No statewide kokanee creel number.
Possession: Twice the daily creel limit on the applicable water

Size, slot, trophy rules

Size: No statewide minimum
Trophy rule: Flaming Gorge Reservoir + Fremont Lake are the premier WY kokanee waters; Fremont Lake (~5,000-acre, ~600-ft-deep natural glacial lake near Pinedale — among the deepest natural lakes in the country) is a flagship still-water kokanee fishery; kokanee are the landlocked, non-anadromous form of Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), WGFD-stocked as a put-grow-take fishery on every WY kokanee water; the Flaming Gorge kokanee limit was cut from 4 to 3 effective Oct 2024 (joint WY/UT compact) to protect a declining population, with anglers encouraged to target lake trout after limiting on kokanee

Gear restrictions

Hook-and-line; trolling with downriggers + dodger / squid rigs is the standard open-water method
Snagging permitted only where specifically authorized by WGFD during the fall spawning run
Conservation Stamp + Fishing License required ages 14+ ($21.50 res Conservation Stamp + $27 res annual fishing / $21.50 NR Conservation Stamp + $102 NR annual fishing)
Confirm current-year WGFD Fishing Regulations for water-specific kokanee creel limits, snagging seasons + spawning-tributary closures

Named water-body overrides

Where statewide rules differ on specific Wyoming waters:

Flaming Gorge Reservoir
3 / day within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no more than 3 of the 4 may be kokanee — joint WY/UT compact, reduced from 4 effective Oct 2024 due to a declining population); WGFD encourages targeting lake trout after limiting on kokanee
Fremont Lake
Per WGFD area regulations; flagship Pinedale-area still-water kokanee fishery (~5,000-acre, ~600-ft-deep natural glacial lake — Sublette County)
New Fork Lakes + Half Moon Lake + Willow Lake
Per WGFD area regulations; WGFD-stocked Pinedale-area Green River glacial kokanee lakes
Buffalo Bill Reservoir
Per WGFD area regulations; WGFD-stocked Shoshone River kokanee reservoir near Cody (Park County)

Official source

Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) publishes the authoritative 2026 Wyomingfishing regulations. Always verify the current rule before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override what's published here.

Visit official Wyoming fishing regulations →

Emergency-order channel

Kokanee closures, slot-limit changes, and harvest pauses are posted to Wyoming Game and Fish Department's emergency-order feed — check it before any Wyoming trip during the active season.

Frequently asked questions

When is kokanee season in Wyoming?: Wyoming keeps kokanee open to fishing year-round for the 2026 regulation year — there is no closed season, though the daily bag and size limits below still apply every day.
What is the Wyoming bag limit for kokanee?: The Wyoming daily bag limit for kokanee is Water-specific — Flaming Gorge 3 / day within the 4 / day combined trout limit (no more than 3 of the 4 trout-limit fish may be kokanee — joint WY/UT compact, reduced from 4 effective Oct 2024); Fremont Lake + New Fork Lakes + Buffalo Bill Reservoir per WGFD area regulations. No statewide kokanee creel number.. The possession limit is Twice the daily creel limit on the applicable water. Some named waters set a different limit — check the water-body overrides above.
What size kokanee can you keep in Wyoming?: The Wyoming size rule for kokanee is No statewide minimum. Trophy rule: Flaming Gorge Reservoir + Fremont Lake are the premier WY kokanee waters; Fremont Lake (~5,000-acre, ~600-ft-deep natural glacial lake near Pinedale — among the deepest natural lakes in the country) is a flagship still-water kokanee fishery; kokanee are the landlocked, non-anadromous form of Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), WGFD-stocked as a put-grow-take fishery on every WY kokanee water; the Flaming Gorge kokanee limit was cut from 4 to 3 effective Oct 2024 (joint WY/UT compact) to protect a declining population, with anglers encouraged to target lake trout after limiting on kokanee.
Do you need a license to fish for kokanee in Wyoming?: Yes. Wyoming requires a valid fishing license to fish for kokanee, with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. A license is valid only in the state that issued it, so non-residents need a Wyoming license — compare resident and non-resident Wyoming fees on the state regulations page below.
Are there gear restrictions for kokanee in Wyoming?: Yes. In Wyoming, kokanee fishing carries these gear rules: Hook-and-line; trolling with downriggers + dodger / squid rigs is the standard open-water method; Snagging permitted only where specifically authorized by WGFD during the fall spawning run; Conservation Stamp + Fishing License required ages 14+ ($21.50 res Conservation Stamp + $27 res annual fishing / $21.50 NR Conservation Stamp + $102 NR annual fishing); Confirm current-year WGFD Fishing Regulations for water-specific kokanee creel limits, snagging seasons + spawning-tributary closures.
Do specific Wyoming waters have different kokanee rules?: Yes. 4 named Wyoming waters carry rules that override the statewide kokanee regulation, including Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Fremont Lake, Pinedale Green River lakes, and 1 more. See the named water-body overrides above for the exact rule on each.

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