GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), in collaboration with Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), has lifted fishing restrictions on Jackson Lake during the month of October. Due to this change, the GTNP boat inspection stations will remain open one month longer.
WGFD voted last week to open Jackson Lake to anglers in October, after an official rule-making process, which included releasing a formal proposal in April and having a public comment period through June. WGFD Fisheries Management Coordinator Mark Smith told Buckrail the changes go into effect in July 2026, which means the closure will remain in place during October 2025.
According to Smith, Jackson Lake has been closed to anglers for the month of October since the 1930s. Lake trout were fairly new to the lake at the time, and the agency was in charge of stocking and managing the species. In those days, it was popular to close fisheries to sport fishing during spawning.
“The closure just hung on as a relic of that early time frame,” Smith said. “Lake trout have since become fully established, and the closure is no longer serving its purpose.”
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, which oversees WGFD, has regulatory authority for fishing throughout the state, including in national parks. Smith said the agency consults and collaborates with GTNP before proposing anything to the public.
When weighing the decision to make a rule change like this, WGFD has a typical path that it follows, which includes population monitoring.
“Part of that is actually netting and getting our hands on a lot of fish,” Smith said. “Another part is interviewing anglers.”
From these interviews, WGFD has learned that fewer and fewer anglers intend to harvest the fish they catch; most people fish with the intent to catch and release. Because of this, there is less reason for the protective restrictions. Smith said that the WGFD stance is to always provide as much opportunity to the public, and closures limit opportunities.
During the public comment period, locals voiced concern that opening the lake to fishing in October might increase the risk of aquatic invasive species (AIS) because the GTNP boat inspection stations close at the end of September. The two agencies agreed that the best course of action would be to keep the inspection sites open until the end of October.
