The Greybull Valley Irrigation District has announced plans to drain Upper Sunshine Reservoir, a popular recreation area west of Meeteetse. The reservoir won't be restocked with trout until 2028, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, which manages the fishery.

The plan is to perform critical irrigation infrastructure repairs. This necessary maintenance will have significant short-term impacts on fish populations, though the project is anticipated to provide long-term benefits for the reservoir’s fishery.

The primary function of this body of water — surrounded by  Absaroka Mountain Range peaks — is an integral part of irrigation in the Greybull Valley. The facility, which was opened in 1939, is privately owned by the irrigation district. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department manages the fishery and the land surrounding the reservoir and dam is Wyoming State Trust land.

The district, which manages water levels for irrigation, plans to drain the reservoir throughout the 2026 irrigation season, with the goal of being completely drained by Sept. 1. This drawdown will allow for a comprehensive engineering investigation into necessary repairs. Refilling is scheduled to begin Oct. 1, the start of the new water year; however, the reservoir will be drained again in 2027 to facilitate construction, which is slated for completion by April 2028.

Impacts to the fishery

“While the fishery will be effectively lost for at least two years due to the drawdown, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department anticipates long-term benefits,” said Cody Regional Fisheries Biologist Jason Burckhardt.

“Recent sampling has indicated reduced growth rates in stocked Yellowstone cutthroat trout, likely due to an overabundance of longnose suckers competing for resources, and the drawdown will significantly reduce the sucker population,” Burckhardt said. “In addition, once the reservoir is refilled, the flooding of terrestrial vegetation and soils is expected to release a surplus of nutrients, boosting plankton production, which in turn will improve trout growth rates and size structure.”

Game and Fish will not stock the small pool that will form during the 2026-2027 period, as it will be drained again in the fall of 2027. Stocking to rebuild the fishery will resume in the fall of 2028, once repairs are completed and water levels stabilize, according to the department.

Access to boat ramps

The boat ramp at Upper Sunshine Reservoir is currently not usable due to low water levels and will continue to be impacted as the drawdown proceeds. Anglers are encouraged to explore alternative fishing locations in the region, including the nearby Lower Sunshine Reservoir, Boysen Reservoir south of Thermopolis, Buffalo Bill Reservoir west of Cody, and Meadowlark Lake in the Bighorn Mountains. However, trout are currently available in the reservoir.

The fishery in the diminished pool is still active, but it’s kind of a hike to water’s edge for anglers determined to hook a native Yellowstone cutthroat trout. One question that will be answered in the coming weeks will be the affect this will have on the Meeteetse ice fishing tournament, the largest fundraising event for the small town's visitors center.

Burckhardt told the Tribune in 2023, when the 87-year-old dam was inspected for damage, the long process will eventually improve the fishery by injecting the system with nutrients (due to the growth of vegetation on the exposed lake bed while the reservoir is drained) and the removal of long-nosed suckers, which have been proliferating and affecting trout growth in past years. The department, which schedules stocking rates two years in advance, was included in the planning process allowing them to adjust their schedules.

The fish are still biting, especially near the dam. Anglers are able to quickly harvest trout fishing the bottom of the pool using lures or worms in the past week, but it appears many area anglers are choosing to fish Lower Sunshine Reservoir instead of dealing with current conditions.

While fishing won’t “be great in the short term,” Burckhardt said, he is excited by the prospects of an improved habitat which will eventually result in future “banner years” like those seen in the mid-2000s, just after the lake fully drained due to drought. 

For questions: Contact the Greybull Valley Irrigation District at 307-762-3555. For information on fisheries management and angling opportunities, contact the Cody Regional Game and Fish office at 307-527–7125.