Photo: a great brown landed by a longtime guest Jim from Texas a couple days ago. Draw a line straight up from the tip of the tail and you’ll be at the location of the North Platte Lodge. What is that phrase they use about location?

 

Wyoming Fly Fishing at North Platte Lodge and The Reef fly Shop, Cottage & RV checks all the boxes for a vacation with 2020 parameters. Awesome fishing, seclusion, fresh air and very limited contact with humanity. That has always been our speciality. Seriously, we are the only private properties at Grey Reef. It is easy to get here but isolated and amazing.

Since our last Grey Reef and Miracle Mile fly fishing report flows have dropped. This has not been a detriment to grasshopper fishing but has been a large benefit to the trico program, wade fishing and nymphing. Grey Reef is flowing at 2100 cfs (down from a max of 3600 cfs) and Miracle Mile is currently flowing at 1500 cfs (down from 2200 cfs) . Grey Reef and Fremont Canyon are fishing particularly well with caddis, tricos and grasshoppers. All 3 create really fun dry fly fishing. Trico emergers can make your morning (prior to the spinner fall) and caddis fished subsurface in heavier water and drops will ease the transition from the 11 – 4pm hopper and late eve caddis dry fly. Miracle Mile has been fishing well with caddis, worms, leeches, crawdads while the fall back might be midges subsurface. Never discount the streamer option since there is plenty of bank structure and current to satisfy an ambushing brute.

Expect great hopper fishing through the 3rd week of September and about the same time the pseudos arrive for afternoon dry fly and upper column emerger rigs…so fun! Tricos and caddis will be a staple through much of October and the fall baetis ( blue winged olives) will arrive late September to early October. That is a really cool time to be casting morning dry flies. You’ll be targeting spent trico eaters and they’ll suddenly stop paying attention to your trico imitation while still rising. They’ve switched to BWO duns! Same water and similar rises just different bugs. Crane flies and midges round it out while scuds, leeches and crawdads keep them always in constant reach of their high protein diet.

We will be guiding our first big game hunts in early September and our first bird hunts start the 3rd week of September. Sage Grouse hunts are nearly tapped but we still have good options for early season waterfowl cast and blast and even a preserve pheasant cast and blast.

To all the folks who’ve visited in 2020 we want to extend a huge thank you. Come back this year and we’ll cut you a break. Save $50 on day trips and 10% on lodging and packages. The best crew in the biz and far more private access than anybody. Many of you have already returned a 2nd and even 3rd time. Again, thanks so much!

We understand your fears so we have lots of different options for lodging. RV and tent camping and exclusive cottage rentals at the fly shop to full lodge options including meals and guided fishing/hunting. Now you can even rent the lodge exclusively for your group without booking the full package. Doesn’t get any better, closer, more isolated, fishier and happier than this!

Looking forward to 2021, pinching every barb and never pegging a bead. Cheers!