Trout On Top


Over the last few weeks we have seen a lot of different weather. Literally, EVERY type of weather. From shorts and flip-flops to puffy coats, hats and gloves. This hasn’t slowed or stopped us! We are currently getting a lot of rain. What does that mean for us here? Bugs! Lots and lots of bugs! BWO’s, Midges, and even some PMD activity out there. This is a special time to get out and cast a fly. The water temps have climbed out of the winter chill and are sitting around 52-55 degrees. And couple this with our low flows at 500cfs. The fish are very active! With overcast/wet days, we are getting to see a lot of feeding fish on the surface. These fish WILL eat a presented dry fly! The past few days we have had some incredible dry fly opportunities. Its always fun to see fish on the surface eating your fly. Oh, and don’t worry. If you come out and they aren’t on the surface that day, the incredible nymphing opportunities lead to some pretty memorable days out there. June is approaching and everything is stacking up to be an unforgettable couple months. From PMD’s to Yellow Sallies and even the beginning of hoppers is all right around the corner!

One thing to keep in mind about our amazing fishery is, we have clean, fish-able water. With the series of bottom release dams upstream of the Grey Reef, we are typically clean year round. Yes, there is the occasional gully washer rain storm that will dirty the river for a day or two, but for the most part we are clean and clear. We do not have the big run off affects that other fisheries have to deal with. There are a series of small creeks that merge into the North Platte downstream of the Grey Reef boat ramp. These for the most part are small trickles into the river.

DON’T FORGET OUR STREAMER TOURNEY! We are excited to bring this unique opportunity to you. This isn’t your normal fishing tournament. Yes, there are prizes, and cash like most. Simms, Scott Fly Rods, Dirty Water Fly Co. etc.  However, this is hosted where you will be staying! So no having to leave after the long day of casting streamers. Sit back on the porch, enjoy some drinks and fine dinning! See the below information and if you’re interested, give us a call. Limited space so make the call!

STREAMER TOURNAMENT: This is a North Platte Lodge Trophy Trip on steroids and positioned at the height of the most successful time to target trophy class trout (25″ or more) . The event will be limited to 12 anglers staying and fishing double occupancy. Arrive Thursday afternoon Oct 31st, Fish full day Nov 1 and 2 and a half day Nov 3. On the final day NPL will provide a chef prepared lunch and award ceremony prior to an afternoon departure. Cash and prizes will sweeten it up! The goal is to land the longest Trout of the weekend. Lodging, meals, 17 miles of private access with 5 boat ramps and guides/boat provided. Once the roster is set you will have access to your guides to scheme your approach. Call for details 307.237.1182

 

 

 

Beautiful Days and Melting Snow


As a lot of you may have seen, central Wyoming was hit with a big snow storm last week. Snow accumulations varied in the area and drifts have piled high. A lot of our boat ramps were not usable because of this. However, this didn’t stop us from getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather for the days that followed.  We weren’t the only ones! This was a busy weekend for the Grey Reef stretch. Quite a few boats out there. With our private access we can often avoid traffic and this is what we did! The fishing has been pretty good the last few days and has produced some very healthy, well wintered, fat trout. This time of year there is a variety of food the fish are eating. From midges and annelids, all the way to worms and leeches. This definitely makes the choice of what to use easy.  Even though the water temps are sitting at 38°F to 42°F, the trout are fighting hard! Let em run! If you haven’t already, get your trips booked at The Reef Fly Shop. 

Just a quick update on the spring Flush. It has been postponed to March 29th and it will now be a full 10 day flush. We will continue to update on this if there are any other changes.

With the recent snow and drifts, it had made the road to the Miracle Mile not passable. Many who tried over the weekend were in for a shock. Turning around to head back to the Grey Reef and even getting stuck themselves. This has recently changed. The plow has opened the main road up and a few are making the drive over now. The roads along the river are still bad so be careful out there and good luck! Share your pictures with us on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to see how everyone is doing!

Warmer temperatures and some beautiful days are in the forecast. With all the snow sitting around, this can cause for some cloudy river conditions. Sometimes this may lead to fishing a little different or even fishing some different locations.  Be flexible and trust your guides. You never know, it may turn into an unexpected adventure of a lifetime. Give us a call and get your next adventure booked!

 

 

North Platte River Flush and Snow Pack Update


2019 SPRING FLUSH:

The flush has been tentatively slated for March 18-24. As opposed to years past(10-day flush), this years flush will be seven days.  Also with the bridge construction below Alcova, flush hours will take place during the night hours and flows will be back to 500cfs by 6:00am. If there are any changes to this, we will continue to update.

A much anticipated spring is on the horizon and it cant get here fast enough. With that, the upper North Platte drainage is sitting pretty good on snow pack. Currently at 112%.  This is great as we will hopefully get a much needed fill of our reservoirs and keep a good flow in the river.  This makes for happy fish and happier fishermen!  http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/nrcs/snowprec/snowprec.html 

We have started to get a bunch of our new inventory in and we couldn’t be more excited! New apparel and gear in both the lodge and The Reef Fly Shop. Give us a follow on our Facebook and Instagram accounts to get a quick preview! Make sure you stop in to check it out!  

Fly Fishing Casper Wyoming


Fishing conditions in Casper, Wyoming and upstream to Grey Reef, Fremont Canyon and Miracle Mile are not favorable to the angler. The fish are having a great time but air temps this morning are still -10*. However, our temp at Grey Reef is forecast to be 32* today…big turnaround huh? With this will come stout Wyoming wind but this isn’t bad for the angler. The warm winds will fast track a thaw and Grey reef and Miracle Mile will be prime for the fishing once again. Standard winter nymph rigs of scuds, leeches, worms and midge patterns will keep your arm uncomfortable. Streamers, while not going to attract as many fish, will attract high quality trout. The Reef Fly Shop is open and has the Galloup’s patterns as well as our custom flies, like the young classic the Goldie, will give your reel a little exercise.

Have you checked out Casper, Wyoming lately? There are some exciting things happening with cool events and projects on the horizon. The Platte River Revival along with the City of Casper and Wyoming Business Council have funded a large scale effort to restore North Platte River fish habitat within the Casper, Wyoming city limits. This means creating runs and riffles that trout need. Casper has also stepped up to the plate with better dining options and a coming convention center and upscale hotel on the banks of the North Platte River and in downtown Casper. There is a slowly changing trend and the days of “let her deteriorate” are passing us by, thankfully! Excellent fishing, a whitewater park and greenbelt along the river already exist but are improving all the time.

Coming attractions to the Casper, Wyoming area.

~Fly Fishing Film Tour: This event has sold out the past couple years and is gathering more steam. Come visit us at the meet and greet prior to the show. Beer vendors and our popular BuffTrout, The Reef Fly Shop, logo gear will be available.

~Casper Mountain Sled Dog races THIS WEEKEND! Such a cool event that raises a pile of money for local charity. These dogs are animals! Ha.

~Casper Chase Nordic Ski Race coming the first weekend of March. If you didn’t know Casper, Wyoming boasts an amazing Nordic facility. Groomed daily, big log lodge, lights for night skiing and too many miles of trails. Also in the works is an Olympic biathlon facility. Rob Rosser, Olympic Biathlete  Nagano ’98, is the coach of the US Para Olympic biathlon team and is spearheading the development.

~Fat Bike Races and Demos put on by the guys at Fat Fish Racing. They are responsible for the popular local mountain bike race series. Details coming soon but the first race planned is an Enduro with downhill being the timed event…yes Fat Bike Enduro! There will be an eliminator and an cross country race that will be preceded by snowshoe events. If you can’t catch the fat bike series, make sure to bring your mountain bike and explore local mountain bike trails or summer cross country races between casts. There is also a cyclecross series for slop season enthusiasts.

 

Grey Reef Angling Report


Winter Wyoming fly fishing at its best. Grey Reef is fishing very good with nymph rigs and streamer rigs. Nymphs are very consistent and the streamer activity fluctuates from good to very good. The North Platte River was slushy below Government Bridge yesterday and fully iced at the Narrows. Expect portions of  upper Grey Reef to freeze over with our approaching chilly front. It will be below zero tomorrow eve with a high a couple degrees below zero on Wednesday. Wednesday night will be -10* or so. Thursday and Friday also look chilly.

Grey Reef Fly Fishing Report


Fly fishing Grey Reef was a tough proposition yesterday. Winds over the North Platte River Valley were nuking. Of course, Jackson was in the midst of a huge snow event…that’s how it works. We had a little rain last night and this AM is calm. We do have guide boats on the water today and will get a report as soon as possible. In the meantime a standard nymph rig with a scud, leech, worm and midge is a slam dunk. 6-8′ leaders and a bit of weight. Slow deep tailouts and seems are the place to concentrate most of your efforts. But, as the hatch is in full swing snug up into the drops and riffles. A slow retrieve on a streamer rig has also been good. Keep the streamer low and level!

Spring is fast upon us and we are expecting our typical excellent fishing. Call 307.237.1182 if you are interested in a full lodge package, cottages or guided fly fishing. Our early season specials run through March 31st. Day trips are $350, a day trip and one night in a cottage is $450, two nights one day is only $525. Plus you get 17 miles of exclusive Grey Reef fishing access and an awesome location/accommodations.

We are offering bed and breakfast specials at the North Platte Lodge for early season. If you are bringing a group and all want to be in one location(the best) we can take take care of you regardless if you are fishing with us or not or not fishing at all. Our facility makes a great corporate retreat.

Wyoming Fly Fishing Report


The Grey Reef crew worked them yesterday. North Platte River was warm and bluebird with a little wind but the fishing was very good. No new news on the bugs of choice EXCEPT you should check out a few of our patterns newly released for sale in the shop. The Mayhem Midge comes to mind. These new patterns combine elements of simplicity, durability and the things that we love about FLY  FISHING. So much fun to learn about the nature and behavior of trout and go outside the box. Fish pushing into unusual areas and continually suspending very high in the water column to take advantage of the hatch. We like flies that will preform from the bottom to the film and everything in between.

It appears the Wyoming Fishing Regulations may have been amended to make enforcement of pinned bead/snagging rigs much easier. We will see how this plays out?

North Platte Lodge has a few very nice April availabilities. April is arguably the most desirable month on Grey Reef and Miracle Mile. Call for dates and package prices.

North Platte River Fly Fishing Report


Yesterday was quiet on Grey Reef despite very nice conditions. Today is touch windy over the Alcova region. We will have guides on the water today and will post their findings as they report.

Grey Reef Fishing Report


Grey Reef fishing was very good yesterday. Report from the guides was consistent and non-stop activity. Just how we like it. Alcova received a couple inches of snow overnight but not enough to cause concern. Wyoming HWY 220 is slick but that should be remedied with a little sun this AM. No fishing report from Miracle Mile or Fremont Canyon yesterday but there is no reason for those to be less than great. Our off season Grey Reef fishing and lodging packages are a great inexpensive getaway…not to mention the fishing in the winter is generally excellent. Quiet and peaceful is the upper North Platte River during the winter months.

Grey Reef Fishing Report


Grey Reef is expecting a little snow over the next 24 hours so will be prime fishing conditions. Dropping pressure generally accompanies calm conditions and excited fish. The North Platte River is open and floating the upper is good to go. This weekend is looking very nice and we do have a cottage still available. Same winter rigs as always and on calm days the midges hatch brings them to the surface. The dry fly fishing is finicky but a great challenge. Miracle Mile fly fishing is productive and the roads are currently in good shape. Fremont Canyon is also fishing well and well worth the quick trip up there.

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