Tag: fly shop

Drying Out?

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

*PURCHASE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE*

Sloanes General Store is no longer selling licenses and we will not be able to keep up with the demand so PLEASE get your licenses before you get here. Thank you!

 https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

Well, it looks like me might be finally starting to dry out here in Central Wyoming. We’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails regarding the current conditions, so here you go…

GREY REEF: 1,000cfs. Upper Grey Reef is in pretty good shape and fishable to just above Government Bridge. Water conditions below the bridge are still pretty rough. That being said, it should improve as long as another monsoonal pattern doesn’t set back in.

FREMONT CANYON: 80cfs. Mostly clear and fishable.

MIRACLE MILE: 2,800cfs. Clear and fishable. Flows continue to hold steady be we are projecting an increase sooner than later. Road conditions to the Mile have improved with the dry weather but be on your toes if thunderstorms pop back up on the radar.

We are currently in the “in-between” zone as far as bugs are concerned. Baetis have tapered off and we headed towards PMD, sally and caddis season. Golden stones should be coming more into play on the Mile as we head towards July. Looking forward to an exciting summer!!

A Little Update

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

*PURCHASE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE*

Sloanes General Store is no longer selling licenses and we will not be able to keep up with the demand so PLEASE get your licenses before you get here. Thank you!

 https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

Alright folks, here’s a little updated report for you! Let us start with the flows and conditions…

GREY REEF: 2,000cfs, Grey Reef just bumped up to from 1,000cfs to 2,000cfs last night. It is currently stirred up a little bit below Grey Reef but it’s still fishable. We are expecting it to get back to normal in the next day or two.

FREMONT CANYON: 72cfs, mostly clear, hazy green in color. Fishable.

MIRACLE MILE: 2,775cfs, clear. The Mile has been holding steady at around 2,775cfs for a bit but are expecting flows to go up again at some point, probably sooner than later.

All and all things are pretty good in Central Wyoming. Reservoirs are starting to fill(*they have a ways to go), there’s a little green tint to the prairie and the fishing is pretty darn good. Standard fare on our three tailwater; baetis, midges, leeches and worms are whats working for our crew.

After The Storm

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

*PURCHASE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE*

 https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

Well, that last storm was no joke! Casper Mountain got around 48″, Casper over 30″ and Alcova somewhere around 24″. It was definitely one for the books. As you would expect this is going to have an impact on the Grey Reef tailwater. Current conditions are as follows; around 8-12″ of visibility at Grey Reef Dam, 2-4″ at Lusby, and zero visibility at Government Bridge. Considering the amount of snow, warmer temps and low flows(450cfs), we are expecting Grey Reef to be in rough shape for the remainder of the week. So what about driving the Mile? Well, to be blunt it’s not happening at this moment in time. Certain areas around the Mile saw 3-4ft of snow out the big storm and its a mess out there. As always, we will keep you updated as things change!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

First things first, we’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!  The fly shop will be CLOSED today and tomorrow to celebrate the holiday with our families.  We will reopen on Friday at 7am.  For Black Friday(IN STORE ONLY) we will be knocking 30% off all apparel and hats, along with a few other special items at discount.  If you are in the area feel free to stop by.  We’d love to see you!

On The Drop

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable labor day weekend!  Based on our sources we have been told Grey Reef will start dropping this week, it may even start today.  Fortunately it looks like we will be out of this blistering heat wave by weeks end as well.  Our guide staff has been diligent about taking water temperatures and we have chosen to go-to early starts and early offs until the cool weather shows up this weekend.  This mornings forecast shows highs in the 50s with lows in the 30s on Saturday.  That’s gonna feel good!

With the anticipated drop in flows we are expecting a pretty strong uptick in trico/pseudo activity and the fish feeding on them.  So you’ll definitely want to keep the dry fly rod handy.  Currently our guides are looking for heads in the morning then switching over to nymphs later on.  4-6ft, 1-3 BBs tethered to a leech, cranefly, Pat’s rubber legs and dropped with a small pheasant tail or foam wing RS2.  A pretty straight forward rig!

Battling the Veg

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

It happens every year, without question.  The vegetation(mainly a species from the genus potamogeton), on Grey Reef starts breaking up and making its way downstream.  In the case of this year it has gotten a little extra jolt, courtesy the recent bump in flows.  Is it a pain in the ass?  Sure.  Does it make it unfishable?  Absolutely not.  You just have to be prepared to clean your flies and get them in the right spot.  This isn’t spring on Grey Reef, so don’t expect it.  You may not be hitting the numbers of fish you are accustomed to but the quality is there, without question.

If you are here or headed this way, this is the program our crew has been rolling…4-6ft, 1-2 AB split shot.  A short, stout nymph rig that gets down quick.  The first fly will be a Pat’s rubberlegs, cranefly or a leech.  Trail that with a birds nest or another caddis pattern, pheasant tail and/or a foam wing RS2.  Also, keep your eyes peeled for risers.  We are seeing a few heads up on tricos in the morning as well as a few eating hoppers in the afternoon.

So if the current situation has you a little down and you don’t want to bother with the veg, there is a silver lining.  When flows start dropping after Labor Day, the river should be in great shape.  Less vegetation and clear, clean water.  September and October is setting up to be one for the books…

Spring Flush

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

If you haven’t seen it on our social media outlets, then here’s a little flush update.  The Grey Reef flush is now scheduled to begin on March 31 and run for exactly nine days.  During the flush-flows will increase every night, starting at midnight.  Maximum flow during the flush is 4,000cfs.  Flows will drop and stabilize to 500cfs every morning at 10am.  At this time we do not know what flows will be post-flush but our best guess would be somewhere around 500cfs.

More Snow, More Cold

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Another cold front brought more snow and bitter temperatures to Central Wyoming.  Fortunately for us, temperatures will start climbing, starting tomorrow.  We have definitely shifted into a wet pattern it seems like, which from a snowpack standpoint is a great thing.  We will take it, especially in the upper drainage (Walden CO, Encampment WY, Saratoga WY).

Let’s start with a little Grey Reef FLUSH update.  Still nothing firm but our resources tell us the Bureau of Reclamation will be performing a gate check at the end of March.  That indicates the flush will follow after the gate check is complete.  So, if it is to happen, we’d plan on something around the beginning of April and it should be somewhere between 5-10 days in length.  As always, if we hear anything we will let everyone know.

As for the fishing, we have started to put a few more boats on the water in the past weeks.  Conditions have been good, other than a brief warm-up last week that had the river blown-out at various locations starting upstream of Government Bridge.  Obviously this most recent cold front has help with the run-off but locked the lower river back up with ice.  As always the upper river from Grey Reef dam to Ledge Creek is clear and fishing well.  Nymphs and streamers continue to be the name of the game.  For our nymph rigs it’s been a mix of the following…pine squirrel leeches(brown or natural), reef worms, deep purples, mini san juans(red or purple), PALs, rhinestones and/or mayhems.  Our rigs have been running between 4-7ft with 1-3 BB split shot.  If your looking to strip a streamer, the petunia as been our go-to pattern as of late.  With the low winter flows plan on fishing your streamer pattern on a floating, intermediate or very short/light sink-tip.  There is no need for a really stout sink-tip or sinking line this time of year.

 

Happy Holidays

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

First things first, we’d like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our crew to all of you!  We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday.

For those of you that keep up with our weather, you’re probably noticed the lack of “nice” days over the past few weeks.  Well, as we discussed in the last report, that’s just the way it can be this time of year in Central Wyoming.  But when the weather has lined up, the fishing continues to be good.  It most certainly has been more of an late morning/afternoon program for Miracle Mile, Fremont Canyon and Grey Reef.  Our list of top flies right now are the following; pine squirrel leeches, reef worms, orange scuds, PALs, rhinestones and mayhems.  The most productive water continues to be the mid to lower half of the run, concentrating on the slower/deeper water.  One last thing, as of right now Grey Reef is floatable to Lusby but that will more than likely change with colder temperatures expected next week.  As always we will keep everyone updated on the current conditions but if your planning on heading out don’t hesitate to reach out via e-mail or give us a call at the shop.

More Like Winter

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

After a very mild and pleasant fall we have rolled into more of our standard winter weather program.  Weather and wind.  Either we’re getting snow or it’s blowing, that’s pretty much it in a nutshell.  Population control for Central Wyoming.

Grey Reef is finally starting to see some icy conditions below Government Bridge.  The Upper, as always this time of year, is the place to be.  Flows are at 450cfs and clear, with the vegetation becoming less and less by the day.  Pine squirrel leeches, PALs, rhinestones, reef worms and small pheasant tails are the bugs of choice.  With water temperatures dropping we are definitely concentrating on the lower half of the run and focusing on the deeper tailouts and seams.  Thats not to say you can’t find them nosed up to shelf during the afternoon midge hatch but the most overall productive water is going to be the deep stuff.

So how about the Miracle Mile fishing report?  Well, with the weather finally shaping up more into its winter pattern the crowds have finally started to subside.  Per usual, make sure to check with us our someone else “local” this time of year before you venture that way.  Roads can get nasty and the Mile is not the place to get stuck this time of year.  While nymphing is always a popular winter program on the Mile, you’ll find most of us headed out there to swing a streamer.  Again, with water temperatures hovering slightly above freezing, the slow/deep tailouts are your friend.  Intermediate lines and/or a short sink-tip is the way to go.  These lines along with a weighted streamer will get you into the lower third of the water column, putting your streamer in front of their faces.  For whatever reason you’re hard pressed to beat an articulated goldie or rusty trombone when it comes to swinging the Miracle Mile.