The 10 days of the Spring flush has come to an end. Fishing has been great! The river bed has been cleared of most silt and debris. The fish are now moving up to their spawning beds throughout the river. As always spawning is an exciting time of year. Being able to see hundreds of fish in their yearly routine is something many have never had the opportunity to witness. The blonde cleared away patches of pebbles checker board in the shallows with some dark shadows of fish near by. These fish are now creating the future of the river. Anglers as well as other people need to respect the fishes space by avoiding walking and fishing in these fragile places. This will help preserve our amazing fishery. Although there are many fish spawning, there are also many that are not. Some are patiently waiting their turn. A selection of fish sit and feed in preparation for spawning or once they are complete in the deep runs and soft edges. However, fish are not the only creatures going through this Spring dance.
The banks of the river are lined with all sorts of wildlife that call the North Platte river home. Nesting eagles are always a site to see. Golden and Bald eagles both call the Platte River their home for generations. Seeing these regal giants sore above, and occasionally giving us the quick photo opportunity, is truly magnificent. Along or banks also has turkeys currently strutting their stuff, along with the beautiful ducks and geese. Chicks will soon start to pop up along the river, and newly born fawns will start to show up with their mothers for a quick drink.
Oh, and did we mention our Spring bugs! They will start to swarm the water. From the Baetis popping up on the surface; to swarms of midges that seem to form small clouds that always follow the boat. The fish become very active during this time. Fish forget all about the cold, lethargic state from winter water temps, and go into somewhat of a feeding frenzy.
Being able to witness some of these events is worth a trip to the North Platte in itself. Catching world class fish while doing it, well that’s just the bonus. Give us a call and get your next opportunity booked!
Tag: Fremont Canyon Fly Fishing Report
Central Wyoming Fly Fishing Report
Grey Reef Fly Fishing is very good and river conditions couldn’t be better. Clear water and 1500cfs with water temps in the mid 40s. Fishing is consistent in the AM, very robust throughout the middle portion of the day with the emergence of our besties the baetis and the late afternoon has been a slowdown after they have demolished all of the blue winged olives (baetis). Streamer activity not great but all it takes is one or two fish to make an uneventful session into a great memory. As was the case with Trent and Beau a couple eves ago.
Fremont Canyon has some excellent baetis dry fly and emerger rig opportunities. Go armed with light tippet and bugs that look like naturals or aren’t too gaudy. Get rid of your bright indicator and ease in with a small chunk of white or black yarn OR go old school swinging a Reef’s Pulsating Emerger! Most Grey Reef pro anglers will tell you 2x and a pegged bead is the only way but you will discover a whole lot more to these fisheries once you sit back and watch a bit. Discovery is the essence of fly fishing!
Miracle Mile is fishing fair and there are good midge and beginning baetis on that stretch as well. Scour the inside 3′ depth before trudging out to the slot…they are in there.
Remember to kindly ignore fishing to active spawners!
Pic: Trent handling his new best friend
Wyoming’s Grey Reef and Miracle Mile Fly Fishing Report
Grey Reef Fly Fishing report was cold and nasty yesterday with lots of Wyoming roads closed. We had to push a number of trips as Grey Reef anglers couldn’t get to the area. Miracle Mile fly fishing conditions are good but the roads are poor. Leave those alone for a day or three. With the winter weather all across Wyoming, the fishing was still excellent. A couple rounds of midges had fish on and very near the surface. Of course the beatis were doing their thing but midges have been very prolific and important. The Grey Reef section of the North Platte River is in great fishing condition and the sections below Government Bridge have improved dramatically…even into Casper. Casper Mountain received 20″ of snow so we should expect poor conditions below the Grey Reef section again as that snow melts. We would be very happy if the BuRec decided to push a little extra water down the North Platte River to give the fish a little more room and spread things out. This would also help IF we get some dirty water associated with the latest storm.The Fremont Canyon fishing report is great but a tad more busy.
Short/light emerger rigs with a PAL and UV Crystal Midge has been super productive. Our Rhinestone has also been a hyper performer. Lighter rods are not a bad idea as the a compliant tip help to hold the aggressive Grey Reef trout. Don’t get too flashy the fish can see everything and don’t need big obnoxious flies to be noticed. We have had some good dry fly opportunities and the streamer fishing has been hit or miss. Swinging and stripping emergers has been pretty dang fun!
We do have some Grey Reef cottage availability and guides next week. We do have a lodge spot available over Memorial Day weekend as well. We have 2 weekend lodge spots in June and then we are pretty snug until the 23rd of August. We do have a full lodge option at that point.
Grey Reef Blizzard Fishing
Fly Fishing Alcova, Wyoming right now is a practice in winter survival. Temps near zero and a bout 4″ of fluffy snow in the past several hours. Grey Reef is blanketed in white but the sun is poking through on occasion as the snow fades. Impressive midge hatch! Love all the black midges on the white snow it king of makes you stop and rethink the insect world. Miracle Mile will be tougher to access and fishing Fremont Canyon will be relatively easy.
Midges, the name of the game. Learn where and why and be a productive fly fisher for life. The rest comes easy and you won’t even consider going back. Hopefully, the weather cooperates as we have guides scheduled to be on Grey Reef this week. However, we won’t put our guests in an uncomfortable situation. There is no compromise with regard to our dedication to providing the best product on the North Platte River.
Grey Reef Spring Flush
SPRING FLUSH FOR THE GREY REEF section of the North Platte River is tentatively starting March 10th. They are shooting for a 10 day flush. Grey Reef must have little ice for the G & F to give the go-ahead. Casper, Wyoming Game and Fish field office provided this info.
Fly Fishing around Alcova, Wyoming yesterday was BEAUTIFUL! Grey Reef weather forecast on Friday was calling for big winds on Saturday although Friday’s winds didn’t materialize either. Yesterday was calm and Grey Reef and Fremont Canyon fished excellent. Miracle Mile fishing report was blank as I didn’t receive word on roads or fishing conditions. Grey Reef floating conditions are good to Government Bridge but still locked up before Sechrist. Things should be loosened up with our warm conditions all this week. Bear Mountain and the ridges above Grey Reef are becoming sparse of snow and may be positive for limited run off. Our upper North Platte River snowpack is near 130% and if we hold that we will be in for a great water year.
Remember, when floating below Government Bridge the left side of the river is BLM or Wyoming State Lands all the way below the Gray Cliffs. The right side is private (our lease and not available for public trespass) until you get to the big white house on river right. There is a blue G & F sign that marks the property. The river has a 50′ permanent public access on ALL private properties on river right until you get to the 2nd set of back channels at the Gray Cliffs(red sign). The land surrounding By The Way is available for PUBLIC ACCESS on river right despite what you may have read about it being exclusive private access. Immediately below that property we also have private access but it doesn’t limit public trespass 50′ above the high water mark. You can wade and drop anchor on ground that we have access to (that piece ends at Bates Creek). The next land owner also has a 50′ easement on the portions below the Wyoming State land surrounding Bates Creek until you see that red sign on the right side at Gray Cliffs. If you have ANY questions regarding what is and what isn’t public or if private has public easements give me a call. I will be happy to explain the trespass situation to you. There is a lot more public access on the Grey Reef section of the North Platte River than you might realize. Although there is limited public access on the most desirable upper 13 miles of Grey Reef. We have exclusive private access most of the right side from Grey Reef boat ramp to Government Bridge and some of the left. Crazy Rainbow has a pretty good chunk of the left side that totals about 1/3 of our total access. We are the 2 outfitters to offer meaningful private access. Crazy Rainbow and North Platte Lodge are the only outfitters to offer private boat ramps with a true advantage over other private ramps…meaning they that aren’t within a 1/2 mile or less of public ramps. Same goes for Grey Reef lodging and cabins. Nobody can touch our location. Be careful what you believe.
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.