Tag: Fremont canyon

Going Up

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

First things first, Grey Reef is on the rise. Flows as of this morning are 1,500cfs coming out of Grey Reef Dam. For those of your wondering, 1,500cfs is pretty sweet level for Grey Reef, from both a floating and wading standpoint. At this point we aren’t expecting another bump but really who knows, so we are going to enjoy this level while we have it.

GREY REEF: 1,500cfs. Clear from Grey Reef Dam to Lusby. Cloudy downstream due to the bump in flows. Water conditions should only improve in the next few days.

FREMONT CANYON: 72cfs. Mostly clear.

MIRACLE MILE: 2,800cfs. Clear. The Mile continues to hold steady at this flow but we are expecting flows to bump at some point.

If you are here or headed this way make sure to pack leech, midge and baetis(BWO) patterns. We should start nearing the end of baetis on Grey Reef and start making our way towards PMDs, sallies and caddis.

Lastly we hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! Remembering all of those the made the ultimate sacrifice…

A Drop In Flows?

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, after the rain and the increased runoff, Grey Reef is back down to 1,000cfs. Apparently a little too much water was going into Glendo Reservoir and the Bureau of Reclamation had to turn it down a bit. We are fortunate to be surrounded by tailwater’s, so we still have good water to fish. Anything currently not under a dam is running and running hard. All of our reservoirs continue to rise and should do so for the coming weeks. It’s gonna be a great season!

GREY REEF: 1,000cfs and holding steady. Water conditions are good from Grey Reef Dam to Government Bridge. Below that, it’s a little off-color but fishable to the Bates Creek confluence.

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

MIRACLE MILE: 2,775cfs, clear.

Baetis, midges, leeches and worms are our top producers.

After The Rain

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

After three days of light steady rain, this weeks forecast looks pretty nice. Temps in the 60s and 70s and relatively light winds. We do have a few days with thunderstorms set to build in the afternoon. Other than that, Central Wyoming is coming to life…the prairie is greening up nicely and the reservoirs are going up.

GREY REEF: 2,000cfs and holding steady. Water conditions are good from Grey Reef Dam to Government Bridge. Below there, its a little off-color but fishable to the Bates Creek confluence.

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

MIRACLE MILE: 2,775cfs, clear.

Standard fare on our three tailwater; baetis, midges, leeches and worms are our top producers.

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.

Fishing License and Current Conditions

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

GREY REEF: 1,000cfs The upper is in good shape but we are experiencing some runoff just above Government Bridge. With the forecast for the week being in the 70s, we are expecting more runoff downstream.

FREMONT CANYON: 72cfs Mostly clear but the water is a hazy green color.

MIRACLE MILE: 2,800cfs Clear. Road conditions to and around the Mile are good.

 

 

Bugs Popping

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Things are shaping up and its actually starting to feel a little bit like spring! We’ve been fielding a lot of calls/emails regarding the conditions on the North Platte, so folks here’s a current conditions report for ya!

GREY REEF: 450cfs, mostly clear from Grey Reef Dam to just upstream of Government Bridge. After that is slightly off colored but still very fishable, green with 2′ of visibility. As of right now, you could fish your way into Casper. Baetis(BWOs) are popping! The low pressure/overcast days have been pretty magical if you ask us.

MIRACLE MILE: 2,800cfs, clear. With the low lake level, the Mile is fishable to Sage Creek and well beyond. Road conditions are good. The fishing has been so-so. From the sounds of it, you’re gonna work for ’em.

FREMONT CANYON: 75cfs, slightly off colored but very fishable. Fishing in Cardwell and Fremont has been average. Some bugs(baetis/midges) coming off, depending on the conditions.

Overall, things are pretty solid. Looks like we have some more moisture forecasted this week. Just a heads up, we are thinking Mile flows will only continue to go up as we make our way into summer. Grey Reef will probably be holding steady for the coming week, if we had to guess. With the current snowpack levels this could really be a fun year in our neck of the woods.

More Updates

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

So folks, a few things have changed over the weekend. Grey Reef is holding steady at 450cfs and conditions at Lusby as of this afternoon were good. There were even a few baetis starting to pop!  A couple of feet of visibility, a vast improvement from the end of last week. We may see a little burp tomorrow but with cooler temps mid-week, conditions should improve again. Now onto the Mile…the road(Kortes) is open and from what we’ve been told you can come over from Sinclair as well. The Mile is on the up, with flows bumping to 2,600cfs today. Considering snowpack, we would assume that flows for the Mile will probably only go up in the coming weeks/months. Fremont Canyon is stable at 75cfs and fishable.

*PURCHASE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE*

 https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

A Few Things…

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Firstly, OUR PHONE LINE and CREDIT CARD MACHINE IS DOWN…we are working with centurylink to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Conditions report:

Grey Reef is at 450cfs. It is fishable from Grey Reef Dam to Lusby, roughly 8-12″ of visibility at the Dam and green. Zero visibility at Government Bridge.

Miracle Mile is at 2,000cfs. The road is open from Alcova to the Mile. Flows were increased on Wednesday from 500cfs to 2,000cfs. Floating debris made the fishing difficult but this should only improve as flows stabilize.

Fremont Canyon is at 80cfs. The road into Fremont is clear.

*PURCHASE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE*

 https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

A Quick Little Update

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Flush is now set to start on March 20th for Grey Reef. Conditions as of today are as follows; clear, floatable from Grey Reef Dam to Government Bridge.  Flows remain at 450cfs.

Miracle Mile road from Alcova is questionable at best.  We do not advise driving to the Mile at this time.

Fremont Canyon is open from the Alcova side via Kortes Rd.  Highway 220 is closed in Alcova, as of this morning.

Conditions, Flush and Fishing Report

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Well we’ve reached the end of February and it feels like spring can’t come soon enough. As much as we fishermen and women hope for a long brutal winter, I’m sure the people of Wyoming are looking forward to a break in the cold and snowy weather. It won’t be long until the spring Baetis are popping, the sun is warm, and the fishing seems like it can’t get any better. Make sure to give the shop a call and get your spring trips on the books, we are already filling up fast!

This past week we saw one of the larger snow events of the winter. Roads were closed across the state and temperatures dove into the negatives with widespread blizzard conditions. Casper received over 12” of snow, the mountain got closer to 24”-30”, and Alcova even got a whopping 8”. One of our ranching friends out in Alcova expressed that he hasn’t seen a winter like this since the 70’s, so I’d say we aren’t going to struggle too much with water this year. Our snowpack is sitting at a healthy 124%, but we suspect this value will increase with temperatures projected to stay below freezing and more snow undoubtedly on the way. 

And now for what I’m sure many of you have been waiting for: the *Flush Update*. As far as we know the Bureau of Rec is calling for the flush to start March 10th. The flush is completely dependent on ice conditions on the river, so we suspect this date will get pushed back due to the last snap of cold weather, and especially looking at the ice shelves more towards Casper. Unfortunately, we aren’t top of the list in terms of information regarding the flush, but if I had to guess we are looking more at mid to late march at the earliest. We will obviously keep you all updated the moment we learn anything more. Wish we could give more of a definitive answer!

And finally, let’s go over current fishing conditions on the Reef, Mile, and in the Canyon. 

Grey Reef: 450cfs

Conditions: The Reef saw a significant increase in ice due to the storm we received this week. The top 2 miles below the dam are fishable, but watch out for extended ice shelves. Some runs  may still have too much ice to productively fish. As of right now we don’t have a report on the floatability from the Dam to Lusby, give the shop a call at (307)232-9128 before you pull the boat out, we should know within the next couple of days. The Bridge run is completely frozen over, and there is little to no open water from the bridge to East of Casper. 

Nymphs: Leeches (brown, natural, UV ), hot-head leeches (brown w/orange head, black w/chartreuse head), PALs, Rhinestones, Reef Worms, Mini Impalers, Black Mayhems, Black All Day Mays, Scuds of various colors. Target water directly off a shelf, the slow insides, and the deep tailouts. Rigs have been living at 4-5 feet with anywhere from 1-3 BBs.

Streamers: Kreelex, Rusty-T, Goldie, Thin Mint, Peacock Bugger, Olive/Tan Peanut Envy etc. Make sure to be using a sink tip or sinking line. The most productive retrieval has either been low and slow, or just on the swing through the slow insides and long tailouts. Fish are hugged on the bottom and need that streamer right in front of their face to get a reaction. 

Miracle Mile: 490cfs +/-

We have no current fishing conditions for the Mile. With the past snowfall Kortes road is extremely drifted over and we do not advise driving out there. For updated reports on the road conditions please don’t hesitate to call the shop. 

Fremont Canyon: 76cfs

Unfortunately both of the roads out to Fremont are pretty drifted in as well. One of our local Game and Fish biologist was unable to get to the canyon yesterday because the drifts got pretty bad. The closer to the canyon you get the deeper the drifts are. These should clear up sooner than the Mile road, and we should have a report on that in the coming week. At this time, we do not advise driving to Fremont. 

Well that’s all for our fishing report as of right now. This winter has been a rough one and your best bet is always to call the shop before venturing out especially when you’re looking to fish Fremont or the Mile. We are chomping at the bit to see what this season has in store for us, and we can’t wait to see everyone up here once the weather clears up. Tight lines folks!