Tag: grey reef fishing

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!

 

Another Blast

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Well it looks like we might be breaking out of another 36hr arctic blast.  The snow has finally stopped and the cold temps are settling in, lows today and tomorrow are set to be in the negatives.  The upside, we should be back above freezing by weeks end.

Current conditions are as follows…

Current Flows:

Grey Reef: 450cfs (*No floating Grey Reef to Lusby for the next few days.)   

Fremont Canyon: 76cfs  

Miracle Mile: 535cfs +/- (*As always this time of year use caution if you are thinking about venturing to the Mile.  Make sure to check with someone local and be prepared.)

We were on Upper Grey Reef this past week and the fishing was pretty legit.  Temperatures were in the mid 20s and it was a little breezy, so nymphing definitely seemed like the thing to do.  The handful of fish we caught on nymphs all ate a hot head leech, black with a chartreuse head or brown with orange.  Decided to break out the streamer after an hour or so of relatively “slow” fishing.  I think the first six casts got a grab or a hook up.  The next few hours delivered close to a couple of dozen of grabs on a single rusty-t, on a slow swing and strip.  They were definitely all about the streamer!

 

 

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…

A Couple Of Things

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

First things first, we have not yet heard about the dates for the spring flush on Grey Reef.  Historically, it takes place during the last few weeks of March.  As soon as we hear something we will let you know.

Well, we are officially into the second week of February and thus far it’s been pretty nice.  Other than a lack of snow, we can’t complain.  February is a great month to be on the water when the weather plays nice.  Yesterday was one of those days for sure. Spent the afternoon poking around and wade fishing various spots on Upper Grey Reef.  Nymphs were more or less the way to go in every run we fished.  That being said, we did manage at least a few grabs on the streamer in every run as well.  You have to remember, water temps are pretty chilly and the fish are not overly aggressive towards the streamer.  So, keep the strip nice and slow and with the clear water conditions smaller and natural seemed to be the ticket (i.e. near-nuff sculpin).  On the nymphing front, it started with hot-head scuds and ended with reef worms and leeches.  Not much for a midge hatch that day so the larger menu items were the way to go!  Our rig stayed in that 5-6ft range with 1-2BB split shot.

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.

Trico Time!

Posted on by AdminTRFS

As we hit the middle of August Tricos are in full swing here on the Reef and the fishing is still great! We are seeing a very healthy Trico hatch from early in the morning until about 9-10am. If you’re nymphing black RS2s and Mayhem Midges have been the ticket. We haven’t been seeing too much surface action for the Trico hatch, but if you hit it on the right day you can have some shots at sipping trout. Throwing smaller mayfly patterns or trico specific flies might get these sippers to eat. As the day goes on PMD’s, Yellow Sallies, Caddis, and Stoneflies have all been in the mix and productive. As was the case in early August, some sort of flashy bead head with an emerger off the back can’t really be beaten when nymphing. We have yet to see hopper action pick up, but that may mean just a later and greater season on that front. Of course we have to cover the topic of grass and weeds in the river as well because this time of year is when they really pop up. Surprisingly this year it isn’t that bad yet, but it seems like the grass is growing by the minute. The key to fishing when the weeds really come in is finding where channels open up and drifting your nymph rigs through there. Looking for faster current and deeper shelves where there grass doesn’t grow as high should be your target. Your first instinct may be to shorten up and lighten up in order to drift over the weeds, but you’d be surprised to see how many trout are actually living in the grass, making drifting a little bit deeper through the channels much more effective.

That’s all for this report, hopefully next report we will be able to give you all some good news about the hopper bite!

Hello August!

Posted on by AdminTRFS

Summer in Central Wyoming is in full swing!  As most of you know it’s been interesting for the Rocky Mountain West this year.  Low snowpack, very little spring moisture-accompanied with hot and dry conditions.  Not good!  Lots and lots of earlier closures and hoot-owl restrictions have become a very popular theme.  Fortunate for us, conditions on the North Platte remain good.  Driving out to the shop and lodge last week, we took temperatures from Bessmer Bend to Grey Reef Dam.  All temperatures were taken in the middle of the day and we are happy to report 62F or cooler at all locations.  The water temperature below Grey Reef Dam was 55F, approximately.  So, how’s the fishing?  Somewhere between good and great, just depends on the day.  PMDs, sallies, caddis and tricos are whats popping and the fish are keyed in.  Your hard pressed to beat a BH of some sort with an RS2 dropper, if your running the nymph program.  Hoppers?  We are starting to see some fish look up for hoppers and that should only improve as we move later in the month. Streamers have been producing some big fish and some solid numbers depending on the float.  Just last week we had a guest land a 30″ brown on the rusty trombone.  Well folks, thats your current report.  If you’re in the area stop in and see us!

Spring Weather is Here! North Platte Fly Fishing Report!

Posted on by AdminTRFS

Spring is finally here and we couldn’t be more excited! The fishing has been great and have guide trips out quite a bit! The weather looks great for the next ten days and the fish are on the feed! We still have our shoulder season rates going through March 15th and some availability left! Call the shop and lets get your 2021 fishing season started off right!

There has been no official announcement of the 2021 Flush. We will update our social pages and this report once we have confirmed dates. The flush is historically set for the second week of March.

Grey Reef- 500 CFS Fishing has been great on The Reef as you would expect from the North PLatte’s most consistent fishery. Leeches have been the top producer. Chocolate, natural and olive are all working well. Reef worms in red and purple, the Reef’s PAL, mayhem midges, tubing midges, and the Rhinestone are all getting fish too! The river is open from the Dam to Government bridge!

Fremont Canyon/Cardwell- 75 CFS It has been pretty busy up there so you might want to sixe down your tippet and get a little “techy”. Mini rigs for midges and good presentations!  The PAL, Tubing midges, Reef worms, Rhinestones, Mayhem Midges, and pheasant tails.

Miracle Mile – 530 CFS Fishing has been good lately but also have to deal with some crowds. Leeches are still the go to followed by Reef worms and san juan worms, the PAL, rhinestone and mayhem midges. Theres been sgreat midge hatches out there everyday!

Give us a call or stop be the shop if you have any questions!

 

Welcome to 2021! North Platte Fly Fishing Report!

Posted on by AdminTRFS

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a fun and safe holidays. We are back to being open everyday of the week from 8:00 to 2:00 and still have some awesome deals in the shop before our 2021 gear arrives. We had guides out over the past week and had some good weather and great fishing! We fished The Mile, Afterbay, and Grey Reef, as usual The Reef outshined them all.

We have our shoulder season rates going on until March 15th: Half Day Guided trip- $350, Full day Guided trip- $450 1 night in a cottage and 1 full day guided fishing-$575, and 2 nights in a cottage and 1 full day guided trip- $625. This is a great time to fish the North Platte with no crowds and good fishing!

Flows are up in Fremont and the Miracle Mile as they are filling up Alcova reservoir. Miracle Mile is flowing at 1,200 CFS and Fremont is around 2,2,00 CFS. They are still very fishable just focus on the slower tailouts and edges of runs.

Flies are similar on all three tailwaters right now: Pine Squirrel leeches, Reef Worms, Scuds, Mayhem Midges, tubing midges, the LAZY, the brassie, and RS2’s have all been working. Some days it definitely pays off to be shorter, lighter, and higher up in the water column. Other days it seems you have to be deep and heavy, so I always start off short and light and work my way down from there. Streamer fishing has also been working: Goldies, Rusty Trombone, kreelex, peacock buggers, and all peanut envys are the go-tos.

If you have any questions or want to book your next trip give us a call or stop by the shop!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on by AdminTRFS

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Things are well on our end.  Starting to dial in some off-season projects.  As always we will keep you updated via social media.  Grey Reef, Fremont and Miracle Mile all continue to stay in great condition.  The weather this month has been unseasonably mild, allowing us to get out fishing a little more than normal.  So more of the same on the fishing front.  Nymphs and streamers are the name of the game.  Although temperatures have been mild, water temps, especially on lower reaches of Grey Reef have dropped.  That has made the streamer fishing a little tough.  If your planning on heading down low to pitch the big stuff, slow your strip. For the nymphs it’s standard late fall-winter fare…leeches, reef worms, scuds and various midge patterns.  1-3BBs and 3-6ft in length.