Tag: grey reef flows

Water Temps

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

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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, if you haven’t heard, we have a little bit of a water temperature issue on Grey Reef. A couple of days ago BOTH turbines at Alcova Dam had issues and had to be shut down. What does this mean? The water now coming out of Alcova is coming off the spillway which is more or less surface lake water. Our guide crew has been diligent about taking temps and this is where we are currently at…64F-65F at Grey Reef Dam this morning. Yesterday afternoon temperatures at Lusby hit 70F. Our latest report says that they are expecting to have one turbine back up and running by early next week, which would immediately start drawing colder water off the bottom of Alcova. That should obviously start to lower the temperatures and put us back where we need to be.

GREY REEF: 2,200cfs. We advise only floating the upper and float early. Do not take fish out of the water for pictures. Fight them fast and keep them in the net. Minimize contact, please!

FREMONT CANYON: 82cfs and holding steady. Starting to see tricos in the morning and the fish are showing some interest.

MIRACLE MILE: Flows have reduced to 2,000cfs. We’ve hit the height of the golden stone hatch and adult numbers are slowly going down. Definitely getting a few on top but the fish seem to prefer a drowned adult or a Pat’s rubber legs. We are also seeing a good number of PMDs and the fish have been eating those as well.

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…

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.

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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.

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Flush is Finished

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

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Well, the spring flush has officially wrapped up. Flows on Grey Reef have gone back to 450cfs. At this point we do not have any information regarding the flows for Grey Reef later this spring and summer. As always, if we hear anything we will let you know. Currently Grey is is floatable and fishable downstream of Government Bridge. This is subject to change, especially this year with the amount of lingering snow drifts.

Miracle Mile? We have had guides at the Mile the past week and other than one 150yd stretch of Kortes Road, the getting around out there is relatively easy. Keep mind folks, we have some more wet weather on the horizon, so this is subject to change. As always, USE CAUTION when headed that direction.

It’s gradually starting to feel like spring and the fish are starting to act like it. With the flush in the rear view, the spawn is really going to fire up. PLEASE be considerate of the fish and don’t walk through the redds. It really is best if we leave the spawners alone.

FAQs

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

We have been fielding a lot of calls regarding the Miracle Mile road and the Grey Reef flush…

MIRACLE MILE ROAD: As of today, we have been told the road to the Mile is open. UPDATE…the roads up and down the Mile as well as most of the access roads are mostly open from our sources. As always if we hear something different, we will let you know!

GREY REEF FLUSH: The Grey Reef flush is scheduled to start at 12:01am this coming Monday, March 20th. Flows will increase to 2,500cfs overnight and will resume to normal(500cfs) by 10:00am. The flows the first night will be lower than normal because of lingering river ice. After night one, the rest of the flush will peak at 4,000cfs and as always will be back to normal by 10:00am. The flush is set to run for 10 days total.

*PURCHASE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ONLINE*

 https://wgfd.wyo.gov/apply-or-buy

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

Valentine’s Day, the midpoint of February.  Granted it still feels mostly like winter, you can kind of feel a little bit of change in the air.  Super Bowl Sunday was one for the books with mild temps, sunny skies and virtually no wind.  It was a good day to be on the water!  Unfortunately the mild temperatures are going to leave for a few days, as another cold front is set to hit this afternoon. Keep in mind with this afternoon’s storm system, river and driving conditions could change for the next couple of days.

Here’s our current Grey Reef/Fremont Canyon/Miracle Mile conditions and fishing report…

Grey Reef: 450cfs 

Very clear from Grey Reef to Lusby, floatable from Grey Reef to Lusby. Frozen in sections from Lusby to Casper.

Nymphs: pine squirrel leech(brown or natural), hot-head leech(black w/ chartruese head or brown w/ orange head), PAL, rhinestone, reef worm, mini impaler, all-day may(black), amber scud, grey scud.

Streamers: rusty-t, goldie, articulated goldie, near-nuff sculpin(tan).

Fremont Canyon: 76cfs

Clear.  Road into the Canyon is icy in spots.

Nymphs: orange scud, amber scud, PAL, rhinestone, mayhem(grey), brassie(red).

Dries: Griffiths gnat, para adams.

Miracle Mile: 535cfs +/- (We do not have any updated fishing report due to the driving conditions on Kortes Road. Miracle Mile is passable but PLEASE use caution and pack the appropriate gear and equipment.)

Closer to Spring

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

It’s hard to believe we are already almost a full week into February.  Spring is going to be here before we know it!  After the last big snow/cold event, Central Wyoming has been on a little bit of a warming trend.  The past few days have delivered highs in the mid to high 30s but it looks like week ahead is going to cool down a touch and may have a few days of snow mixed in.

Here’s the updated conditions/fishing report for Grey Reef, Fremont Canyon and Miracle Mile…

Grey Reef: 450cfs 

Very clear from Grey Reef to Lusby, Floatable from Grey Reef to Lusby as of today.  Frozen in sections from Lusby to Casper.

Nymphs: Pine squirrel leech(brown or natural), Hot-head leech(black w/ chartruese head or brown w/ orange head), PAL, rhinestone, reef worm, mini impaler, all-day may(black), amber scud, grey scud.

Streamers: rusty-t, goldie, articulated goldie.

Fremont Canyon: 76cfs

Clear.  Road into the Canyon is icy in spots.

Nymphs: orange scud, amber scud, PAL, rhinestone, mayhem, brassie.

Dries: Griffiths gnat, para adams.

Miracle Mile: 535cfs +/- (We do not have any updated fishing report due to the driving conditions.  We would not advise driving from Alcova to the Miracle Mile at this time.)

 

 

October!!!

Posted on by The Reef Fly Shop

September went by in a flash and it did not disappoint!  As we round out the first ten days of October, all we can say is that it has been a dandy thus far.  Weather and conditions are primo!!  Flows on Grey Reef remain at 500cfs and the river is clear, extremely clear, especially down low.  Conditions are prime for the picking from Grey Reef Dam to Glenrock.  Miracle Mile is in good shape as well, not quite the clarity but fishing has been good.  But as you would expect it has been busy with both fisherman and fall hunting camps.  Fremont Canyon is at it’s low flow as well (72cfs) and the water is off-colored.

So what’s happening on the fishing front?  Well, to start you need to be rigged for just about anything and everything right now.  We are still seeing good numbers of tricos and pseudos, making for some legit dry fly-fishing.  One of our guides even got a few to eat a hopper the other day.  We are also starting to see some fish really moving for streamers.  Nymphing is good, per usual.  Our rigs have been 2-6ft, a single #4 split to 2 ABs…it just depends on the depth and the speed of the water you are fishing.  Our top nymphs have been pheasant tails, foam wing RS2s, mayhems, pat’s rubber legs and PALs.