Early September in Wyoming and fishing couldn’t really be any better. Clear, cool water coupled with more hatches than necessary and it is pretty hard for things not to be good. Early AM Tricos, midday pseudos and hoppers, craneflies, caddis and midges all keep the trout with an eye to the sky. We are expecting warm and dry weather conditions this week supporting our position that summer ain’t over yet! We love the 40+ degree daily temperature swings with mid 40s in the evening and upper 80s at the height of the sun’s arc. Shorts and flip flops all day but make sure to have a hoody when you wake up and while at the evening camp fire…and plan on going to bed with chilly feet. Upland bird hunts and dry fly fishing are where we live in our dreams and reality for the next month and half. Intermittent interruptions with trophy trout hunting with streamers, big game hunts and early season waterfowl confuse our sense of focus at times. Central Wyoming is a dream. Not going to lie, we are ready for the tourist traffic to settle down on the highways and get back to the kind of traffic where folks return your steering wheel wave.
The Reef Fly Shop has some availability for guided fishing and cottage stays over the next few days but then gets pretty tight until about the 10th of October when the regional pace will downshift to 2nd gear. Shadows will become longer, leaves start to turn, migratory waterfowl will buzz your hat on their way up the river and the fishing will mature as it does every fall. You either need to book several (uhhmmmm many) days of guided fishing to be able to take advantage of all the opportunities or settle on a discipline or two and resign yourself to walking away from some. Our recommendation is to plan a mid October to mid November to visit to the area. Blast right through Casper and get to Alcova, post up in a cottage and step into your waders. Swingers, aka trout spey guys will have Miracle Mile giving up the goods, small stream enthusiasts will fall in love with Fremont Canyon ( the Grey Reef Reduction) and those who love head hunting or targeting our resident behemoths will want to focus on Grey Reef. 100 miles of highly productive trout water and our locations on Grey Reef Road are the epicenter. Apres at The Reef Fly Shop with cheap afternoon guide-beer selections and swing over to the Sunset for a burger or call up Sloane’s General Store and order up a pizza to go. Our “cheap trip” rates begin November 15 and include discounted guided fly fishing trips, cottage rentals and super-reasonable cottage/fishing packages. Fishing is no less productive but the weather may or may not be ideal for those who require fair weather recreation. Expect some good apparel sales at the shop as well…starting now.
North Platte Lodge is in a bit of a predicament with availability through late October. We’ve got one spot mid October and as well as one late October spot. Early November still has a good option for a water fowl-fishing combination trip before we go into construction mode. So gather up your crew and be prepared to be blown away by the food and fishing. Per usual, we’ve got our winter hit-list of things we want to do to make the joint even better. Be the first crew to see the new digs next spring. April has great lodge availability but we are intent to get back to a busy April lodge schedule for 2022. Why? April is the highest volume fishing each and every year, bar none. The fishing conditions at that time of year are the very best for those who may not spend tons of time with a fly rod in their hands. Recreational anglers, corporate groups and fish counters – spring is for you. Those who thrive in tech nymphing, sight nymphing and lightweight emerger rigs…well, spring is also for you. Our new Regular Season rate schedule will provide for even more affordable stays outside of our Peak Season, June through September. Corporate rates will be even more attractive as well.
Blue Grouse, waterfowl, sporting clays and pheasant and chukar preserve hunts. We’ve heard the stories and we only hunt wild birds on our wild bird hunts. Sage Grouse hunts sell out fast and we are only offering Sage Grouse hunts in a max of 2 days of hunting (you can stay and fish or hunt big game or other birds as long as you like) as a North Platte Lodge package. All other species are available as day hunts or cast and blast. Early Season waterfowl and preserve hunts are excellent packaged with fishing in the same day. Central Wyoming duck and goose hunting is available through the later part of January. The ultimate cool-season event…book a cottage and put on a pot of chili. Head out with the guides for a day of decoying waterfowl and winter fly fishing and get back in time to watch the game.
Just because Grey Reef and Miracle Mile fly fishing trips are more affordable doesn’t mean they are the lesser option. Pssst, we don’t go into summertime hoot owl (many Rocky Mountain fisheries have been shut down or limited in recent years due to too hot and low to practice catch and release fishing) mode because our river conditions are frankly better and more consistent than the destinations you read about in the magazines. We generally have more and bigger trout. We generally have far fewer river users. We have more private access, easier to get to, better locations on the river and there are very few operations that provide the range of services that we do at North Platte Lodge and The Reef Fly Shop, Cottages & RV. Give us a shout, we can help you unpack your preconceived notions and get ready for your next fly fishing chapter.