Cold! We are spending more time with trying to keep pipes and our noses from freezing than anything else. Lows last night of -20*f. While the lowest are upon us it won’t warm much until next week. This weekend is still slated to be bitter. These are the times that great stories are made…hope to be able to show our grand kids just how tough we were to survive such inhospitable conditions:) It really isn’t that bad and we are still hunting, biking and skiing through it.

Grey Reef is slushy just a couple miles down from the dam and is already impassable (via boat). It will lock up tight over the next few days. The upper is fishable but shelf ice could be hazardous if you aren’t familiar with the river bottom. The afterbay or Grey Reef Reservoir is half frozen in one day. These conditions also are hazardous to equipment. Rod tips are more brittle and require constant manipulation to free guides of ice. Reels generally don’t suffer long term ill effects or catastrophic failure but will ice up to a stop in moments if dunked. Cheap reals with plastic internals can break pretty easily if forced after a freeze up. Fly lines get hammered while winter fishing. They are a wear part and there is really nothing you can do about accelerated abuse due to contact with ice and water freezing/thawing in cracks of your line.

Roads are okay including the Kortes Road to Miracle Mile. As the winds pick up the snow will pile in unfortunate places luckily there isn’t a lot of accumulation. Surprisingly we did get a lot more snow than expected considering the cold temps…6″ on Casper Mountain, 4″ in Casper and 3″ in Alcova. I forgot to get the conditions report from our Pedro Mountain Weather Bureau (aka our trusty shuttle drivers). It is a good time to research your 2014 trips and I am happy to lend an ear. Give a shout if you have any questions! (307)237-1182