The annual Grey Reef flushing flows are tentatively set to begin on Monday, March 18th. Provided that the river is free of ice. These regulated flows remove sediment off of rainbow trout spawning beds, with up to 4000 cfs. This event is known for epic fishing conditions thanks to all of the aquatic life getting stirred up. The trout simply gorge themselves!
One day last year we pulled off the river for a quick break. As we looked upstream, we noticed three bald eagles wading intently picking up crayfish in the shallows. Now everyone knows that I am a streamer junkie, so immediately switched to the streamer. Before we even took off we where stripping in good fish off the swing. Point of the story is to appreciate that all species of wildlife benefit from the treasures of the North Platte River during the flush.
From past experience, skilled anglers can expect 50-75 fish days nymphing. Swinging big custom articulated streamers can produce trophy browns and rainbows that will blow your mind! Don’t be afraid to think outside the box on bug selections, but scuds,leeches,egg patterns,baetis,and midges are on the menu. https://www.usbr.gov/newsroom/newsrelease/detail.cfm?RecordID=42484
Fremont Canyon Fishing Report: Winter/Spring fishing has been great with mild temperatures compared to normal. In fact, we have seen a ton of big trout landed during winter. Miracle Mile and Grey Reef both fish best lately from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the same way, Fremont Canyon has been fishing during these times. Water temperatures warm up a bit furthermore turning on the bite.
Small midges in sizes 18-22. Red. Tan. Brown are best. Hot head leeches. Pine squirrel leeches. Black. Brown. Natural. Red and Purple Reef worms. Alternatively, don’t be afraid to think outside the box on fly selection. Proper presentation of your bugs is most important.
Spring fishing during March/April is hot. Fall fishing months September through November. However, due to cold water releases from Pathfinder Dam. Fishing is great year around.
With March/April around the corner. We recommend staying off gravel rainbow trout spawning beds. Equally important, encourage others to practice steward of the land techniques. As a result, this insures a positive future for our great sport. Its simply not worth it!
We are gearing up for a great season with a ton of trips already on the books. Please contact us soon so we can accommodate your trip dates.
Feel free to give us a call anytime at 307-399-9464 for current conditions and stream flows.
We have been experiencing great fall fishing conditions on the Upper North Platte River near Saratoga,Wy. With recent rain and early snow in the high country,river flows have recharged making for great float and streamer fishing! Fall Baetis(Blue Wing Olive) hatches are strong on days with above 40 degree air temps. Nymphing with a wide array of standard bead head nymphs is productive.
The sole reason for this updated fishing report is to announce the epic fall streamer fishing! We have seen several rainbows and mainly trophy browns hit the net in the 22-25 inch range throwing big articulated streamers. Our custom articulated War Bonnet and Platte River Spider patterns in all color combinations, are exclusively what we use. These flies not only look great to fisherman, they are designed to HUNT!!
Please check our river flow links to the USGS and Bureau of Reclamation before your outing,or feel free to call,text,or email anytime.
Our guides are seasoned professionals and have the river dialed year round, from the Upper North Platte to the tailwaters!
Tight Lines!!
Snowy Range Fishing Report/Medicine Bow National Forest.
The Snowy Range Alpine Lakes provides anglers with beautiful high alpine scenery. Sugar loaf recreation area offers anglers access to the Shelf lakes. Libby and Lewis Lakes. North and South Gap Lakes. Golden trout. Brook trout. Bear River Cutthroat trout. Brown trout, as well as, Rainbow Trout are plentiful.
With cold air and water temperatures fish feed all day long. Therefore, dry fly fishing is especially great on all the lakes and streams right now. The Snowy Range is a great alternative to find colder water temperatures when other waters are warming up.
Best flies for the Snowy Range
Hopper patterns. Terrestrials. Parachute Adams. Elk hair caddis. Standard basic dry flies work well. Common still water patterns such as balanced leeches. Chironomids and small streamers also work very well. Check out our top custom tied flies here:https://highplainsflyfishing.com/shop/
Best time to fish the Snowy Range
The Wyoming Department of Transportation typically plows open Highway 130 before Memorial Day. However, some lakes and streams are accessible by foot. Memorial Day weekend through October/November are the prime summer seasonal months.
North Platte River Fishing Report August 2018. The Upper North Platte River near Saratoga,Wyoming is fishing great with Dries,Nymphs,and Streamers. The morning Trico hatch is in full swing producing pods of sipping trout. Most afternoons are spent casting hopper patterns utilizing dry dropper rigs. Nymph fishing with two fly indicator rigs continues to put numbers in the boat in faster, more oxygenated runs and riffles. The streamer bite is there to the dedicated anglers who prefer to throw big meaty articulated streamers. Actually our preferred method!
Miracle Mile,Grey Reef, and Saratoga sections all have Hopper,Trico,Pmd,and Yellow Sally hatches along with good numbers of caddis in the evenings. August is a great month to be on the river with consistant warm weather and great low water condition hatches that occur daily. Please call us at 307-399-9464 for current flows and daily conditions. We have the river dialed and would enjoy talking fishing with you!
What else can we say, its Hopper time! We have been getting some solid eats on all sorts of killer hopper patterns such as Amys Ants,Morrish Hoppers,and Rainys Hoppers. Tan,brown,yellow,purple,and pink variations have been the best.
Dry dropper rigs with non bead head nymphs without a lot of flash have been producing in shallow riffles and runs. Pmds,Yellow Sally’s,and Trico spinners are the bugs you will need in your box.
The morning Trico hatch gets better by the day producing insane spinner falls! Every trout in the river seems to be keying in on them. Be sure to have a few sunken spinners in your fly arsenal.
Flows have been dropped and are fluctuating from 800 to 830 cfs. Fortunately, still plenty of water to float and wade especially well. Water temps are staying cold in the 50’s.
The streamer bite is there to the dedicated angler. Alternatively,try working off the swing with a down and across presentation,and ripping your fly against the current for explosive strikes! This 20 inch Walleye was caught on a 6 inch articulated streamer.
Thankfully, we already have clients booking up for fall streamer fishing hunting trophy browns. We look forward to fishing with return clients and meeting new friends on the river. Please call 307-399-9464 for current conditions and booking info.
We are pleased to announce that the Badger Creek fire is 100% contained above Woods Landing Wyoming. Highway 230 and Highway 10 are open to the Colorado border. The Laramie River above Woods Landing has not been affected from the fire with ash,debris,etc. Fly fishing at both Jelm Public Access areas has been great along with our private waters at the El Rancho Pequeno. We have been catching nice browns and rainbows on dries,nymphs,and streamers. Hoppers,Pmds,Yellow Sallies,and Caddis are the major hatches. Dry dropper rigs are the ticket for shallow water runs and riffles.
Closer to Laramie,from Monolith Access to town. Streamers are the name of the game. You can expect 20-25 inch class browns and rainbows on BIG articulated custom streamers. Crayfish patterns,chub minnows,and sculpins are always on the menu! We already have clients gearing up for the fall streamer fishing hunting big trophy browns. The Big Laramie is known for its trophy brown trout streamer fishing. Come and experience it for yourself and forget the crowds! Give us a call at 307-399-9464 anytime for current conditions or for booking info. Check out our Youtube video here Laramie River Streamer Fly Fishing
Saratoga Wyoming Fly Fishing Guides
Saratoga Wyoming North Platte River Fishing Report:
Wyoming/Northern Colorado snow pack for 2018 was 98% of normal. Conditions on the North Platte River from the Colorado state line to North Gate Canyon/Six Mile Gap are dropping and clearing daily. Flows at North Gate are holding steady at 1070 cfs. The Salmonfly hatch is in full swing and getting better by the day! Fish are looking up most days, fishing big dries will pay off to the dedicated angler. Two fly nymph rigs with Pats rubber legs and big peacock double bead stone fly nymphs are the top producers. Streamer fishing has been hot with big fish pushed up to the banks and under cuts. Down and across presentations on the swing are most productive,but often a strip and twitch retrieve against the current off the swing will produce explosive strikes. Best color variations have been Brown/Yellow,Olive,Natural,and Black/Whites.
We anticipate prime conditions on all of the freestone sections of the Upper North Platte in the coming weeks to June 15. Stoneflies,Caddis,Green Drakes,Yellow Sally’s,and PMD’s are the main bugs anglers will want to have in their boxes for mid June into July. Fishing the upper reaches from Six Mile,Prospect Creek,and Bennett Peak will be best throughout June. Bennett Peak to Treasure Island tends to follow suit throughout July. Please check out and follow current USGS water data before your outing here.
Miracle Mile flows are currently at 1710 cfs. The Salmonfly hatch is also in full swing right now and getting better by the day. Expect great float fishing throughout the summer season. Double bead stones,Pats rubber legs,and Halfbacks with smaller size 16-22 scuds,mayhems,and juju baetis are producing well. Wine color,Orange,and purple San Juan worms are also deadly. Red, Pink,and purple squirmy worms are also a top producer for many guides and hard core Miracle Mile anglers! We anticipate an epic hopper season this year. We have already seen hopper activity at many locations along the North Platte and still water fisheries. Amys ants,Morrish hoppers,and Chubby Chernobyls in the tan,yellow,purple,and brown variations are typically the best.
Please call 307-399-9464 if you have questions or would like to book your 2018 fly fishing dream vacation in Wyoming on the world famous blue ribbon waters of the North Platte River. We are looking forward to seeing and fishing with all of our return clients and meeting new friends this season!
Laramie Plains Lakes Fishing Report: Lake Hattie,Twin Buttes,and Meeboar have all been fishing very well. Alsop,Gelatt,and Diamond Lake have reported great catch rates as well! The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reported no significant winter kill events. Most of the lakes have already been stocked and holdover trout are in great shape.
The Plains Lakes will be a great alternative from the swollen local rivers and streams that are now experiencing run off. Memorial Day weekend anglers are sure to have success at all of them. Dry fly fishing is getting better by the day with midges and caddis. Terrestrials like flying ants,hoppers,and beetles have been working too! Look for the damsel flies and callibaetis to start coming off any day. Damselfly nymphs, Hares ears,and Prince nymphs have been producing very well.
Brown,Black,and Olive balanced hot head leeches and pine squirrel leech patterns with chironomid droppers under indicators have been working great as well. Check out our online fly shop for all the hand tied custom flies we design specifically for these waters. Stripping leeches,woolly buggers, and common still water attractor patterns like boobies and blobs on sink tip lines,is a deadly method for catching sizable trout.
Lures such as Rapalas,gold spoon black body Panther Martins,Mepps,and Dare Devil type spoons in the silver,gold,and red/white variation are best.
Fly and bubble anglers will do great with Hornbergs,Renegades, and all of the flies mentioned above. Standard bait rigs fished on the bottom with worms,salmon egg spawn sacs,and leeches all producing great fish.
Call us at 307-399-9464 if you want to book a guide trip and get out there in one of our drift boats or have any questions!
Big stonefly nymph patterns such as the Pats Rubber Legs. Double Bead Peacock Stonefly nymphs. Halfback nymphs have been producing nice fish in off color water. We have been pulling fish off the banks with our custom articulated streamers. Natural,white,and brown/yellow are best colors.
However, if you’re planning a vacation during May. We got you covered! The North Platte tail waters. Miracle Mile and Grey Reef are running clear. Fortunately, both of these blue ribbon trout fisheries are not affected by run off. Miracle Mile is currently flowing at 2700 cfs and is perfect for float trips.
We have the correct custom flies that you wont find in any fly shop. Check out our online fly store here:https://highplainsflyfishing.com/shop/ Please feel free to call us anytime for current fishing conditions at 307-399-9464.
