Fall is Here, Fishing is Fantastic!
What is not to love about this time of year! Look close at anyone coming off the river and you’ll be able to tell…there’s something about the mild weather, the trees changing colors, fish on the feed…it’s like this time of year just makes everyone breathe a big sigh of relief and you can see the infectious joy and that glint in their eyes after a day of relaxing and reeling in fish. The Fall season just has a way of recharging people’s batteries and reminding us all of why we love being in the great outdoors!
Grey Reef
Moss will continue to be an issue on the Reef section for a while, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the float. Find an open lane and be ready to present either small flies on light tippet, or a heavier rig with your worm of choice. Short rigs are a must either way. If you’re planning on matching the hatch, try a slightly larger caddis attractor and trail it with any skinny profile baetis or trico imitation. A good selection this time of year is a Bird’s nest followed up with double Mayhem midges in olive or grey. If the fish are particularly choosy, try a Darth Baetis as your point fly. Don’t hesitate to look for heads, and be ready with a small hi-vis Adams on 5x, possibly trailed by a small foam-post RS2. The key is to find a pod that is feeding consistently and competitively. Lead the rise by a good couple of feet, throw a gentle mend, and hold on!
Government to Town
After our recent hail event (nothing large but a LOT of ice falling from the sky!) our river was muddied up for a while, but it cleared nicely this week and there are great reports coming off for this section. This is WFFGS’s bread and butter section, and nobody does it better! Our guides are dialing clients in to fish any clean shelves, deep and fast runs, or tail outs, with a medium length rig…usually 4-6 feet at the most. The point fly should be any worm of choice, followed by smaller bugs in the morning. As the day progresses and the baetis and remnant tricos fade off, switch to bigger offerings. A zirdle and two worms has been the go-to. Dries and streamers both offer a nice change-up for the flexible angler and that’s what we love most about this stretch. There’s always the opportunity to try something different! If you want to see some top eats, drop down to 3x mono and pitch a chubby of your choice. For streamers, try a Goldie or a Peanut Envy and don’t be afraid to rip it fast over any structure, even mid-river. Lots of fish hold in shallow and fast riffles this time of year, or just off the lip of a riffly shelf.
Fremont Canyon
The Canyon remains a top destination for do-it-yourselfers and you’ll want to get there early for a prime spot. Remember that most of the same bugs working on the rest of the system will work on Fremont, but you’ll want to scale down your tippet and adopt some ninja habits to keep a low profile.
Miracle Mile
It’s shoulder season for the Miracle Mile, but definitely still worth the trip if you want to see some new water and beautiful scenery. There are not quite as many large fish in the system as early spring-early summer, but there have been a few reports of bruiser browns coming to the net. Most anglers start thinking about the Mile’s browns around November, but it’s a little known fact that lake-run browns will start moving into the Mile as early as mid-September. If you are going for these brutes, you’ll want to pitch something big. For nymphs, it will be worms, leeches, and scuds. For streamers, throw big stuff, get it deep, and swing it!
As always, we are stoked to take you out and show you the best of the mighty N.P., or you can stop by the shop to pick our brains and pick up some patterns that will get it done for the area you are heading to. We love showing off our new remodel and the huge selection of premium gear, flies, equipment, and keepsakes that can make your outing one to remember. Lodging options are available close by, and our Dry Fly Inn continues to impress guests with its location. They always mention the beautiful views off the back deck and over the river!
We wish you all the best that this best of seasons has to offer. Hope to see you all soon! Tight Lines!
The staff at Wyoming Fly Fishing Guide Service