Mid-July is here, and if you are anything like us, you’re probably wondering how in the heck summer is passing by so quickly! When things are busy, time flies, and boy have we been busy! All of our guides and guests have enjoyed the higher flows, and the fish are healthy and eating well!
Grey Reef
With flows at 3,000cfs, the Reef is super fun right now! Fish are very active on the shelves and drop offs and it is an absolute blast when you hear your guide say “they should be eating riiiiight…aboouuut…HERE!” and then bang, the battle commences as your line zings across the river. Calling hook-ups is one of the most awesome parts of a fishing guide’s job, and we love it when the bugs and the flows and a drift align to make those moments happen for our clients. This time of year is when that scenario plays out frequently, and there’s nothing we’d rather be doing! Right now most of our guides are fishing the Reef section with a standard 9 foot leader to keep flexibility on depth, but much of the time we are only running around 7 feet max between indicator and a BB or #1 split shot. In rare instances we may go a little deeper for a heavy run, but it’s really not even a necessity right now. The shelves and drop offs are so much more fun! You can even ditch the splitshot all together and just run a bead head dropper as your point fly. Try a tungsten yellow sally trailed by a PMD nymph of your choice, then a smaller midge pattern. You’ll see lots of bugs up top, but trout being trout, they like to eat underneath, and they will key in on whatever is most abundant and easy pickings. Often that’s the midges, so a black mayhem may end up being your top producer for the day despite seeing tons of yellow sallies and PMD’s on the surface. For dries, try a small stimulator or any CDC pale morning dun.
Government Bridge to Casper
From Government down through town, most of our guides are running a short rig, anywhere from two feet to four feet, with a beadhead stonefly as the point fly, trailed by a zirdle or worm. Get it in tight to the bank or as close to the bushes as possible. The big fish are chillin’ in the shadows, so get it close! Casting at a slight downstream angle will help keep your drift from sliding away from the structure. For streamers, pick your poison. It’s more about putting it in the wheelhouse than anything. Pound those banks, and get it deep!
Fremont
The canyon stretch can be a blast this time of year if you get there early and find a good hole. A good rule of thumb here is to fish whatever is working well on the Reef. Water temps and insect life are mostly going to be the same since this is also a tailwater and similar in ecology. This stretch does get a little more pressure though, so you may want to go with lighter tippet and a more stealthy approach. Stay back a bit and try not to wade or cast over the top of the fish.
Miracle Mile
Flows have been at 500cfs for a couple weeks now out at the Mile, and with the detour in place due to road construction, it hasn’t been our top choice…but that’s not to say it’s not an option. Those looking for a beautiful drive and some new scenery won’t be disappointed, and there are always a few big rainbows ready to tangle out at the Mile this time of year. Keep your rig short and heavy to work around the bouldery bottom structure, and think about leeches and scuds this time of year. Small bugs will also work. Again, use similar bugs and patterns as what’s working on the Reef since the Mile is also a tailwater with temperatures and bugs approximating our other stretches.
Bighorn River
Wyoming’s Bighorn is still a great option, though things will start to moss up as we head into the hottest days of summer. It is running a little over 2,000cfs, with scuds, worms, and crawdads the main fare. These fish are looking for the more oxygenated water, so don’t blow through the riffles without getting a good drift! Be ready to do it all over there…nymph ’em up in the early morning with scuds and worms, then be ready to either pound the banks with a short stonefly rig or fish PMD or yellow sally dries and droppers in the riffles. Streamers are always an option as well, but make sure to run single hook patterns with quick sinking line to get past the moss and into the strike zone as fast as possible.
To sum it all up, this time of year is pretty much the essence of what fly fishing is all about. If you are thinking about getting out there, swing by the shop and we’ll get you dialed in. If you’d like to book a trip, we’d love to take you on a beautiful float, wrangle some North Platte trout, and make some good memories!
Tight lines!
Ryan, Liz, and everyone at Platte River Fly Shop/Wyoming Fly Fishing Guide Service