Wyoming Trip

[brianthill]

Was just reading the newest issue of American Angler and after seeing the Wyoming feature I got a wild hair to head out there and fish this summer.

I have never been there before so I am looking for some advice.

I would plan to drive out for a 4-5 day trip and truck camp. I don't mind some walking and would like to mostly fish on remote/unpressured water for trout.

What are some good streams/locations/campgrounds for me to look at? What is the best time of year to get good fishing but avoid huge crowds?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ggriffi]

Others will be along with more info than I but I went last year for the first time. We fished the Salt and the Grey's in SW Wyoming. We stayed near Thayne.

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[mcnerney]

Brian

Welcome to the forum!
For that type of experience, I would either pick up a Wyoming Road Atlas and start searching for blue lines or start using Google Earth and do the same.
The Flyfisher's Guide to Wyoming by Ken Retallic would also be a good source to find those out of the way streams that get little attention.
You might also be interested in doing the Wyoming Cutt Slam, you can read about it here: Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Cutt Slam

 

[ggriffi]

Brian

Welcome to the forum!
For that type of experience, I would either pick up a Wyoming Road Atlas and start searching for blue lines or start using Google Earth and do the same.
The Flyfisher's Guide to Wyoming by Ken Retallic would also be a good source to find those out of the way streams that get little attention.
You might also be interested in doing the Wyoming Cutt Slam, you can read about it here: Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Cutt Slam

I can vouch for Retallic's book. Lots of good info. Between his book and this forum you will get plenty knowledge

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[benglish]

You will probably get alot of "North Platte" suggestions here and that is a good one. The North Platte is arguably the best rainbow fishery in the lower 48. After that however, many on this forum will not give up Cowboy state secrets so easily. Ken Retallic's book is the gold standard but Wyoming game and fish also used to put out a free "magazine" called something like "Walk-in fishing" or something like that. It is basically leased land that is accessible to angler willing to get off the beaten path. I have found some fantastic and I mean fantastic fishing waters using this manual. I will say that I have not seen a printed version in a couple of years and one of the places I went this last summer had the lease closed so it would be best to find updated version. The web address is for Wyo Game and fish walk in access is:

Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Walk In Fishing

you also might find someone at WGAF who can send you the printed version with the maps. Good luck, you could not have picked a better state to spend a week or so fishing.

 

[smarty140]

From my experience planning trips out there from the Midwest each year, the right answer for where and when to go is a tough one, especially for wade fishing.

Through at least most of summer the lower elevation tailwaters that are controlled for irrigation are high and tough to wade fish. However, the freestone river fishing is better and the high elevation backcountry rivers and lakes are accessible.

In the fall, the tailwaters are lower and better but it can get darn cold at high elevation if you want to get into the wilderness.

We change back and forth between summer and fall depending on work schedules and what kind of fishing we're craving that year.

ryan

 

[rodneyshishido]

I fish around Cody with my friend in September. I usually go up their right after Labor Day. We are still learning where to fish the area. I just picked up a book - Fly Fishing the Greater Yellowstone Backcountry. It lists a lot of areas that if you willing to hike a little will get you into good areas.

We generally fish the North Fork of the Shoshone. We'll see some fishermen but not too many. The river's pretty picked over by the time we get their but I generally catch enough nice size trout 16"-19" to keep me satisfied. Last year we spent a day fishing Lake Luce. It is catch and release. What a blast. A couple of the trout went well into my backing.

 

[mcnerney]

You will probably get alot of "North Platte" suggestions here and that is a good one. The North Platte is arguably the best rainbow fishery in the lower 48. After that however, many on this forum will not give up Cowboy state secrets so easily. Ken Retallic's book is the gold standard but Wyoming game and fish also used to put out a free "magazine" called something like "Walk-in fishing" or something like that. It is basically leased land that is accessible to angler willing to get off the beaten path. I have found some fantastic and I mean fantastic fishing waters using this manual. I will say that I have not seen a printed version in a couple of years and one of the places I went this last summer had the lease closed so it would be best to find updated version. The web address is for Wyo Game and fish walk in access is:

Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Walk In Fishing

you also might find someone at WGAF who can send you the printed version with the maps. Good luck, you could not have picked a better state to spend a week or so fishing.

I have the 2012 printed copy, so last week I went down to the local Wyoming Game and Fish office to pick up a new copy, I didn't see it in their magazine rack so I went inside to enquire whether or not they still printed it and found out it only online now days. Bummer, nothing beats a printed copy when your in the field, but I guess the next best is to print out the pages of interest!

 

[ikankecil]

One thing to keep in mind is the amount of unposted private land in WY. It's the angler/hunters responsibility to know if the land they are on is public and the way that WY Game & Fish recommends doing this is by having the onX maps app on your phone (it's a subscription service). Landowners are not required to post their boundaries and Game and Fish absolutely does patrol often.

I think onX has a free 30 day trial and if a person is only coming out for a week, it'd be worth having that pre-loaded and running on their phone. Seeing a ranger in a bright red shirt walking toward you is not necessarily conducive to having a nice day if you are on the wrong side of a property line.

 

[mcnerney]

Brianthill

Ok, I finally received my copy of American Angler. The author spells out pretty much where he is fishing. Can you please be more specific with your questions and I can probably be of more help.

 

[brianthill]

Thanks for the all the suggestions, I have found some places to check out. From what I gather, I don't want to go too early in the summer nor too late in the fall.

Is July a good month to target?

 

[mcnerney]

Thanks for the all the suggestions, I have found some places to check out. From what I gather, I don't want to go too early in the summer nor too late in the fall.

Is July a good month to target?

Yes! Usually, June is spring runoff! If we get a hot, no rain, summer, then in August the rivers warm up too much. This year we have received a good snow pack, most all of the state is at 100% or higher so it should be a good year for fishing.

 

[AnglerX]

Mcnerney is right but we also have a ways to go before it stops snowing. Keep checking this page in the next few months: USGS Current Conditions for Wyoming_ Streamflow

Edited: Whoops the above link is for streamflow rates. The snowpack % link is in my post below.

That gives our snowpack data. If where you want to fish starts getting to 150% snowpack, the longer our runoff season will be. Like another poster said you do need to be aware of private land. The water rights in Wyoming are much different from Montana. If you own the land up to the river, you own the bottom of the river half way out. So, you can't wade or drop anchor like you can in Montana.

All that said, we have a lot of great water. I would say the timing is going to be most important when considering the mid to northwest part of the state.

 

[AnglerX]

If you are looking at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, Slough Creek and the Lamar River usually fish very well that time of year. You're going to find bigger fish in the Lamar. Slough Creek is a ton of fun and there is a great campground; Slough Creek Campground. You can do a lot of hiking to fishing to the first and second meadows of Slough Creek for some true backcountry fun (bear spray and bear gun highly recommended). I have also had epic hours fishing the creek right in the campground.

There are also a lot of campgrounds on the BLM land of the upper Green River near Daniel Wyoming. Campground 1-4 are going to be the best wade fishing. You do have to pay attention to water levels. If the Green gets below 500cfs and it's hot, you only want to fish in morning and evening.

The link I gave in my previous post is for the streamflow rates. The snowpack rates are here: NRCS/WRDS Snowpack Data

 

[kevind62]

Well, as you can now see from the many suggestions that the best strategy will be to start in the lower SE corner of the state, fish your way north to the MT state line, then back south to the CO state line and continue to zig zag like this until you reach the west side of the state.

Seriously though, you can definitely open a can of worms with a question like this. WY has a ton of fantastic water to fish. Some of it can be a challenge to find and access. It's really a flip of a coin as to where you want to start and end. Any of these suggestions will likely get you in to a great fishing experience. I've learned to just hang a map on the wall, close my eyes, and throw a dart at it and start packing. As noted though, check the run-off and flows. Lots of snow again this year for the region. I was in NW WY and SW MT early last fall and the water was still slightly above normal in lots of places. Still able to wade and fishing was great. Just have to be careful in the bigger waters. Take advantage of the links, books, and info these guys give you. They're invaluable for trip planning. No matter where you decide, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Good luck!!

 

[rangerrich99]

Well, as you can now see from the many suggestions that the best strategy will be to start in the lower SE corner of the state, fish your way north to the MT state line, then back south to the CO state line and continue to zig zag like this until you reach the west side of the state.

Seriously though, you can definitely open a can of worms with a question like this. WY has a ton of fantastic water to fish. Some of it can be a challenge to find and access. It's really a flip of a coin as to where you want to start and end. Any of these suggestions will likely get you in to a great fishing experience. I've learned to just hang a map on the wall, close my eyes, and throw a dart at it and start packing. As noted though, check the run-off and flows. Lots of snow again this year for the region. I was in NW WY and SW MT early last fall and the water was still slightly above normal in lots of places. Still able to wade and fishing was great. Just have to be careful in the bigger waters. Take advantage of the links, books, and info these guys give you. They're invaluable for trip planning. No matter where you decide, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Good luck!!

Mac, Mac, Mac . . .

If you keep telling people how great the fishing is in WY we're going to have choice but to revoke your membership to our little club. Or poke a hole in your boat . . .

 

[Car7x]

The Powder

CR

 

[Joey Bagels]

I hear Colorado and Montana have lots of trout. Better to go there.


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[rodneyshishido]

No matter what, don't go to northwestern Wyoming in the first half of September. It is terrible and should be left to unskilled fishermen like me! HAHA!

 

[Kyo]

MONTANA has the best access, and currently NO sales tax
for when you get thirsty. :lock1:

Just saying . . .