2009 Rockies Fishing Reports

[Wysplit_ride]

Grey Reef-April 10th-Super fun and nice day. Everyone had the same idea that we did for fishing (30-40 boats on the water), but we were still able to land a few. Water was a little cloudy, PBR's went down fine, and no wind. What else can you ask for?

Nick the Czar in the Jolly Green Giant:


Wysplit_ride getting in on the action:

[igBand]

^^^^ Looks like a great day! ^^^^

I got out on the Gallatin yesterday afternoon. Spent the first three hours very frustrated. Around 5:15 it was as if someone flipped a light switch. 30 minutes of some very active fishing with one gorgeous 18" brown. Red and pink midges and king princes were doing the trick. At 5:45, it ended as abruptly as it it began and things totally shut down.

[schwerty]

Glad you guys had a successful trip over to the Reef!

It's been hot around here too!

[teleee]

So I am headed to Big Wonderful for work Thursday and Friday, I have the option of either spending the night in Pinedale or Lander Thursday night. I would like to haul the fly gear with me and do some late afternoon/early evening fishing. Anybody have thoughts or sugestions on what i should be hitting?
Grassy-ass!

[72Twenty]

So I am headed to Big Wonderful for work Thursday and Friday, I have the option of either spending the night in Pinedale or Lander Thursday night. I would like to haul the fly gear with me and do some late afternoon/early evening fishing. Anybody have thoughts or sugestions on what i should be hitting?
Grassy-ass!

PM Wysplit_ride (see his post above). He is an old friend of mine and lives in Lander. I'm sure he would love to hit the river with you... Popo Agie might be good right now, but I haven't been up there in a while.

[72Twenty]

Isn't it funny how nice and warm it feels to fish when the temperatures are in the high 30's and the sun is out, after the kind of weather we have had in the last few weeks?

[schwerty]

Fishing on the Snake was ridiculous this weekend.

[tone capone]

Jesus, God, those are some hogs!

[schwerty]

Float fished the Snake here in JH yesterday. It was a gorgeous day but a bit breezy in the afternoon. Due to warm evening temps the water was up a little but still in excellent shape. There was an unbelievable number of boats on the river. Plenty of waders too. We didn't fish very hard but I'd rate the fishing as so-so. Standard attractor and stone nymph patterns were OK and streamer fishing was decent despite the sunshine. Cutts were into a twitched dead drift...go figure.

Looks like we will get some cooler, rainy weather by Wednesday, delaying the first big push of water. It's not too far off either way though. The Hoback was toast on Saturday. Prolly a done deal even if we get a cold spell???

South fork is up to 14,700.

[72Twenty]

In four days I will be on the N. Platte (Reef/Casper area).

Stoked.

[Donkey Punch]

Made it out to a couple local ponds this evening. It was over 70 today so we figured they would be warming up and that the Bass and pan fish would be biting. We where kind of right. I managed to land 5 fish. 2 small large mouth bass, and 3 crappie. All but one took a dry fly which was cool to get some dry action in. We will definitely be going back as the weather keeps getting warmer and the rivers shut off for run off.

[Ksyrium]

72twenty was out on grey reef this afternoon. Hooked one on a pink scud, but she or my shitty technique snapped my tippet. saw a bunch feeding off what i was stirring up. will be out for sure later this week, hoping to finally net one before heading back east. ill be sure to post up any info i think is pertinent.

[72Twenty]

72twenty was out on grey reef this afternoon. Hooked one on a pink scud, but she or my shitty technique snapped my tippet. saw a bunch feeding off what i was stirring up. will be out for sure later this week, hoping to finally net one before heading back east. ill be sure to post up any info i think is pertinent.

Is the water relatively clear? Or is it starting to get murky?

Cheers!

[neckdeep]

Huge march browns(#10-12)on the water brought up otherwise indifferent fish into a brief window of dry fly action. Fish ignored plentiful mothers day caddis and bwos. The day started dark and rainy with lots of big (#14) caddis ovipositing and absolutely zilch going on fishwise. Did not see a single rise for three hours. Caught a 19" bow prospecting rockpiles with a streamer, missed a few more. Midafternoon an ass-whooping sleetstorm drove off all the competition and fired up the hatch of bwos and browns, the fish came to the surface; sun came out on the back side of the storm and the march browns immediatley stopped hatching and the rising and the catching pretty much fizzled along with the cloud cover. All in all, it only lasted 40 minutes. Scattered risers worked the remaining bwos, but what a let down.

[72Twenty]

Fremont Canyon (N. Platte, Central Wyoming) is really fishing well (see my TR). The water will only stay clear for another few weeks, from what I understand. Productive flies were:

Hare's Ear
Pheasant Tails
Eggs
Rock Worms
SJ Worms
(all on the smaller end of the spectrum)

Dries: Blue Winged Olives

I was fishing a two-fly set up most of the day with only about 4 feet from my indicator to the bottom fly. I didn't feel like messing with a three-fly set up as the two flies were doing well. I mostly stuck with the hare's ear and the egg; egg was the most productive and the hare's ear was a close second.

If any of you guys are interested in this area and are not familiar with it, I can share some info via PM's or email.

[adipose]

The area lakes are starting to produce.

[neckdeep]

Mother's Day caddis are producing true carpet hatches now...peak of the hatch was simply way too thick to fish; bugs were forming rafts. Your fly is only one among thousands before the fish's eyes and it is gulping a dozen at a time in mating clusters. Always an awesome spectacle to witness, however, and fishing was good on a march brown emergence before the caddis hatch. Storms chased us off too damn early, too much wind to be able to work the caddis hatch effectively. Of course, after putting the tarp on the boat and stripping the wading gear off, the wind dropped at 5pm and I'm sure the last man standing out there absolutely slayed'em.

[schwerty]

Mother's Day caddis are producing true carpet hatches now...peak of the hatch was simply way too thick to fish; bugs were forming rafts. Your fly is only one among thousands before the fish's eyes and it is gulping a dozen at a time in mating clusters. Always an awesome spectacle to witness, however, and fishing was good on a march brown emergence before the caddis hatch. Storms chased us off too damn early, too much wind to be able to work the caddis hatch effectively. Of course, after putting the tarp on the boat and stripping the wading gear off, the wind dropped at 5pm and I'm sure the last man standing out there absolutely slayed'em.

Crazy site to see the bug rafts. I'm hanging in sunny AZ....can't wait to wet the line when I return. Bassin' is good down here now. So is the golfing and drinking.

[neckdeep]

This can't last much longer. Sometime soon the snowpack will unlock (Tetons just got another inch of water) and it is going to be as big or bigger than last year. Still over 100 inches at 9000 feet! The freestones probably wont clear till the 4th of July. Henry's will probably be running over 4000cfs or higher for the stonefly hatches, which used to be normal according to the old-timers. Its been mellow but the crowds are coming once the Snake blows out and the weather nices up a little.

I expect to spend two to three weeks angling for morels until the Henry's Lake opener gives us a good stillwater.

[MakersTeleMark]

Floated from Cottonwood to Dotsero yesterday. Complete red cocoa, windy, fast flows = skunked.

[72Twenty]

The area lakes are starting to produce.

What kinda bugs are workin' for ya in the stillwater?

[Wysplit_ride]

NICE ADIPOSE! You are from Riverton eh? Good to see some Fremont County representin' yo! Would be cool to hook up sometime for fishing. Looks like you know where to go.

Speaking of area lakes and the reservation, we headed out on Saturday morning to test the new 14' aluminum Salomindae Slayer, but only landed one little dink on a wooly bugger. From what I hear 10 pound cutties are not uncommon in this area. We didn't get into any unfortunately.

Great Reservation Views:


The first trout caught from the new boat:


Wysplit with that "skunked" look on his face. Happy to be out though:

[schwerty]

The res. lakes should really start heating up. Good to see you boys are gettin after it! I'll need to make it up one of these weekends.

[neckdeep]

Henry's is going to shit...up to 3200 cfs and coloring up. Here comes the runoff.

[schwerty]

Henry's is going to shit...up to 3200 cfs and coloring up. Here comes the runoff.

Come on over to fish Jenny and Lewis. Should be iced off shortly.