Winter Grey Reef Fishing Report for the North Platte River Casper, WY – 1/3/18

Conditions:

Water is clear and mostly clean. Hard freezing has broke free more of the summers stalky vegetation but it does NOT effect your fishing. Reef to Lusby is ice free in the afternoons with only a couple sections that have seen some ice up over night. By midday entire stretch is open.

*** Make sure you call before traveling here to float the river on your own. If the wind doesn’t blow after a couple very cold, very calm nights, those stretches sometimes stay locked up. There literally has not been a single other guide service or boat on the river but us so don’t trust every fishing report out there that you read. Putting a driftboat/raft/pontoon on the river when iced over can be extremely dangerous if you aren’t floating with someone who has recent experience on this river.***

Fishing is 10/10:

The fishing is as good as it can possibly get.
What to use: Nymph on the bottom of deep runs/shelfs. Egg patterns are number one on the menu. Literally all you need to catch fish cast after cast.

For the Purists:

midges, scuds, rockworms, and leeches are also producing fish. Fish are still looking up on wind free days sipping midges, so on Lee sides, mornings, evenings, look for noses in flat, slow, skinny water, and you can have stellar dry fly action right now. Streamer action is also incredible! Typical Winter Tans, Whites, olive, and browns are your best color options. Low and slow!

Tip Of The Day:

The key to winter streamer fishing is a very slow and deep retrieve. If it’s not slowly moving near the bottom with the current you may not get a single bump. It doesn’t mean you are using the wrong fly or the fish aren’t eating streamers, it means you aren’t presenting your fly in the right area at the right speed. Follow the contour of the bottom with your streamer and strip set on any resistance ?? It works! Be patient and spend the time to find out how to get to the right depth and the retrieve technique that is triggering strikes. Most takes are extremely subtle!