Fishing in WY

F

Fish

Active Member
Jul 8, 2011
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3
WA State
I'd like to do some fishing on the N and South forks out of Cody and was wondering if mid Aug would be a good time to go ? I drew a few doe antelope tags in area 77 and will fish the Big Horn out of Thermoplis also. Can I expect to have good dry fly action at this time of the year or will it be mostly nymphs under an indicator?

Will I have problems with bears if I camp along the N and S forks of the Shoshone? I'll probably just camp in my truck which has a canopy but I will also take my dome tent. Is the camping free at most of those NF campgrounds?
Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.
 
Prerylyon

Prerylyon

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Apr 25, 2016
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Cedar Rapids, IA
I'll be watching this thread as well; I have a deer doe tag on the east bank of the Bighorn river, in the basin; hoping to come camp/scout for a few days before summer is all done; already my oldest daughter wants to come to do some fly fishing. We were thinking of hitting some smaller waters: Tensleep creek, and the Powder River
 
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wyohunter1

Member
May 5, 2012
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All campgrounds have a cost, most allow only hard sided campers. You can't do any dispersed camping on the North Fork. A lot of the fish on the North Fork migrate back to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir after they spawn. Try up the South Fork on the National Forest for Fishing. The Lower Shoshone is awesome once the water clears up a bit., there is like 6,000 fish per mile below the dam.
 
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Maxhunter

Maxhunter

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Apr 10, 2011
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Wyoming
wyohunter1 said:
All campgrounds have a cost, most allow only hard sided campers. You can't do any dispersed camping on the North Fork. A lot of the fish on the North Fork migrate back to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir after they spawn. Try up the South Fork on the National Forest for Fishing. The Lower Shoshone is awesome once the water clears up a bit., there is like 6,000 fish per mile below the dam.
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Yep, what he said.
 
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kiddwinner

Active Member
Jun 24, 2013
377
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Cody, Wyoming
N and S fork should be fishing awesome, if you can afford a float trip down the N fork Id highly recommend it, fishing chubbies that time of year is my absolute favorite. There are several access spots but usually loaded with people. the reason I say float is most of the fish in the n fork are dropped back into the reservoir at this time and the lower N fork is almost all private. Year there will be a ton of bears. If you want to tent camp just hike into the forest abit and stay out of official camp grounds. Water flows are super high this year but should be dropped down by the time you get there. S fork is all private until you get up to the deer creek trailhead at the very end of the s fork
 
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kiddwinner

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Jun 24, 2013
377
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Cody, Wyoming
Prerylyon said:
I'll be watching this thread as well; I have a deer doe tag on the east bank of the Bighorn river, in the basin; hoping to come camp/scout for a few days before summer is all done; already my oldest daughter wants to come to do some fly fishing. We were thinking of hitting some smaller waters: Tensleep creek, and the Powder River
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Tensleep creek is great for small fish on dry flies but really packed right off the road. A long ways from the N and S fork
 
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Prerylyon

Prerylyon

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Apr 25, 2016
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kiddwinner said:
Tensleep creek is great for small fish on dry flies but really packed right off the road. A long ways from the N and S fork
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I hear ya. Really just looking to line up a smaller stream where I can spend some time teaching my daughter; actually the last 2 summers, when we camped down south in the Sierra Madres and Snowies, I found some high mountain streams coursing through parks, not far from our campsites with beaver ponds that suited perfectly. No one was fishing them. My guess was most guys down that way were focusing on the Platte and Encampment rivers. I haven't camped as much in the Bighorns, so working on getting my bearings up that way.
 
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kiddwinner

Active Member
Jun 24, 2013
377
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Cody, Wyoming
Prerylyon said:
I hear ya. Really just looking to line up a smaller stream where I can spend some time teaching my daughter; actually the last 2 summers, when we camped down south in the Sierra Madres and Snowies, I found some high mountain streams coursing through parks, not far from our campsites with beaver ponds that suited perfectly. No one was fishing them. My guess was most guys down that way were focusing on the Platte and Encampment rivers. I haven't camped as much in the Bighorns, so working on getting my bearings up that way.
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Try the North Tongue River up hwy 14, its one of the few Blue Ribbon waters in WY and perfect for what you want to do!
 
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F

Fish

Active Member
Jul 8, 2011
319
3
WA State
Thanks guys for all the great info.

I can't afford a float trip but I did book a 1/2 day walk and wade trip on the south fork on a private ranch. They had the best price but I'll have to pay the full price as I'm fishing by myself. I figure a little one on one will help my lack of stream fishing skills. I have fly fished a lot in lakes but the stream fishing here in WA sucks.

I'll fish the N. and S. forks for a few days then maybe the Graybull if i can get on some private, then over to Thermoplis and the Big Horn river and doe antelope hunting . Plan to spend two weeks car camping and exploring.
I've hunted region F a few years back so I'm a little familiar with the Cody area. I hope by the time I get there the rivers will be down even more.
Can I carry a hand gun in my truck in WY as long as I don't carry it concealed or on me? Too many dicks out there and my rifle in a hard case is about useless

Bob
 
F

Fish

Active Member
Jul 8, 2011
319
3
WA State
Got back from fishing both the N & S forks of the Shoshone for two weeks. I had a great time and caught some fish. Not many hatches happening during the day but I was able to scratch a few fish during the day with a hopper / dropper setup. The best fishing was during the early evening until dark. I camped on BLM land on the S fork and at the big game campground along the N. Fork. I went through Yellowstone park on my way back to Seattle. I've been there 15 years ago but I need to go back to see it again but fore I check out. I never got to fish the gray bull or the big horn rivers but will be going back in early Oct to help a friend with his deer hunt around Cody. He's renting a house in Cody and I'll be able to stay there and hopefully fish the tail water coming out of the Buffalo Bill Res
Thanks again guys for all the helpful info

Bob
 
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