Wyoming Angling Company

What is Provided:

Wyoming Angling Company provides the following for all outfitting trips: a Wyoming Angling Company licensed and insured professional guide, transportation to and from a central meeting point, drift boat or raft, full shore-side lunch and refreshments, fly-fishing rods and reels, terminal tackle.
Not included: a Wyoming fishing license.

Gear Recommendations:

Each guide will provide Orvis fly-fishing equipment, which guests are welcome to use at no extra cost. Fly Fishing equipment: Primary rods are 5- and 6-wt. rods. 4- and 7-wt. rods may be brought along for specific use. Reels with dependable drag systems and floating lines to match rods.

Clothing:
• Shoe or Sandal that is ok to get wet
• Shorts or quick-dry pants
• Long-sleeved, quick-dry shirt
• Rain jacket and pants
• Sweater/fleece pullover

Accessories:
• Polarized Sunglasses
• Hat
• Camera
• Nippers
• Forceps
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Refillable water bottle

What to Bring (Additional):

Fly fishing is a wonderful way to reconnect with the natural world. Bring a good attitude and an open mind, and the opportunities for a successful day are limitless. Please communicate your expectations with our staff and your guide to help identify your goals and hopes of success for your day on the water.

Season:

Our operating season typically runs from May to October. Early season fishing opportunities run from late March to May, with late season running through November and December. The early and late season options can be a great time to be on the water, and you may find yourself alone with just the fish to keep you company.

Species:

The Snake River cutthroat domain provides a unique fishing adventure that delights local anglers and visitors alike. Few other river systems maintain a healthy, wild, strain of the native trout as does the Snake River and its major tributaries such as Pacific Creek, the Gros Ventre, Hoback, Buffalo, Greys and Salt Rivers. Over a dozen different cutthroat trout subspecies survive in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountain, and Great Basin. Biologists agree, the Snake River cutthroat subspecies rank as the strongest, heartiest, and best-fighting member of this easy to recognize trout family.

Snake River cutthroat’s exuberance for surface feeding is so well documented that dry-fly fishing the Snake River enjoys a storied heritage. Cutthroat spawning activity is monitored by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologists to ensure the continued health of the Snake’s trout population without stocking. Beginning in February and stretching into July, various Snake River cutthroat strains spawn at different times in their natal creeks. The most resilient Snake River subspecies come from the Bar BC spring creek adjacent to the Gros Ventre River—a dominant trout recently propagated in Jackson’s National Fish Hatchery on the National Elk Refuge. The Bar BC cutthroat display amazing growth and acclimation to streams in other parts of Wyoming as well as in North Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Region/Terrain:

Over the rim, south of Jackson, you’ll leave the Columbia River drainage behind to greet the Colorado River tributaries, the Green River and its smaller tributary, the New Fork River. These two trout-rich streams flow from lakes and headwaters in the Wind River Range and meander past wagon ruts created by settlers crossing the Oregon Trail.

The Green River (once known as the Spanish River) was originally called Seeds-ka-dee (or big sage grouse) by the Shoshone. It was well-traveled by explorers and trappers who harvested beaver pelts across the Rocky Mountains. Today, anglers use the same waterways to pursue brown trout, rainbows, and several cutthroat trout subspecies. Sometimes twisting, sometimes barreling motocross-like, these rivers cross high plains and sweeping meadows, a rich ecosystem that provides fish with stoneflies, caddis, grasshoppers, and mayflies.

Further west, the Salt River rises from a spring river near Afton, southwest of Jackson, and provides habitat to both brown and cutthroat trout. The Salt River is enjoyable because of its more intimate surroundings including eagles, waterfowl, and wildlife. Resident river brown trout spawn from October through November, while brown trout from Palisades Reservoir spawn in the Salt from December through January. The Salt River is a wonderful dry-fly fishery. Wyoming Angling Company also has a U.S. Fish and Wildlife permit to guide Flat Creek in the National Elk Refuge. Right outside our hometown of Jackson, Flat Creek is a wonderful spring creek with big fish and amazing views.

Typical Weather:

Summer weather in the Inter-mountain West consists of warm days reaching into the ’80s and cool nights dipping into the ’40s. Weather can move quickly, so it’s always important to bring rain gear in case of summer showers. However, our guides are always well-equipped with plenty of extra foul weather gear. Water temperatures in the summer are cool, comfortable for wet wading. A hat and sunscreen are necessary for protection from the bright sun and the reflection off the water. Spring and fall months can be quite cold in the mornings and warm by the afternoon. You may be even lucky enough to see some snow in our early and late seasons.

You can find all pricing information at: https://wyominganglingcompany.com/wyoming-guided-fly-fishing-rates/

What is the South Fork Skiff?

During the mid-1980s, Paul Bruun and business partner, Ralph Headrick, designed, built and marketed a 14 1/2 ft. low profile, fiberglass drift boat named the South Fork Skiff. Hard bottom, high sided McKenzie and Rogue River-style fiberglass and aluminum drift boats had begun to join the ever-popular inflatable rafts on the Wyoming portion of the Snake in the late 1970s. Drift boats were already popular in Montana and Idaho on such trout chasing favorites as the Madison, Yellowstone, Henry’s and South Forks of the Snake. Such craft were restricted to larger rivers. Shallower, smaller freestone streams such as Wyoming’s Green, New Fork, and Salt River were laced with low ranch bridges, many from flat railroad cars. Low bridge clearance eliminated standard drift boats but allowed aluminum johnboats, small rafts, and the newly introduced low profile style South Fork Skiff fishing boat.

Trip logistics?

Wyoming Angling Company values honest and clear communication. Your guide will be directly in contact with you prior to your trip. This conversation with your guide will allow you to communicate your expectations and give you a sense of the day and current conditions. Transportation, the timing of the day, and meeting can be coordinated more specifically at this time.

Food?

On all trips, our guides will supply a cooler of refreshments and water. Please bring a refillable water bottle in order to eliminate one-time use plastic products. On full-day trips, our guides will provide a full shore lunch with plenty of healthy food choices for our guests. Your guide will be in touch with you prior to your trip to get a sense of food preference and any dietary restrictions.

Gratuity?

We are in the service industry, and our guides work incredibly hard to provide you with a day to meet and exceed your expectations. A customary tip is in the range of 20 percent of the cost of the day.