Overview
Wyoming Fly Fishing at its Finest
Owl Creek Flies offers fly fishing adventures and guide trips on the Bighorn River in Thermopolis, Wyoming. We make seasonal forays to the upper Green & New Fork Rivers near Pinedale and the Shoshone River between Cody and Yellowstone National Park.
The Bighorn River begins life as the Wind, flowing ESE out of the mountains of Western Wyoming, through the town of Dubois and the Wind River Indian Reservation. At Riverton the river ... moreabruptly turns North and begins to back up as Boysen Reservoir behind a 220 ft. dam built at the head of the beautiful Wind River Canyon. Emerging from the dam a river once more, the Wind flows through the Owl Creek Mountains, leaving the Wind River Basin.
As the river exits the canyon and spills into the Bighorn Basin, its name is changed to the Big Horn. One river, two names. It is here at Wedding of the Waters where we begin our adventures and float through the town of Thermopolis, home to the world's largest mineral hot springs.
A Dry Fly Paradise
Beginning in March, thick hatches of Midge & Blue Winged Olives bring trout to the surface after a long Winter of eating tiny nymphs. By late June, Tricos appear on the scene and hatch en masse every morning until October. It is common to see pods of rising trout 30 or 40 fish deep, making a flat piece of water look like a riffle. Several species of Caddis are available throughout the summer as well as terrestrials. The Blue Wings will make one more appearance in the Fall after the water has cooled.
3,000 Trout per Mile - Browns, Rainbows & Cutthroat
Fishing nymphs can be productive year-round but is best in late Winter or early Spring before moss becomes an issue. Average sized fish is 16-18 inches with many 20 inches and beyond. Streamer fishing can be hard work on this river, but the rewards often make it worth the effort.
Most fishing is done from the boat, as Wyoming Water Access laws limit anchoring and wading opportunities to certain sections of the river.
We can accommodate anglers of all abilities. All trips include flies (we tie 90% of the flies we use on guided trips), shuttle, terminal tackle, the use of a rod & reel if needed, and lunch on full day trips; half days include water and snacks. We practice catch & release of all Wild Trout.
We are First Aid/CPR Certified, Insured & Permitted Guides.
Fished with Larry and Ray today, just a half day, which is perfect for the amount of fishable water right now. Buffalo Creek is on round 2 of dumping in red mud. It had cleared pretty ... moregood after last week's rains but I guess we got quite a bit of snow up in the Bridgers and with the warm weather the last few days it's got the creek flowing good. River is MUDDY after the red cliffs. But with all that said we had a pretty good day. Hooked about 30 of these.
Lots of break offs today. Fat feisty rainbows on 5x. Baetis nymphs were our best bugs. Saw a few guys out there today throwing streamers only saw one boat get one. Other boats said no good. But it is a good option in the dirty water. Hoping the river clears by the weekend but we are forecast to get a little more rain. So we'll see. River is at 990cfs. And we have a few trips going out next week but still plenty of days available if you're interested. Also the dry fly fishing is still pretty good, at least it was on Tuesday when I went out with Adam. Besides the bwo's we are seeing quite a few caddis and a lot of fish are taking notice and even moving out of their feeding rhythm to eat them. And a minor psa, please respect the property owners' rights... it is private property from the first highway bridge below wedding all the way past buffalo creek and the red cliffs. We don't need this place turning into the reef. Have fun out there!
Date: Thursday, 5 May, 2016
We're now up over 2,000cfs which is a great flow and I'm glad they're making room in the reservoir. Should also help dissipate some of the mud flowing in. We'll keep ya updated.
Date: Saturday, 7 May, 2016
I have been a fly fishing guide for over a decade and have been fortunate enough to guide anglers all over the West - from the major destination rivers in Montana and the coastal steelhead ... morestreams of Washington, to the lesser known waters right here in Wyoming. I am also a fly designer for Solitude Fly Company.
In 2011, Alyssa and I started Anadromy Fly Fishing to showcase our love for steelhead flies and fishing. Our passion soon turned into obsession when we opened the Hoh Humm Fly Shop in the winter of 2013/14. We have since moved our base camp to Thermopolis, Wyoming and now guide here year round.
I've become known as the "quality control" of our fly tying operation, previously known as Anadromy Flies. I have been the woman behind the counter at several fly shops, including ... moreour own Hoh Humm Fly Shop. I do all of our web design and fly photography in house. Neil and I tie thousands of flies each year, stocking three fly shops in the US with specialty patterns and filling fly boxes across North America.
 Josh H  Chris C
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