The North Platte River in Central Wyoming is fishing as well as any of us can remember and it continues to get better everyday. You’d be hard pressed to find a river in the lower 48 fishing as well for numbers of fish and size of fish right now. Whether you are floating or wading, it is pretty hard not to have a banner day (even if you have never fished the North Platte River). Come get it while the fishing is lights out!

Be sure to give us a call about guided trips and availability on the world renounced N. Platte Grey Reef, Miracle Mile & Fremont this Spring!720-851-4665

Also check out our N. Platte Trip Planner
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Last Week of April  North Platte River Updated Fishing Conditions

Fishing and weather continues to be good to excellent on all the tailwater stretches of the N. Platte and the streamer bite is picking up on Grey Reef, Fremont and it continues to be hot on the Mile.  We floated Seachrest to Bessemer this week and picked up a nice brown in the Canyon section before the bend.

If your plan is to nymph, thinks have gotten slightly more “technical” as the N. Platte goes.  Eggs, worms & leeches are picking up the smaller fish but the bigger (smarter) fish are keying in on the bugs.  Midges early and late BWO nymphs in the mid-day.  That applies to all three tailwater sections.  Pretty much my rigs are as follows in all three sections.

 

Grey Reef

• 9′ 3x leader, Medium size thing-a-ma-bobber  (4-6ft indicator to weight on average)
• One BB & One  #1 split shot above a clinch not to 10″ 3x tippet
• Point Fly: #14 red annelid, #12 rusty pine squirrel leach, or 6mm troutbead on 12″ 3-4x
• Middle Fly: #16 red annelid, #18 black beauty emerger, tungsten zebra midge
• Trailer fly: 18 tungsten jujubeatis, #20 flashback RS2 on 12″ 4x

Miracle Mile

• 9-10′  2x leader, thing-a-ma-bobber (6-9ft indicator to weight)
• One AB & One BB split Shot above a clinch not to 10″ 2x tippet
• Point Fly: 6-8MM troutbead
• Middle Fly #6-10 rubberlegs on 12″  2x (sometimes they like the big one sometimes it’s the small one)
• Trailer Fly: #18 soft hackle PT, #18 flashtail San Juan, #10 Rusty Pine Squirrel Leach
• Note: TONS of walleye being caught by the inlet to pathfinder at Chalk Bluffs.  We’ve nymphed up two.  One ate an egg the other ate a rubber legs.   Put ’em in the cooler!

Fremont Canyon

• 7.5 ft. 4x leader yarn or pinch on indicators 3-5″ indicator to weight)
• 2-3 #1 dinsmore split shot
• Point Fly: 6mm troutbead or #14-16 annelid on 4x
• Middle Fly: #18-20 tungsten Jujubaetis, #18-20 Tungsten zebra midge (red or black)
• Trailer Fly: #20 Loopwing emerger, #18-20 black beauty emerger, #18-20 Red Jujubee

Streamers: Intruders in all colors still getting the job done in all three sections

NOTE: Spoke with one of the guys from the dams today, flows are expected to go up next week.  He said it was a safe bet that be this time next week we will have 1,000-1,500 on Grey Reef, 2,000 on the Mile & 500CFS in Fremont.  We will keep you posted!

*****

500 CFS below Grey Reef, 2,000 on the Miracle Mile & 75 CFS in Fremont canyon makes for the perfect wade fishing conditions throughout the entire N. Platte tailwater system. If you are nymphing, you are going to eventually get bored of catching fish. After 30 or so fish, challenge yourself to try something new. Cast and strip a streamer or swing a fly and you will be handsomely rewarded!

The streamer bite has been equally hot in Fremont,  Grey Reef & The Mile all April.  Streamers are a great way to weed out the 16-20″ juveniles and find those 21″ and up fish.  Nothing beats the feel of a big Wyoming brown or rainbow (hardest fighting fish anywhere) smashing a streamer and going absolutely berserk on a wild steelhead type run.

Gearing Up for the North Platte

Minturn Anglers is your Denver area authority on fishing the N. Platte in Central WY.  We are on the river everyday and are more than happy to help you get set up and send you in the right direction so that you can make the most out of your trip! Give us a call at 720-851-4665 or swing by the shop.

Also check out our N. Platte Trip Planner with a checklist of things to have for Grey Reef, Fremont Canyon & The Miracle Mile!

See Other North Platte Fishing Reports