The water
North Platte River — Grey Reef
Below Grey Reef Dam southwest of Casper, the North Platte is Wyoming's most productive trout tailwater, dense with rainbows plus browns and cutthroat. It fishes year-round, with the standout windows in March through May before runoff and again September through November for streamers and Blue-winged Olives. Midges and Baetis dominate the cold months; PMDs, caddis, and heavy hopper fishing carry the summer, with scuds, sowbugs, and worms as the everyday tailwater menu. Public access is extensive — BLM and state lands, established boat ramps, and walk-in areas along county roads — though most anglers float the reef reaches. Sections carry special regulations; check current Wyoming Game and Fish rules. Full Grey Reef guide
North Platte River — Miracle Mile
Between Pathfinder and Seminoe reservoirs northwest of Alcova, the Miracle Mile is a short tailwater corridor managed for large rainbows, browns, and cutthroat. It is fishable twelve months a year, best in spring and fall when moderate flows put big fish on nymphs and streamers; summer adds hopper fishing. Midges and Baetis handle the cooler months, caddis and PMDs the late spring and summer, and leech and baitfish patterns make streamer fishing a staple here rather than a change-up. Access is rugged but generally good — BLM land and roads reach multiple informal put-ins and wade spots along the corridor. Limits and gear rules can change; verify current Miracle Mile regulations before fishing.
Snake River
Through Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, the Snake is the home water of the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat, with mountain whitefish alongside. The season starts in earnest in mid-July once runoff drops, and runs through September on stoneflies, caddis, mayflies, and — the river's signature — large attractor dries and hopper patterns that these cutthroat rise to willingly. Late September into October favors streamers for larger fish. Access is as good as Western freestones get: Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, and numerous public ramps and pullouts around Jackson support both float and wade fishing. Regulations protect the native cutthroat population, and park rules differ from state rules — review both.
Green River
The Green offers two different fisheries in one drainage. The upper freestone reaches near Pinedale fish from late June through September after runoff, with hopper, beetle, ant, and attractor dry fishing at its best in midsummer for browns, rainbows, and cutthroat. Below Fontenelle Reservoir, the tailwater section favors nymph rigs and sculpin patterns in the cooler months and produces larger fish for anglers willing to work subsurface. Access is good in both zones — public land and bridge crossings near Pinedale, then BLM lands, campgrounds, and long public reaches downstream through Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge below the dam. Limits and special rules vary by reach, particularly around Seedskadee and the tailwater.
Bighorn River
Below Boysen Dam near Thermopolis, Wyoming's Bighorn is a stable, fertile tailwater with Blue Ribbon sections holding rainbows, browns, and Yellowstone cutthroat, plus smallmouth and other warmwater species in the lower reaches. Late spring and summer fish consistently on heavy midge and Baetis hatches, PMDs, Tricos, and caddis, with hoppers along the banks in late summer; scuds, sowbugs, and worms produce year-round. Fall brings excellent streamer fishing for big browns and rainbows. Access clusters around Thermopolis — state parks, boat ramps, and public lands downstream — with most anglers floating between put-ins and wading from access points. Check current harvest limits and special rules.
Salt River
The Salt winds through Star Valley near the Idaho border, a meadow freestone holding cutthroat, browns, and rainbows. July through early October is the season, once runoff subsides; strong evening hatches and daytime terrestrial fishing define the summer, and late summer into early fall is the best dry-fly stretch. Caddis, mayflies, and midges make up the hatch calendar, supplemented by hopper and ant fishing that delivers classic Western surface action. Access takes some attention: public pullouts, bridges, and scattered public parcels are interspersed with private ranchland, so watch the signs. Standard statewide trout regulations generally apply, with local restrictions possible on specific reaches.
Flat Creek
Flat Creek, on the National Elk Refuge just northeast of Jackson, is Wyoming's most technical piece of public water — a meandering meadow spring creek where Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat sip tiny flies in glassy currents. It is open only August 1 through October 31 and restricted to artificial flies only. Late summer and early fall sight-fishing is the whole game: match small Blue-winged Olives, Tricos, and midges, or crawl a low-profile terrestrial past a wary fish. Access is walk-in from designated refuge parking, wading the meadow channel under refuge foot-travel rules. Bring long leaders and modest expectations; this creek humbles good anglers, which is exactly its appeal.
Gros Ventre River
East of Jackson, the Gros Ventre flows out of its namesake wilderness toward Jackson Hole, carrying cutthroat, brook trout, and browns with far less pressure than the Snake a few miles away. July through October is the season, after snowmelt recedes; late summer and early fall bring clear water, good hatches, and productive hopper and attractor fishing. The hatch mix is standard high-country freestone — stoneflies, caddis, and mayflies — with small streamers moving larger browns in fall. Bridger-Teton National Forest campgrounds and trailheads along the Gros Ventre Road provide plentiful walk-and-wade access. Standard regulations generally apply, but confirm rules for wilderness and park-adjacent segments.
Seasons at a glance
| Window | Where the fishing is |
|---|---|
| March–May | Grey Reef and Miracle Mile pre-runoff — midges, Baetis, big rainbows; Bighorn nymphing |
| June | Runoff on the freestones; tailwaters keep producing; upper Green comes into shape late in the month |
| Mid-July–September | The prime statewide window — Snake, Salt, Gros Ventre, and upper Green dry-fly and hopper fishing; Flat Creek opens August 1 |
| September–November | Fall streamers for big browns on the Bighorn, Grey Reef, and Miracle Mile; BWOs everywhere; Flat Creek through October 31 |
| December–February | Tailwaters only — midge fishing on the North Platte and Bighorn |
Beyond trout
Wyoming has no salt, but the warmwater options are better than its reputation suggests. The lower Bighorn below Thermopolis holds smallmouth bass and other warmwater species, and reservoirs like Flaming Gorge support warmwater fish that eat streamers and baitfish patterns — a worthwhile change of pace when the trout water is crowded or blown out.
Licenses and regulations
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department manages the state's fisheries. Residents and nonresidents age 14 and older need a valid Wyoming fishing license, sold in daily and annual formats, and most license holders also need a conservation stamp. Wyoming does not use a standard trout stamp, but special rules apply on many waters — the Flat Creek season and flies-only rule, native cutthroat protections on the Snake, and reach-specific limits on the North Platte and Green are noted above, and national park waters carry their own regulations. Rules change annually; confirm details with Wyoming Game and Fish before your trip.
What's changing
Wyoming's 2025 regulations brought only minor adjustments — most notably reduced creel limits on portions of the Green River above Fontenelle — with no new dams, major habitat projects, or stocking changes affecting access. Whirling-disease detections have prompted extra boot-cleaning stations at popular trailheads, so clean and dry wading gear between drainages. Anglers are also reporting lingering effects of the record 2024 runoff on spring hatches in the Snake, Green, and Wind drainages.
Where to start
For a single weekend, the answer depends on the month. From mid-July through September, base in Jackson: float the Snake for fine-spotted cutthroat on attractor dries one day, then walk Flat Creek (after August 1) or the Gros Ventre the next — three distinct fisheries within thirty minutes of town. In April, October, or anything colder, go to Casper instead and fish Grey Reef and the Miracle Mile, where the state's biggest concentrations of large trout eat all winter.
Neighboring states worth a look: