Fishing up here in cowboyland
Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2023 9:00 am
I sure miss the fishing in Southern California, especially the bass fishing. If you live in southwest Wyoming, bass fishing is pretty much not an option, unless you figure out how to target the smallmouth bass in Flaming Gorge (which I have not done, so far). But trout fishing is another story.
The Uinta mountains are about 80 miles away, just over the border in Utah...and that area is trout heaven. Up there, you will find lots of creeks, ponds and reservoirs that hold a variety of trout species. I fished four lakes there during late summer and into fall, and caught rainbows, tiger trout, brook trout and graylings. The fishing is generally very good, people are scarce, and the scenery is gorgeous also. There are no paved roads, and no amenities other than at the Spirit Lake lodge, so you have to be sure to bring everything you need with you as there will be no gas stations or convenience stores with snacks, ice and fishing supplies. Also, no cell reception for the most part. It's a far cry from what I am used to in California.
Moving north, back across the state line, I fished a couple of spots on the Flaming Gorge reservoir. Imagine a lake that is 463 feet deep at the dam (which is in Utah), 91 miles long and has 375 miles of shoreline. I caught a lot of rainbows, a few cutbows and my first lake trout out of there. The mountain lake trout ate typical small offerings, but 13 inch rainbows have no trouble hitting a half ounce Kastmaster at The Gorge. I have only made a couple of attempts to fish for smallmouth bass there, but no success so far. It's hard to figure out where they may be holding, since there almost no cover, and structure as I know it from California, is all but nonexsistant. Still, I'm sure I'll get one sooner or later.
People up here are serious about catching and eating fish. Typically, most folks aren't very concerned about cute little ultralight trout rigs up here. You wanna find two pound test at the local tackle shop? Forget about it. You may find 4 lb., but most people use medium weight gear with heavier line, and I have seen a lot of adults using spincast gear to fish with. That being said, I have also seen a few people fishing their spinning rigs "upside down". I guess they never transitioned comfortably from their spincast gear. The main technique is to set out some folding chairs, toss some live worms and wait. I chose my usual methods of throwing lures, and caught some trout on fly tackle as well. The weather is finally freezing as we had our first bit of snow a couple of days ago. I'm not sure how much fishable weather (besides ice fishing) we will have between now and late next spring, but it has been a fun summer.
And that's all I have to say about that.
The Uinta mountains are about 80 miles away, just over the border in Utah...and that area is trout heaven. Up there, you will find lots of creeks, ponds and reservoirs that hold a variety of trout species. I fished four lakes there during late summer and into fall, and caught rainbows, tiger trout, brook trout and graylings. The fishing is generally very good, people are scarce, and the scenery is gorgeous also. There are no paved roads, and no amenities other than at the Spirit Lake lodge, so you have to be sure to bring everything you need with you as there will be no gas stations or convenience stores with snacks, ice and fishing supplies. Also, no cell reception for the most part. It's a far cry from what I am used to in California.
Moving north, back across the state line, I fished a couple of spots on the Flaming Gorge reservoir. Imagine a lake that is 463 feet deep at the dam (which is in Utah), 91 miles long and has 375 miles of shoreline. I caught a lot of rainbows, a few cutbows and my first lake trout out of there. The mountain lake trout ate typical small offerings, but 13 inch rainbows have no trouble hitting a half ounce Kastmaster at The Gorge. I have only made a couple of attempts to fish for smallmouth bass there, but no success so far. It's hard to figure out where they may be holding, since there almost no cover, and structure as I know it from California, is all but nonexsistant. Still, I'm sure I'll get one sooner or later.
People up here are serious about catching and eating fish. Typically, most folks aren't very concerned about cute little ultralight trout rigs up here. You wanna find two pound test at the local tackle shop? Forget about it. You may find 4 lb., but most people use medium weight gear with heavier line, and I have seen a lot of adults using spincast gear to fish with. That being said, I have also seen a few people fishing their spinning rigs "upside down". I guess they never transitioned comfortably from their spincast gear. The main technique is to set out some folding chairs, toss some live worms and wait. I chose my usual methods of throwing lures, and caught some trout on fly tackle as well. The weather is finally freezing as we had our first bit of snow a couple of days ago. I'm not sure how much fishable weather (besides ice fishing) we will have between now and late next spring, but it has been a fun summer.
And that's all I have to say about that.
