It was 7a on Monday when I pulled into Brian’s driveway. An early start to the day. Our destination was Wyoming – the Cowboy State. It was raining – another spring storm had developed the night before and we were expecting more rain and snow in the higher elevations during the 4 ½ hour drive north to Alcova, Wyoming.
A view of the Alcova Reservoir.
The route took us north on I25 to Fort Collins – then northwest on US 247 into Wyoming. From there it was a straight shot northwest on WY 487 to Alcova which is about 20 miles southwest of Cody. We passed only 3 towns between the Wyoming state line and Alcova. Larimer was the largest- but it was still a small town. The others were Rock River and Medicine Bow – each with a population of less than 300.
Wyoming covers almost 98,000 square miles. It’s a big state. The 10th largest in the US. It’s also the least populated state of the contiguous states– with only 569,013 inhabitants (as the of 2021 census). It has rugged beauty. Most of the eastern part of the state – where we were – is a high plain with little or no trees. I think the wind blows too hard for trees to survive! There are some interesting formations that seem to pop up out of the vast plain – then just as quickly they're swallowed back up by it.
You get a feeling of being away from it all. And you are! I was saying to myself along the way "I could get used to this".
When looking at Alcova on the map – it looks like a small town. When we got there we quickly realized it was not even. The population of Alcova is 76 – as of 2010. There is a general store/gas station/fly shop, a bar (reportedly with very cold beer and great hamburgers), a fly shop that also has some newer style cabins and an RV park.
This is not a fancy place. But what’s important about Alcova is it sits on the banks of the Grey Reef Reservoir – commonly known as the Back Bay. And we were here to fish.
The Grey Reef Reservoir (AKA the Back Bay).
The North Platte River is formed in the fourteen thousand foot mountains of Jackson County, Colorado and flows north into Wyoming. At Casper it begins to flow southeast and into Nebraska where it meets the South Platte River to form the Platte River in -appropriately named - Platte, Nebraska. The North Platte River is dammed quite a bit in the Alcova area. There are four dams within about an hours drive of Alcova that provide an excellent environment for fish to thrive. This part of the North Platte is referred to as the Grey Reef and is widely regarded as the best trout fishery in the lower 48.
According to information on the Reef Fly Shop web site, they say "the most popular sections of Grey Reef exist on the upper 13 miles, there are actually 83 miles of highly productive trout water in the Grey Reef system". This is in reference to the North Platte starting below the Grey Reef Reservoir. Besides the Grey Reef there is the Back Bay, Fremont Canyon, and another section called the Miracle Mile. The only section we wouldn't get to try on this trip is the Miracle Mile. It's on our list for the next visit.
All of the sections of the river mentioned are renown for large trout. Brown Trout, Rainbows, and Cutbows in the 22” to +30” range. That was the appeal and that’s what we were after. Trophies.
We also wanted to compare this fishery with our home waters of the South Platte River (which is renown in it’s own right). And to see how our fishing expertise – or lack thereof – would stack up in new and different water.
We had a total of four days of fishing on our itinerary. Monday afternoon we would fish below the Alcova Reservoir in the Back Bay. The second day we hired a guide to provide a float trip on the North Platte River. The third day we would wade fish in the Fremont Canyon which is below the Pathfinder Reservoir and the fourth day we would wade fish the river below the Grey Reef Reservoir.
The Warm-up
Day 1 - May 3, 2021
Grey Reef Reservoir (the Back Bay below Alova Dam)
Flows: 450 cfs.
Water Temp: 44F
Water clarity: 3” – off color.
Air Temp: 46 @ 11:30p, 48 @ 5p.
Hatches: BWO – 12:30p to 3:00p. Midge – 12:30p to 5p, heavy after 3p.
Flies: #18 Sawyer Pheasant Tail, #18 Flashback Black RS2, #16 Red Copper John, #18 Olive Foamback Emerger, #18 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2, #18 Mercury Beatis, #18 Stulcup Beatis, #18 Hare’s Ear, #14 Impaler, #20 Black Pheasant Tail, #20 Purple Bubble Top Zebra Midge,
Top producers: Stalcup Beatis, Sparkle Dun, Black RS2, Impaler, Black Pheasant Tail.
We arrived at the river bank in Alcova at about 11:30a. Right on time.
I’ve been asking around to get some advise at the local fly shops back home in Colorado from anyone who had fished this water. Jason at the Minturn Anglers recommended to start at the boat launch area in Alcova – so that’s where we went. As we scouted the water it appeared that there was a channel running near the opposite bank that would hold fish. The near side was flat and shallow. And there were several fishermen fishing the other side. So we decided to drive across the bridge and start over there. The bridge crossed the Grey Reef Reservoir very close to the dam.
Another view of the Grey Reef Reservoir.
As we were gearing up we met a guy from Colorado – Tim - who had fished this water on several occasions. We naturally asked him about a thousand questions and he was happy to share advice. He recommended a place to start that he said is known to hold fish and noted that the fish were hitting #18 grey or olive RS2s.
The place Tim recommended was a point that jutted out into the water downstream from the bridge. Brian had his rig already set up and was quickly in the water fishing as I was tying on my flies and getting ready. And wouldn’t you know it – he had a fish on before I was done!
It didn't take long for Brian to hook one up!
It was a nice one too. You could tell by the bend of the rod and the effort he was exerting. After a fight that seemed to be five minutes – it could have been more – Brian had the first fish of our trip in the net. And yes it was a nice size fish about 20”.
Not even 15 minutes and Brian has one in the net.
That’s what I’m talking about!
Brian proudly showing the first fish of our trip. A nice 20" rainbow.
There were midges and BWO hatching and they were both pretty thick. We pumped the stomach of the fish that Brian caught and were surprised to find small midges. We were told by everyone we talked to that the midges and BWOs would be larger than what we were used to seeing in Colorado. But they weren’t in this fish.
Once I got everything together, I started out on the upstream side of the point. The water was shallow until about 15” from the bank – where it quickly dropped off. My thought was the fish would probably be holding just off the drop off and that’s where I casted my flies. You couldn’t see into the water after the drop off – and I couldn’t spot any fish.
My first - and my largest - fish of the day. This one is about 21" and weighed in the 5 to 6 lb range.
Tim was about 300 yards or so downstream from us with three other guys. We saw them land a few fish while we fished our spot. After a while they left and we were thinking of heading that way. I was now on the downstream side of the point while Brian was fishing the shallow water on the point. I was a bit confused and asked him if he was casting to fish. He said he could see a couple of fish in the shallow water before the drop off but couldn’t get them to take and asked if I wanted to give it a try.
A 19" rainbow.
The answer to that was yes!
I spotted them too – and they were nice size. As I began to fish to them Brian said he was going to head downstream to Tim’s spot. I told him I would follow in a bit – but wanted to see if I could get one of these fish to hit first.
A 20" bull rainbow.
Not long after Brian left I had one of them hooked up. After fighting him with considerable effort – I netted him. A 21” rainbow. I looked to see if Brian was within shouting distance, but I couldn’t locate him. He must have been on the bank somewhere between me and Tim’s spot downstream.
After releasing that fish, several more showed up. They were all within 4’ to 15’ from the bank in the shallow water feeding on BWOs that were hatching and floating in the seams flowing near the bank. And they all looked like they were in the +20” range.
Later in the day they were keying on the Grey Sparkle Wing RS2.
I was able to get another one - this one about 20”. Meanwhile Brian was able to land one in his new spot. It was in the 20” range too. After I landed my third fish – in the +20” range – I called out to Brian to come back up. The fish were now congregating in the shallows and there were a lot of them.
I got one of the fish on a #18 Stalcup Beatis and the other on a #18 Black Flashback RS2. I continued to fish to the pod of rainbows but they were now ignoring my flies. So I switched to a #18 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2 and quickly hooked up a few more fish. One of the things I’ve begun to doubt was that the color of the fly really mattered. But after this experience I’m now convinced that it does. Meanwhile, Brian was getting his fish on an Red Impaler (a rock worm imitation) and a Pheasant Tail.
This one took the Stalcup.
We ended up hooking up and landing several fish – all between 19” and 22”. And these fish were built – all of them. They were thick with a wide girth and gave you one hell of a fight. Just what we were looking for.
It was getting to be about 5p and we still hadn’t checked into to our cabin, and we had a big day ahead of us tomorrow.
Our warm-up complete - we headed to the car.
A great start to our trip.
The Float Trip
Day 2 - May 4, 2021
Grey Reef (Sechrist to Speck/Bessemer Bend)
Flows: 450 cfs.
Water Temp: DNM
Water clarity: 3” – off color.
Air Temp: 41 @ 8a, 47 @ 5p.
Hatches: BWO – 9a to 5p, heavy after 1:30p storm. Midge – 9a to 6p.
Flies: #8 Glow Egg, #8 Chartreuse Egg, #18 Barr Emerger, #10 Brown Pine Squirrel Leech, #10 Black Pine Squirrel Leech, #8 Mayhem.
Top producers: Leech (black & brown), Egg (both colors), Barr Emerger.
A river scene on the Grey Reef in late afternoon.
We met at the fly shop at 8a. We were early – the plan was to meet at 8:30a. Our cabin was located about 200 yards from the fly shop and after we woke up and got ourselves together there was nothing else to do. So we thought we’d head over and check the place out.
Our guide was there early too. We introduced ourselves and chatted about what we wanted to accomplish on the float trip. My input was that we wanted to catch big fish. This is what this place is noted for and Brian and I catch fish every week. Let’s go after trophies. With that he recommended we put-in at Sechrist and float to Speck/Bessemer Bend.
Just upstream from our put-in. (The run just visible on the middle-left was productive).
This is new water for us – so we didn’t have a preference and if he thought trophies were to be found on that stretch of the river then we were all for it. This section is referred to as the "Middle Section" of the Grey Reef. It’s about midway between Alcova and Casper. The latest fishing reports said fishing has been lights out all the way from Alcova to Casper and beyond.
My 1st fish of the day. Got her on my first cast!
I was looking forward to this leg of our trip and I’m sure Brian was too. According to Landon Mayer – a noted author and fly fisherman - they count the fish in pounds on the Grey Reef. The fish are big in this water!
This would be Brian’s first float trip and first time with a guide. I’ve floated about six or seven times in the past and have been on numerous guided trips. Some rivers are more conducive to floats – they are usually bigger rivers that make wading difficult. This was one of those rivers.
Here's Brian with one of his first fish - another nice female rainbow.
There are other advantages to floating. One is that you can cover more water. And since this was our first time on the Grey Reef (not counting yesterday on the Back Bay) we wanted to cover as much water as possible so we could get familiar with the place. Another one is you can usually float into private water but you can’t wade into it. Most of the time the rules are if it’s private water you can float through it but you can’t walk on the riverbed or drop anchor on it either.
There's what looks like an old log cabin encampment on the bank behind the trees.
So after signing our waivers and settling up we got into the guides truck and rode up to the put-in. The float time put-in to take-out is listed at two hours and twenty minutes and covers 6 ½ miles. That is if you float straight through. I’ve never been on a float trip that floated straight through. The guide will usually hit a several runs or holes that are producing at least a few times. This means going through the run or hole – then rowing back upstream and floating through it again to give it another go.
Our trip took 11 hours! More on that later.
Brian and I were standing next to the boat while the guide parked his truck and we noticed a nice run just upstream from us. It looked fishy and we were wondering if we’d hit that one first. As we continued to wait, another boat went through it with one fisherman – and they didn’t get any hits and continued downstream.
Once in the boat and ready to go we asked the guide if we were going to hit that run and were happy to hear we were. So after the guide tied on our flies - which took a considerable amount of time – he rowed us into position. Brian was in the front and I was in the back. On my first cast I had a fish on! That was very encouraging. It was a nice 19” or so rainbow. The guide didn’t have any markings on his net or anything else to get an accurate measurement so all of our sizes for this day are estimates.
After releasing that fish we went back through – and I had another one on. Wow! We ended up going through that run about six or seven times and we netted about five fish out of it.
A brightly colored rainbow.
As we continued downstream there were a lot of holes, runs and pools that were holding fish. Between us we ended up netting about 25 fish. Not bad – numbers wise. In pounds I would guess about 50 lbs. Towards the end of the float I got into a nice rainbow and our guess was that he was in the 21” – 22” range. That was the biggest fish of the day – we think!
The weather held out most of the day. It was cold though. Colder than forecasted and I was a little underdressed. Just after 1p Brian mentioned that at least it hasn’t rained on us. And wouldn’t you know it – by 1:30p we were in the middle of a pretty nice rainstorm. Then it changed to sleet/snow.
We were hitting that run just before the storm.
We hit a dry spell before the rain/sleet/snow storm and right after it – the fishing picked up. The change in the air pressure seemed to have an adverse effect before the storm. As happens a lot of times – there was a nice BWOs hatch after the storm. I’m sure that enticed the fish to start hitting and maybe the reverse change in the air pressure did too.
Brian hooked this one up just after the storm passed through,
When fishing with a guide I’m always hopeful to learn something. Pick up a little nugget of advice that will help me improve. I also look forward to trying out new gear. Maybe a rod/reel combo that I might want to purchase in the future based on my experience on the trip or just see how it compares to mine. Unfortunately on this trip we really didn’t learn too much and the gear was not up to the standards that Brian and I fish with.
The guide was a young man about 25 years old and had only been guiding about 1 year and he had to purchase his gear. Evidently without much time under his belt he couldn’t afford topnotch stuff. So this was somewhat disappointing. But he seemed to know where the fish were holding and he did an excellent job of rowing.
One of the bigger ones of the day. In the +20" range.
Word of advise. Ask more questions and be more specific regarding what you want out of the trip and the guide.
I called this one. It was a lucky guess. Just thought a brownie would be lurking in the run next to the bank - and sure enough - he was.
I would have to give him an "A" for effort though. He was willing to stay on the river much longer than I would have expected. Way more. As the day wore on – he asked what time we wanted to quit. I deferred to Brian who responded that later in the day would be OK. I’m sure Brian didn’t expect that we’d take-out at 8p!
Biggest fish of the day. We're guessing about 22".
All told we about netted 25 fish. I would say the average size was between 17” and 20” – with a few over 20”. A good day.
A river scene near the take-out. (Notice a deer in center wading to the other side).
Still, this experience left me wanting. Neither of us got the trophy we were hoping for!
Fly Fishing Nirvana
Day 3 – May 5, 2021
Fremont Canyon (Below the bridge)
A view of the canyon as we drove to the meadows.
Flows: 72 cfs.
Water Temp: 44F
Water clarity: Crystal clear - about 6' to 8'
Air Temp: 52 @ 8a, 65 @ 5p.
Hatches: Consistent BWO – 8a to 5p. Midge – 8a to 5p.
Flies: #22 & 18 JuJu Beatis, #22 & 18 Barr Emerger, #22 Grey WD40, #18 & 20 Chocolate Thunder, #22 & 24 Black Midge, #22 Desert Storm, #12 Impaler, #22 Black Sparkle Wing RS2, Glow Egg, Chartrusse Egg, #16 Red Copper John, #18 Stalcup Beatis, #20 Grey Flashback RS2, #18 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2, #18 Guides Choice Hare’s Ear, Chubby Chernobyl.
Top producers: JuJu Beatis, Barr Emerger, Grey WD40, Black Midge, Grey Sparkle Wing RS2, Stalcup Beatis, Black Flashback RS2.
Fremont Canyon – another section of the North Platte River – and more big trout!
This section is below Pathfinder Reservoir. The terrain varies as the river flows out of the dam. There is a short distance of steep canyon walls immediately after the dam. They give way to a stretch of about 1.5 to 2 miles of a meandering meadow before it enters another steep walled canyon that extend all the way to where the river flows into Alcova Reservoir.
Another view of the steep canyon walls.
A guide advised us to start at the dam – in the meadows. Well I didn’t ask him how close to the dam – but it didn’t seem likely he meant right below it. As we approached the area we drove to where we thought the meadows began.
The river is wide at this point and with the low flows – 72 cfs – it didn’t seem as a likely place to hold fish. We checked it out anyway. There are very few riffles and pocket water, and the water was slow. Not what I like.
The Meadows - just upstream from the bridge.
I thought I did spot some trout holding in one of the tailouts and Brian casted to them as I checked out more of the river. After a short time we decided to head downriver.
We drove down and parked at the bridge parking area and as I climbed down to the river just upstream from it – Brian walked along the bridge to see if he could spot any trout. He didn’t see any and I began to work my way downstream. There were probably 10 or so other fishermen downstream from the bridge.
My 1st fish of the day. A hefty 21" rainbow.
I walked along the south side – as Brian walked the north side. There is a hole just below the bridge – appropriately named the Bridge Hole and there were a couple of guys in it. Below the Bridge Hole there is another run leading into a nice hole – we named it Hole 22. From there the river turns to the left as you look downstream.
Hole 22. The Meadows section resembles a spring creek.
Brian veered to the left to check more water downstream as I continued toward Hole 22 – and we split up. When I approached the hole there was an angler already in it and he said “come over and show me how it’s done”. I thought that was weird. Then he continued saying “I’m not from here and there are fish in this hole. I’d like to see how a local does it”. Well truth be told – I’m not a local.
So we chatted a bit. He was from Utah and had fished our home waters of the South Platte River. Knowing I was not a local he still encouraged me to fish the hole. And as we were chatting I spotted a very nice fish feeding mid-channel. I’m not one to pass up an opportunity – so I obliged and began to cast to the fish. Then the guy said he was going to work upstream. I asked him to stay and I would move down to join my fishing partner – but he insisted that he wanted to leave.
Brian's 1st fish in Hole 22 - a 22" bull rainbow.
Imagine that!
So I had the hole to myself and as I began to fish my nymph rig I noticed several more fish. The hole begins with fast riffles flowing into a deep hole then spilling out into a more shallow tailout. Some fish were lower in the deep hole, some were feeding mid-channel, and every once in a while some would come to just below the surface to feed in the tailout.
I thought to myself, this is a perfect set-up for a Hopper/Copper/Dropper. The trusty HCD. I really like to fish this set-up and I began to retie my rig with it. There were BWOs hatching and I tied on a Stalcup Beatis followed by a Barr Emerger as my Droppers - the target flies. A Red Copper John was my Copper and my trusty Chubby Chernobyl was my Hopper.
Another big rainbow. This one a female. They were hitting the Stalcup Beatis in the early morning.
After drifting the HCD into the hole a few times I had a 21” bull rainbow in the net! As in the Back Bay a couple of days ago – this fish was hefty with a wide girth – and very strong. What fun! He took my Stalcup Beatis.
I wasn’t catching them on every cast – or even on every fourth cast – but I was able to hook up a couple more fish. I could tell they were big ones too. When the first one hit and I set my hook as normal. But it wasn’t aggressive enough. My wrist kinda wobbled on the set. These are big fish and you have to set really hard. That one was able to spit my fly. The other one broke my line. What? That wasn't supposed to happen with the heavy leader and tippet I was using.
A 21" bull rainbow - he took the Stalcup Beatis.
Per advice from every fly shop – I was fishing with a 3x leader and 4x Strong tippet. Heavy duty stuff. And my line was broke at the leader. In retrospect, I think the fish took me across a sharp boulder and snapped the line on it. It was broke clean.
Then after a bit I landed another fish about the same size as the first one. I called out to Brian but he was pretty far downstream from me. Eventually I got his attention and I motioned for him to come and join me. A short time later he came up to meet me. I told him about the two fish I had landed and the two who broke free and suggested he join me. There were a lot of feeding fish. He said he had landed a couple of 19” rainbows in his spot which we later named the Colorado Run.
A 22" bull rainbow. (This one broke me off earlier).
So we began to fish the hole together. I was still using the HCD and Brian was nymphing and we were both catching fish. And they were all 21” or 22” and fought like hell. It was fun.
This is the same fish Brian caught and is holding in the picture above. You can just see my Stalcup Beatis in the back of his jaw.
Then I had a fish just bang one of my flies. I set the hook hard and new right away it was a big one. It very quickly took me downstream, pulling line out of my reel - then jumped clean out of the water. What a sight. Brian’s guess was it was about 25”. And thick. Then the fish ran back upstream and took another two jumps fully out of the water again. Wow!
As I was fighting it Brian set his rig down and got his net ready. I was telling myself to stay calm and let the fish play out. And that’s what I did. I must have fought him for over five minutes and he was beginning to tire. He was taking me upriver then back down with Brian following – net ready.
A 21" rainbow taken out of the Colorado Run.
As he was rolling around fighting to get free – my Hopper got hooked up on his dorsal fin. This is not good because now I couldn’t turn his head up. But the fish was finally exhausted and he ran across the river to a shallow spot on the other side and just sat there. There were two fast seams of water between me and him and I didn’t want to pull him into the one closest to him.
So I began to wade across the river. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to wade into the fast water – but I wanted that fish. I also told myself that it wasn’t worth drowning over…
Surprisingly, I was able to navigate pretty easily across both seams of fast water. As I got close to the fish he took another run. This time he ran straight up into the fast, shallow riffles and was now dead ahead of me. As I raised my rod to keep him close – he quit fighting. He was spent.
My rod in my right hand and my net in my left – I continued to raise my rod and he was floating down the riffles toward my net tail first. He still had the Hopper – my Chubby Chernobyl - in his dorsal fin and I still couldn’t lift his head up – but I had that bad boy.
As he was floating downstream - he turned his head slightly to the right (or maybe I unintentionally pulled it that way with my rod as I bent down with the net). When he got to the net I had to swing it to the right to get him. He was in my net about ¾ of the way up from his tail – and as I swung my net and began to pull up to get him fully in the net - he slipped out. He was too big, and too heavy - and the current didn't help as it pushed my net and the fish further to the right and toward downstream.
He was facing fully downstream as he slipped out of the net and began to swim into the pool. My natural reaction was to quickly stab my net at him. It was a frantic scene - the fish fighting, me stabbing at him with my net.
BAD MOVE.
Bad move indeed. When you stab at the fish with your net you are more likely to break your tippet than net the fish.
And that’s exactly what happened. Oh jeez. That was my trophy. What I came here for. And after playing him fully out a combinations of factors caused me to miss netting him.
I was totally disgusted and waded back to the shore where I set my rod and reel down. I needed a break. What could I do? Nothing – so I decided to eat my lunch.
A 20" rainbow.
I’ve come to the conclusion that netting a fish is a learned skill. In a perfect setting you let the fish play out, you get him in slow water, then you bring his head up out of the water as you lower the net into the water - downstream of the fish, and you let the current bring him into the net. Sounds pretty straightforward. Done it hundreds of times.
But there are lots of complications that may - and do - arise. As in the case above – the fish gets tangled and hooked by one of your other flies as he fights, making it hard or impossible to raise his head. When that happens you can’t turn the fish – or it’s very difficult to do so. Or the fish is so heavy you can’t keep his head up out of the water as you reach for him. Or he is so big you have to have the net completely in the right zone. It goes on and on.
Unfortunately, you learn as you go. From experience – the school of hard knocks. This one left a bruise.
Brian's working to remove his fly from another nice rainbow.
After about two bites into my sandwich, Brian hooks up a nice fish. So I set my sandwich down and waded into the water, net ready. After giving Brian a worthy fight, the fish played out – I netted him. To my surprise he had my Chubby Chernobyl stuck on his back and my Stalcup Beatis in his lip. This was the fish that broke my line earlier in the morning. Unbelievable – Brian caught him! And he was a nice one – 22”.
We each caught a couple of more fish before we decided to move downstream to the run that Brian had started out the morning in. They were all 21” to 22”. It was quite a morning.
That’s how Hole 22 came to be. Almost every fish that Brian caught in this hole was 22”. When I asked him what we should name it – his response with “Hole 22”.
It was now about 2p – later than I thought – when arrived at the Colorado Run downriver - where Brian had started the day. There were several – I’d say about 20 fish – spread out at the end of a tailout. They were in an area from 5’ to 30’ off the riverbank and in a line approximately 30 yards long. The water was crystal clear and moving somewhat slow.
Brian took this one out of the Colorado Run.
At some point in the morning, Brian decided to go small on his flies. He started tying on size #20 & #22 midges and beatis. Colorado sizes. Advice from all the local fly shops was to use #18 or maybe #20. Bigger flies than what we are used to fishing in Colorado.
It wasn’t long and Brian had a fish on and proceeded to land another fish in the +20” range. I was still using the HCD and had one hit but missed. Then Brian got another one. This one had broken off Brian earlier – and he still had Brian's flies in his mouth. Unbelievable. Two times in one day!
It was Brian’s day. He landed several more fish along the run. The smallest one was 19” – the rest over 20”. At one point he had a really nice one on and as he was fighting it – I waded in to help net him. Brian was able to get him close to the net a couple of times – but then the fish would take a run. I thought he was played out and again Brian got him close to the net – and he took yet another run. The sun was low causing a glare on the water and there was a muddy cloud in the water near me. I couldn’t see where the fish went. Brian said “he went between your legs”. My first thought was UH-OH.
Yep. As stated above – when netting a fish there a complications that can and do arise. When the fish swam between my legs, one of Brian’s flies got stuck on my wading boot and the fish broke free. I felt really bad. That was a big, beautiful rainbow. Brian shrugged it off and went back for more.
Another nice 22" rainbow taken out of the Colorado Run.
I was able to get a few more in the run but was a bit frustrated that I didn’t get even more. Thinking back, Brian made the right move. Going to smaller flies. We were in slow, clear water. And when fish are not hitting your offering it's often recommended to go smaller. Good move by Brian.
I, on the other hand changed my flies and technique (changing my HCD to a nymph rig) but kept using the same size flies. And had less hook-ups.
The last one I got was 19”. He took a Grey Flashback RS2. I had swung it up at the end of the drift and the fish just banged it. Then it proceeded to take me clear across the river – I’m guessing 40 yards - and into my backing. With the way he ran – I wasn’t sure if I foul hooked him or not. But no – he was clearly hooked in the mouth and just shot off like a bullet. It was quite a fight to get him to where Brian could net him. And I was surprised that he was only 19”.
As we were leaving, I was wondering what to name that run. Brian kept saying he was using Colorado flies – meaning small ones - as he fished it. And they worked.
I named it the Colorado Run.
I took this 20" rainbow out of the Colorado Run.
At about 4:30p we decided to head upstream. We thought we’d hit Hole 22 one more time and call it a day. We both got several drifts in and there was a couple of fish still feeding in the hole. But they didn’t take what we were offering.
When 5p hit – we were out of there.
What a day! That was definitely in the top 10 of my all around best fly fishing experiences. And as Brian said – it was his best day ever!
Last view of the canyon as we were leaving.
Beautiful western mountain setting. Seemed like a spring creek with crystal clear water, deep pools, pocket water, and runs. And big fish – lots of them. Challenging to fool and challenging to land.
Nirvana.
The Wrap-up
Day 4 - May 6,2021
Grey Reef (below Grey Reef Dam)
Flows: 450 cfs.
Water Temp: 46F
Water clarity: A bit off color - ~3'
Air Temp: 55 @ 8a, 68 @ 12N.
Hatches: BWO and midge – 8a till we left.
A flock of pelicans on the head of the island as we cross the river.
Flies: #18 Olive JuJu Beatis, #22 Grey WD40, #22 & 24 Black Midge, #22 Desert Storm, #22 Black Sparkle Wing RS2, #18 Grey Flashback RS2, #18 Guides Choice Hare’s Ear, Chubby Chernobyl.
Top producers: JuJu Beatis, Desert Storm, Hare's Ea, Grey Flashback RS2, Black Midge.
As mentioned in the beginning of this article, our original plan was to fish the Grey Reef below the Grey Reef Reservoir and Dam for a 1/2 day before we left on Thursday. As we were leaving Fremont Canyon we began to question whether we wanted to stay with that plan or go back and fish it again. How could we pass up another chance to fish it? It was that good.
Fremont had us hooked.
After considerable discussion: How would it compare to Fremont? It’s been advertised to be every bit as good. The guys in the cabin next to us said they’d fished it and they were catching +20” rainbows. After going back and forth we stayed with the plan. We decided that we'd never know what the Grey Reef was like to wade fish if we didn't give it a try.
We arrived at the riverbank at 8a on Thursday morning. The weather finally broke and it was a beautify, sunny and crisp morning. The fresh air and sunshine felt good. We parked in a free camping area on the west side of the river about one mile north of the town of Acova. The dam was about 1/8 of a mile downstream from where we parked and there was a huge pool (more like a big pond) below it. This was the Dam Pool.
A 19" rainbow taken out of the Dam Pool on a Guide's Choice Hare's Ear.
The river is very wide here and there is public access from below the dam to only about 300 yards or so downstream. After scouting the water on this side of the river, we decided to walk up to the dam and cross to the other side of the river. The river was shallow on our side but we didn’t know if we could wade across it so we walked up to the dam. The dam had a walkway that we could use to get to the other side.
Once on the other side we waded into the river and noticed that there was an island on this side that started about 30 feet downstream from the dam.
Looking downstream from the dam, there was a channel of fast water on the right side of the island and the Dam Pool to the left. Brian decided to try the channel and I set up fishing into the Dam Pool. There was another guy already fishing the pool from the other side. There was plenty of room for both of us, but even so I asked if he minded me fishing it. He didn't.
A close up of my 1st fish of the day with the Hare's Ear in his lip.
It was very rocky and the rocks were slick with moss all over them. It was a bit treacherous to wade out into the water. But from where I was there was a shelf out about 20 feet and it was covered with those rocks – then there was a drop off. I wanted to get close to the drop off and drift my flies just beyond it.
As I began to cast into the pool with my nymph rig, I noticed some fish feeding just below the surface about 30 yards downstream from me. So I casted out enough line so my flies would be in that general area at the end of the drift. I only had a small weight on and it would allow my flies to drift toward the surface at the end of the drift. After casting out a few times I had my first fish of the day. It was a nice 19" rainbow. He hit a Guide's Choice Hare's Ear. I tied the hackle a little different on this fly and was happy to see that it worked.
My 2nd one of the day - also 19" and also caught in the Dam Pool. This one took an Olive JuJu Beatis.
Brian had come up just as I was releasing the fish and I suggested that he fish just below me. He gave it a few tries then moved downstream along the left side of the island. I continued in my spot and it wasn't long and I had on another 19" rainbow. This one took the Olive JuJu Beatis at the end of the drift. Just as my first one did.
I continued to fish that spot for a bit then decided to move downstream. We only had the morning to fish and I wanted to explore the area. The river is wide here with riffles, pockets, and pools below the Dam Pool left of the island.
My plan was to walk down to the end of the island and see what it looked like where the channel and the main river met below it. I like to fish the water below islands. As I approached the spot I thought I saw Brian fishing it, but it was another angler. So I walked over to the channel side of the island and I spotted Brian about midway up the island. He was fishing a fast chute from the far bank. There were about 6 other guys all along the channel from top to bottom. Not a lot of room.
Looking downriver from the Dam Pool. The left bank of the island is to the right.
As I walked up, Brian said he landed a nice 21” to 22” rainbow. He also had a few more big ones on – but they were able to break off. I couldn’t see any fish as I walked along and began to fish small pockets that were open. I scouted the entire channel and there were some nice spots – most of them already taken.
After a bit I waded to the other side of the channel and fished below Brian. Then moved above him. The water was very fast and again I couldn’t see any fish. Then Brian moved on and I began to fish the area he vacated. As I was standing there looking into the river another angler walked by and we began to chat. He had fished this area of the Grey Reef before and I asked him if this was a slow day compared to others. He said it was but it could pick up at any time.
A view of the island from the west bank of the river in the free camping area.
Just then I spotted a fish in the fast water. A big one! That was the first sighting of the day and was hoping that it was a good sign. But I couldn’t get this fish to take and after a bit he moved out. It was now about 11a and Brian suggested that we try the Dam Pool again before we had to leave.
We walked that way and when we got there – there was an angler fishing it from where I was earlier in the day. As I watched the river, I noticed that there were still a few fish coming up at the tailout. Brian waded to the other side of the pool and began to fish for them. I scouted the water below him and hit a couple of the pockets but didn’t have any action.
Then the other angler left and I took his spot. The same one I had earlier. Both Brian and I hooked up a couple of small - 6” to 8” – rainbows. Not trophies! Then I landed a 14” rainbow. He hit a Grey Flashback RS2. Brian continued to fish and landed a handful of the small rainbows as I waded toward the car.
The Dam Pool. Brian is the guy nearest. The guy on the other side is fishing the spot where I landed my rainbows.
It was a bit before noon and I wanted to eat lunch before we left. Not long after Brian came up. The fishing trip was over.
We didn’t get our trophy. But we did have a lot of fun and four great days of fishing. From wade and float fishing a big river – to fishing a high mountain setting with spring creek type water. You really couldn't ask for more.
This is a happy fisherman!
We didn’t keep a running total of the number of fish we caught – but my estimate is we netted over 60 or so fish between us all told, with a majority of them 20” or more. How many pounds? Guessing between 120 lbs to 150 lbs. And I did learn a few things about catching large fish that I can put into my tool bag and use in the future.
Here's another one...
A great experience and a trip we’re planning to make again –-- as we continue the pursuit for that trophy trout.
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