Randy joined me for an August fishing trip. There are several places in Wyoming that I have never been and wanted to try. I got some information and advice and even one guy told me to cross the border and flyfish in Montana. We started our trip on Monday night and drove to the Bighorn River Recreation area in southeast Montana. It is located near the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn(aka Custer's last stand). It is a very popular flyfishing river so we didn't expect solitude while we floated and fished. On the trip we loaded the truck with 2 pontoons, camping gear and flyfishing equipment. That night we camped by the river in the tent. We awoke early and booked a shuttle for my truck. We floated and fished for 12 hours and got several very large fish. I hooked a monster fish on a grasshopper pattern and it broke me off, it still haunts me. Randy did take a picture of a nice rainbow. We decided it was too challenging and crowded and hot to stay another day so we headed back to Wyoming and to try another place. We made it to the Bighorn Mountains and camped in the forest around midnight. It was cold and quiet that night.
The next day we drove through Cody, Wyoming and headed to Crandall River, which is just outside of Yellowstone Park to the northeast. It is a remote area, that is popular with horseback trips into the wilderness. We hiked up the canyon, but didn't have good fishing. We did see a grizzly bear track in the mud, which reminded me to get the bear spray out of my pack.
We drove back to Cody and stayed in a hotel.
The next morning we drove toward Yellowstone Park east entrance, but stopped and fished the north fork shoshone river. I caught a 19 inch cutthroat among others and was pleased. It was another warm day and we decided to head toward Jackson Hole. This required driving through Yellowstone Park, a very pretty drive, but it takes a long time. We camped just south of the Yellowstone border on the Snake River. It was a beautiful area and again grizzly bear country. The fishing was slow on the river, but we enjoyed a nice stormy night with howling winds in the tent. The next day we fished the Snake river and buffalo fork with moderate success, but having the Tetons in the background means the fishing doesn't have to be that good.
Our last day we floated the Snake River through a section of Grand Teton park. The weather was cold and rainy. I caught several nice native cutthroat trout and enjoyed it. I drove all the way home and made it by 2:00 am, it was fun, and we did more driving than fishing, but exploring is enjoyable.
