North Fork Shoshone River

CFS: 220 cfs in WAPITI VALLEY – 

Conditions: Frozen from the river’s mouth at Buffalo Bill State Park all the way up river. We expect the North Fork to thaw and begin to fish again sometime close to mid-March. Stay tuned — we will have fishing conditions, recommended flies and other pertinent info as soon as the river thaws and is fishable again in 2023.

The river does close again to protect spawning Yellowstone cutthroat and rainbow trout from the BB State Park up the North Fork to Newton Creek April 1-July 1 every year. We recommend fishing the lower Shoshone tailwater or the Bighorn River during the winter months.

We apologize for not updating our fishing report pages as regularly as some of you would like to see. Without making a lot of excuses, it is because North Fork Anglers cannot sit at the computer all day posting updates. We are still guiding anglers taking advantage of the low flows and mild fall weather, as well as answering phones, helping retail customers, etc. We do hope you understand our predicament and forgive us for any oversight when it comes to the fishing reports. 

So, thank you to the guided trip guests and those that came into the shop during 2021 to purchase flies, leaders, tippets, new fly rods, fly reels, fly lines, clothing and gear despite the lack of current information on the area fishing conditions. We appreciate each and every angler that has kept our doors open since the Covid ‘crisis’ began in 2020.

Should you want an immediate update on flows, water quality, hatches, fly suggestions, we advise you call, not email, North Fork Anglers at 307-527-7274 for that. We also suggest and recommend that you do the same for the 2022 Guided Trip season to reserve dates and guides. We are already getting bookings for late spring and summer trips in 2022. If  you have your dates picked out, we urge you to get a deposit made as soon as possible so you don’t miss the chance to float or walk/wade Cody/Bighorn area rivers and streams. 

NORTH FORK FLIES

Flies: Wet -Black North Fork Specials with silver, red, hot orange or purple bead heads,  size 10-14; Pat’s rubber legs, black stonefly nymphs 8-12; Prince nymphs 8-12;,  Purple Prince, Orange bead Prince, Bloom’s Optic Nerve in Hare’s ear or Pheasant tail soft hackle jigs sizes 10-14; Bloody Mary # 8-14, black girdle bugs or bitch creek nymphs size 4-10

Dry – Chubby Chucks (gold, tan, purple, olive, red), Wade’s Ho Candy Yellow, Orange or Purple #8-#12, Large Stimulators in orange or yellow, Dave’s Hoppers #4-#8, Elk Hair Caddis, Royal Trudes, Royal Wulffs, parachute Yellow Sally, Purple Haze and Parachute Adams size 10-16.

NOTE — Private property laws apply when fishing below the US Forest boundary through Wapiti Valley to Buffalo Bill Reservoir. Be prepared for encounters with land owners if not obeying the water laws.