Fly Fishing in Wyoming

A regional note specific to this state: the trout water here is dominated by a single high-quality tailwater that runs through a high-desert canyon, and the state agency manages that tailwater as a wild trout fishery, which is why the average fish size is large and the regulations are focused on conservation. Wyoming trout fishing is the second-most famous in the country, and the only state where an angler can plan a year around the diversity of its freestone rivers, tailwaters, and high-country streams. The state has more than 5,000 miles of fishable trout water, including the legendary North Platte, the Bighorn, the Green, the Firehole, the Gibbon, the Lamar, the Snake, the Salt, the Wind, and dozens more. The most famous freestone river is the North Platte, a freestone that runs through the high country of southeastern Wyoming and produces wild browns and rainbows averaging 16 inches. The most famous tailwater is the Bighorn, a tailwater that runs through the high-desert canyon of southeastern Wyoming and produces trophy browns and rainbows averaging 16 to 20 inches. The state's trout program is administered through the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the agency stocks the put-and-take lakes while managing the wild trout water through a combination of slot limits and special regulations. A regular Wyoming fishing license is required, and the cost is $32 for residents and $92 for non-residents, and the daily limit is 6 trout combined in most waters with special regulations on the wild trout water.