December 2023 - 34

O
ne February while
shooting photos
for a piece about
tailwater fisheries,
I spotted a truck
with a camper shell parked
at Grey Reef, 29-miles west
of Casper.
The wind was steady at 30 mph. Temperatures
were below zero the previous night. I
thought someone was in trouble and had
parked there to ride out the foul weather. But
there was a man standing waist-deep in the
pool below the dam with ice forming in his
beard. He did not look up. Every so often, he
reached up with bare fingers to snap ice that
formed in the guides of his fly rod. He seemed
to be enjoying himself despite the gusts of wind
that tried to knock him down.
Ice was forming in the slack water. It stacked
up, spun, joined other pieces and threatened
to close in on the man. Who would sacrifice
warmth and comfort to stand waist-deep in a
partially frozen river? What possible motivation
could there be to attempt such a thing?
If I came back the next day, would I find him
frozen midcast? It turns out, there is a tribe of
indefatigable fly anglers who covet the coldest,
quietest months of the year. For them, winter
in Wyoming is primetime.
THE CHALLENGE
Eighty-one-year-old George Sichterman
admits you have to be a little different to flyfish
in midwinter. He attributes his love of
winter fishing to his youth spent outdoors in
South Dakota where he and his brother ran
trap lines. They walked two miles each way
all winter.
" I'm used to being out, and I like to be out.
I figured out how to dress warmly when I was
a kid, " Sichterman said.
Fly-fishing came into Sichterman's life fairly
late. As a heavy equipment machinist with
three kids, he didn't begin in earnest until his
children were in college. Today, he sings the
praises of a modified wading staff where he
placed a rubber tip on the end to get better
stability in the rocks. This is the main thing
he relies on to navigate the icy river cobble.
He also only fishes when he has someone
with him. He loves the solitude he finds in
the winter. And he appreciates the challenges:
34 | December 2023
Fly-fishing during the winter has its challenges and requires specialized gear. Winter is also a great time to catch and
release fish compared the seasons with high air and water temperatures. (Photo by Benjamin Kraushaar)
Contrary to what many people say, trout will take larger flies in the winter. (Photo by Lisa Ballard)

December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023

December 2023 - 1
December 2023 - 2
December 2023 - 3
December 2023 - 4
December 2023 - 5
December 2023 - 6
December 2023 - 7
December 2023 - 8
December 2023 - 9
December 2023 - 10
December 2023 - 11
December 2023 - 12
December 2023 - 13
December 2023 - 14
December 2023 - 15
December 2023 - 16
December 2023 - 17
December 2023 - 18
December 2023 - 19
December 2023 - 20
December 2023 - 21
December 2023 - 22
December 2023 - 23
December 2023 - 24
December 2023 - 25
December 2023 - 26
December 2023 - 27
December 2023 - 28
December 2023 - 29
December 2023 - 30
December 2023 - 31
December 2023 - 32
December 2023 - 33
December 2023 - 34
December 2023 - 35
December 2023 - 36
December 2023 - 37
December 2023 - 38
December 2023 - 39
December 2023 - 40
December 2023 - 41
December 2023 - 42
December 2023 - 43
December 2023 - 44
December 2023 - 45
December 2023 - 46
December 2023 - 47
December 2023 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
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