March 2023 - 21

Fishing guide Travis Anderson braves
the elements to put clients on fish
along the North Platte River.
(Photo by Lisa Ballard)
The author casts her fly rod with the hopes of landing a trout on the North Platte River. (Photo by Lisa Ballard)
ONE RIVER, TWO PERSONALITIES
The North Platte River boasts 174 miles of
blue ribbon rainbow and brown trout fishing
in Wyoming, making it a bucket-list destination
for anglers from around the world. That
said, there are two distinct fisheries, the upper
river which is free-flowing from the river's
source near Walden, Colorado, to Seminoe
Reservoir north of Saratoga, and the tailwaters
below Seminoe, Kortes, Pathfinder and Grey
Reef dams.
" The North Platte is really a tale of two rivers, "
said Bobby Compton, Wyoming Game
and Fish Department fisheries supervisor for
the Laramie Region, including the freestone
- or undammed portion - of the North
Platte in Wyoming. " A blue ribbon designation
is based on the pounds of fish per
mile, not the number of fish. In the upper
North Platte the fish aren't as big, 14 to 18
inches on average, but they're healthy and in
high numbers. They aren't eating scuds and
midges like the trout in the tailwaters. Instead,
they feed on native aquatic insects, minnows,
crayfish and lots of terrestrials. Sometimes I
keep a fish to look at what it's eating. One
brown trout had eight different things in
its stomach, including mayflies, stoneflies,
grasshoppers and minnows. It was only 15
inches, but its body was really healthy. It was
a chunky, wild fish. "
Matt Hahn, Game and Fish fisheries
supervisor in the Casper Region, oversees
the tailwaters on North Platte from Seminoe
Reservoir to the Nebraska border. " Reservoirs
act as a filter, " Hahn said. " Normally a river
runs high and muddy in the spring and low
and clear in the fall, but when it's dammed,
normal sediments and seasonal pulses can't
get through. Downstream below the dam is
clear and stays at a constant, cold temperature
because the water is coming from the bottom
of the reservoir. Midsummer, whereas upriver
the water might be 75 degrees by early afternoon
and then drops to 60 degrees a night,
below a reservoir it's in the 50s all the time.
We don't have high temperature issues like a
freestone river. "
Wyoming Wildlife | 21

March 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2023

March 2023 - 1
March 2023 - 2
March 2023 - 3
March 2023 - 4
March 2023 - 5
March 2023 - 6
March 2023 - 7
March 2023 - 8
March 2023 - 9
March 2023 - 10
March 2023 - 11
March 2023 - 12
March 2023 - 13
March 2023 - 14
March 2023 - 15
March 2023 - 16
March 2023 - 17
March 2023 - 18
March 2023 - 19
March 2023 - 20
March 2023 - 21
March 2023 - 22
March 2023 - 23
March 2023 - 24
March 2023 - 25
March 2023 - 26
March 2023 - 27
March 2023 - 28
March 2023 - 29
March 2023 - 30
March 2023 - 31
March 2023 - 32
March 2023 - 33
March 2023 - 34
March 2023 - 35
March 2023 - 36
March 2023 - 37
March 2023 - 38
March 2023 - 39
March 2023 - 40
March 2023 - 41
March 2023 - 42
March 2023 - 43
March 2023 - 44
March 2023 - 45
March 2023 - 46
March 2023 - 47
March 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
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
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
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com