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Fly fishing report · West
Bighorn River
A Wyoming Bighorn report for the Thermopolis and Wedding of the Waters corridor, kept separate from the Montana Bighorn tailwater.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
11
Skip today
Do not commit until the safety issue clears.
Red Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:30PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Riverton WY
Best supported approachNo approach recommended
Watch nextRed Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:30PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Riverton WY
Updated Aug 3, 1:00 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Red Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:30PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Riverton WY
Safety overrides tacticsNo approach recommended
The active safety or closure reason takes priority over wading, bank fishing, and floating guidance.
Check before you drive
Current flow and weather.
Look at whether the river is rising or falling, then check wind, rain, and storms. These can change both safety and fishing.
Loading current flow and weather.
Before you rely on this report
How current is this report?
Conditions can change quickly. Check these dates before you decide to fish, and open the official source when safety or rules matter.
- River conditions
- Checked Aug 2, 2026, 9:00 PM
- Fishing guidance
- Reviewed Jun 1, 2026
- Public access
- No reviewed map pin available
- Rules and closures
- Official rule links checked
High confidence in the current score inputs.
8 sources are listed below for you to open.
3 public access records are listed. Private spots are never shown.
Source checked Jul 30, 2026
Plan your access
Know where you can enter.
These are public parking, launch, trail, or recreation areas—not secret fishing spots. We never show an angler's private pins, notes, or photos here.
- 0
- Shown on map
- 3
- No map pin
Location checkedDescription only
01No map pin
Area description
Wedding of the Waters PAA
Core name-change and access reference near Thermopolis; confirm posted boundaries.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Public access areas can be narrow and site-specific.
This page intentionally avoids Montana Bighorn rules, flows, and access language.
02No map pin
Area description
Longwell PAA
WGFD public access option for the Thermopolis-area Bighorn.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Public access areas can be narrow and site-specific.
This page intentionally avoids Montana Bighorn rules, flows, and access language.
03No map pin
Area description
Thermopolis corridor
Use the USGS Thermopolis gauge and local access signs before committing to a reach.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Public access areas can be narrow and site-specific.
This page intentionally avoids Montana Bighorn rules, flows, and access language.
How to fish it
Use Wyoming Bighorn information, not Montana tailwater assumptions.
This page covers the Bighorn around Thermopolis, where the Wind River becomes the Bighorn near Wedding of the Waters. The Montana Bighorn below Yellowtail is a separate fishery with separate flows and rules.
- Use the Thermopolis source for reach context and the Kane gauge as downstream live flow trend.
- Anchor access around WGFD public access areas and confirm each easement boundary.
- Nymph and streamer tactics are the safest baseline; dry-fly windows depend on local conditions.
- Check Wyoming regulations before keeping trout or using any bait-fishing assumptions.
Why the score looks this way
HeatLowers score
The NWS forecast is near 104F and this page does not have live water temperature. Treat trout and salmonid fishing as unsafe unless a stream thermometer proves otherwise.
Public alertLowers score
An active alert is in effect: Red Flag Warning issued August 2 at 1:30PM MDT until August 2 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Riverton WY. Check public safety sources before going.
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 634 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is below the normal seasonal range, which begins near 853 cfs. This is below normal, so edge depth, temperature, and pressure matter.
SeasonHelps score
Summer: Early and late sessions fish best; watch water temperature and afternoon wind.
Fishing usefulnessHelps score
Skip or reset the plan when Wyoming regulations are unclear, when wind makes casting or boat control poor, when downstream flow is rising hard, when public access boundaries are not obvious, or when the day depends on Montana Bighorn assumptions.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
Stable flows and mild weather give the best mix of nymphing and streamer fishing. Avoid unsafe pushy flows, floating debris, and days when wind makes line control poor.
Stable tailwater flow
Nymph seams, buckets, and walking-speed edges before switching to dries.
Slight stain
Use streamers and larger nymphs along banks and soft inside bends.
High or fast
Limit wading, use heavier rigs from safe banks, or choose a calmer access point.
Low and clear
Lengthen leaders, fish smaller nymphs, and avoid repeated casts over visible trout.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use USGS 06279500 at Kane as the live downstream flow trend and keep the Thermopolis source for reach context. Stable flow is the best fit; fast rising water, heavy wind, or unclear access boundaries should shorten the plan.
When to skip
Skip or reset the plan when Wyoming regulations are unclear, when wind makes casting or boat control poor, when downstream flow is rising hard, when public access boundaries are not obvious, or when the day depends on Montana Bighorn assumptions.
Local plan
Start at the Wyoming reach you actually plan to fish: Wedding of the Waters for the name change and public access context, Longwell for WGFD access-area planning, or Thermopolis-area banks for a shorter local session. Then choose nymphs, streamers, or dry-dropper work based on water clarity and wind.
Backup water
If the Wyoming Bighorn is windy, rising, crowded, or access-limited, compare the Wind River for upstream context, the Shoshone for a Cody-area tailwater plan, or the Snake River for a different Wyoming trout trip.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
March to AprilMidges, little black stones, early BWOs, and cold-water nymph windowsZebra midge, black stonefly, BWO emerger, pheasant tail, small perdigon
Fly pattern · report suggests “Zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly family · report suggests “black stonefly”Black Stonefly PatternsBlack stonefly wording is a color and insect-group label, not one exact recipe. Size, nymph versus adult stage, wing profile, and weighting must remain explicit.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box May to JuneRunoff edges, salmonflies where present, caddis, PMDs, and Green Drakes on some waterStonefly nymph, Pat's rubber legs, PMD emerger, elk hair caddis, green drake
Fly family · report suggests “Stonefly nymph”Stonefly Nymph PatternsStonefly nymph patterns generally emphasize two tails, a broad thorax, segmented abdomen, and bottom contact; rubber legs, biots, beads, and jig hooks define different exact forms.See family guide ↗
Fly pattern · report suggests “Pat's rubber legs”Pat's Rubber LegsThe core Pat's Rubber Legs architecture is a long weighted stonefly nymph with a chenille body, two rubber tails, a pair of antennae, and multiple long flexible legs. Pat Bennett's documented 1995 form used true-brown chenille and true-olive Super Floss; coffee-and-black became a familiar later guide treatment. Beads, jig hooks, thoraxes, wing cases, articulated bodies, white legs, and other colors are explicit variations—not silent parts of one universal recipe.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box July to SeptemberCaddis, PMDs, terrestrials, small olives, ants, beetles, and hopper banksChubby Chernobyl, hopper, ant, beetle, X-caddis, small parachute Adams
Fly pattern · report suggests “Chubby Chernobyl”Chubby ChernobylIdentify the construction, not the color: a long foam overbody over a segmented dubbed underside, rubber legs at two tie-in stations, two distinct buoyant synthetic-yarn wing sections, and a short flash tail. The paired wing stations and layered foam-and-dubbing body separate the reviewed Chubby from the original Chernobyl Ant and from generic foam hoppers or beetles.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Fly family · report suggests “hopper”Grasshopper PatternsHopper patterns share a substantial body and long rear-leg impression, but foam, deer hair, wing construction, and waterline differ widely among named patterns.See family guide ↗+ 4 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box October to FebruaryBWOs, midges, October caddis in places, streamers, and slow winter nymphingBWO emerger, midge pupa, October caddis pupa, sculpin, black woolly bugger
Fly family · report suggests “BWO emerger”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗
Fly family · report suggests “midge pupa”Midge Patterns by StageMidge wording can mean a threadlike larva, wing-padded pupa, film emerger, tiny adult, or visible cluster. Those profiles fish at different depths.See family guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Start with indicator or tight-line nymphing through walking-speed seams.
02
Use streamers along banks when flows are safe and the water has a little color.
03
Break large runs into short targets instead of blind-casting the whole river.
04
Check public-access signs before moving along a bank away from the parking area.
05
Carry a thermometer in summer and reduce trout handling when water is warm.
Rules & closures
Check the official rules before you go.
Open the agency page to confirm the exact river section, species, season, tackle rules, limits, and emergency closures.
Official links checkedRules for this river or sectionNo special rule found
We did not find a special rule for this river.
We checked the state source but did not find a clearly supported exception for this river. Check the official rules for the exact section you plan to fish.
Rules checkedJul 30, 2026
Report a correction ↗Always follow the official rule
This summary helps with trip planning. The linked agency rule is the one you must follow.
Updates from anglers
What anglers are seeing.
Recent observations from general areas of Bighorn River. We review every update before it appears and never publish exact fishing spots, private access details, or photo locations.
Angler updates are not loading right now.
You can still use the river plan above. Check back later for recent observations from other anglers.
Where this report comes from
Open the sources we checked.
Fishing guidance checked: Jun 1, 2026
Site check: Jul 14, 2026. We regularly test report links, live scores, flow and weather data, and page loading. The content date changes only when the fishing guidance or its sources change.
regulationWyoming fishing regulationsregulationWyoming 2026 fishing regulation changesaccessWGFD Wedding of the Waters public access areaaccessWGFD Bighorn River Longwell public access areaflowUSGS Bighorn River at Thermopolis 06259500flowUSGS Bighorn River at Kane 06279500backgroundNPS Bighorn River Kane flow backgroundsafetyNational Weather Service Thermopolis forecast point
Common questions
Before you leave.
What should I check before fishing Bighorn River?+
WGFD Area 2 rules, public-access-area boundaries, USGS Thermopolis flow, weather, and private land
Which flow should I use for Bighorn River?+
Use the USGS 06259500 Bighorn River at Thermopolis station page for the exact reach. The embedded official USGS graph uses 06279500 at Kane only as downstream Bighorn context because the Thermopolis graph endpoint was not usable during review.
Where should I start on Bighorn River?+
Start with WGFD Wedding of the Waters and Thermopolis-area public access areas, then confirm each posted boundary.
Can I wade Bighorn River?+
Yes in some edge water at manageable flows, but the Bighorn is a large river. Treat deep channels and fast seams with caution.