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Fly fishing report · West
Shoshone River
A Cody-area Shoshone report focused on the mainstem below Buffalo Bill Reservoir, public access, dam-influenced flow, and practical trout tactics.
Check flow & weatherToday's fishing decisionMost live data available
25
Skip today
Do not commit until the safety issue clears.
Water temperature above salmonid stress threshold
Best supported approachNo approach recommended
Watch nextWater temperature above salmonid stress threshold
Updated Aug 3, 1:00 AM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Water temperature above salmonid stress threshold
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.
9 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
Shoshone Riverway
WGFD access context near Cody; verify current posted rules.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Dam-controlled water can rise, fall, or change character outside a natural runoff pattern.
Public access is available but not every bank is open.
02No map pin
Area description
Buffalo Bill Reservoir tailwater context
Use the below-reservoir gauge before fishing downstream reaches.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Dam-controlled water can rise, fall, or change character outside a natural runoff pattern.
Public access is available but not every bank is open.
03No map pin
Area description
North Fork Shoshone public-land context
A separate canyon/fork plan; do not use it as the mainstem gauge.
Restrictions and seasonal notes
Dam-controlled water can rise, fall, or change character outside a natural runoff pattern.
Public access is available but not every bank is open.
How to fish it
Use the Cody mainstem context before treating the forks as the same river.
The most defensible Shoshone page covers the mainstem around Cody below Buffalo Bill Reservoir. The North Fork and South Fork have their own access and fishery details, so this report keeps them as context instead of pretending every reach is identical.
- Use the below-Buffalo-Bill source for Cody context and the Lovell gauge as downstream live flow trend.
- Check WGFD rules and public access before fishing any dam, riverway, or diversion reach.
- Expect nymph and streamer fishing to be more dependable than unsupported hatch expectations.
- Wind and dam operations can change a good-looking plan quickly.
Why the score looks this way
Water temperatureLowers score
USGS water temperature is about 73F. Do not pressure trout or salmonids in warm water.
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.
FlowHelps score
USGS shows 657 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. Today's flow is within the normal seasonal range of 517 cfs to 980 cfs. Weather, water temperature, and access are the next checks.
SeasonHelps score
Summer: Mornings and evenings are best; watch temperature and recreation traffic.
Fishing usefulnessHelps score
Skip or reset the Shoshone plan when Wyoming rules are unclear, wind makes casting or boat control poor, flow is changing hard, public access is not obvious, or the day depends on treating North Fork, South Fork, and Cody mainstem water as one fishery.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
Stable flows below Buffalo Bill Reservoir are the best starting point. If releases are high, wind is strong, or access is unclear, choose a safer bank or another Wyoming report.
Stable release
Best for nymphing seams, riffle edges, and deeper runs.
High release
Stay near safe edges, avoid aggressive wading, and use heavier nymphs or streamers.
Low clear water
Use smaller flies, longer leaders, and careful angles.
Windy afternoons
Fish heavier rigs, sheltered banks, or early mornings.
Your trip plan
Know when to go—and when to skip it.
Best flows
Use USGS 06285100 near Lovell as the live downstream trend and keep USGS 06282000 below Buffalo Bill Reservoir as reach context. Stable flows are easiest to plan around; abrupt dam-operation changes, strong wind, or unclear access boundaries should shorten the day.
When to skip
Skip or reset the Shoshone plan when Wyoming rules are unclear, wind makes casting or boat control poor, flow is changing hard, public access is not obvious, or the day depends on treating North Fork, South Fork, and Cody mainstem water as one fishery.
Local plan
Choose the Cody mainstem first, then choose the access. Use Shoshone Riverway for the main public anchor, below-Buffalo-Bill context for dam-influenced planning, and North Fork sources only when that separate canyon plan is intentional.
Backup water
If the Shoshone is windy, changing, crowded, or access-limited, compare the Bighorn near Thermopolis, the upper Wind near Dubois, or the Snake River for a different Wyoming trout plan.
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 a two-nymph rig in walking-speed seams below structure.
02
Use streamers near banks and deeper slots when flows have color or cover.
03
Fish early if wind is forecast; line control matters more than fly changes.
04
Do not assume North Fork or South Fork conditions match the Cody mainstem.
05
Respect public access boundaries around riverway and diversion-area reaches.
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 Shoshone 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 changesbackgroundWGFD Shoshone River instream-flow mapaccessWGFD Shoshone Riverway public access areaaccessBLM North Fork Shoshone public access contextflowUSGS Shoshone River below Buffalo Bill Reservoir 06282000flowUSGS Shoshone River near Lovell 06285100safetyNational Weather Service Cody forecast pointbackgroundNPS Buffalo Bill Dam background
Common questions
Before you leave.
What should I check before fishing Shoshone River?+
WGFD Area 2 rules, Buffalo Bill release context, USGS flow, public access, wind, and road conditions
Which flow should I use for Shoshone River?+
Use the USGS 06282000 Shoshone River below Buffalo Bill Reservoir station page for Cody mainstem planning. The embedded official USGS graph uses 06285100 near Lovell only as downstream context because the below-reservoir graph endpoint was not usable during review.
Where should I start on Shoshone River?+
Start with WGFD Shoshone Riverway and other Cody-area access points, then confirm posted boundaries and current conditions.
Can I wade Shoshone River?+
Yes in some normal-flow edge water, but dam releases and slick rocks make conservative wading the right default.