Fly fishing report · West

Wind River

A Dubois-area upper Wind River report that avoids reservation/lower-river confusion and focuses on public access, USGS flow, and high-country trout tactics.

Check flow & weather

Today's river scoreHigh source confidence

Caution

Best option: Wade.

Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.

Updated Jul 13, 11:17 PM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes

Recommended approachWade

Mode scores adjust the river-wide score for the risks of wading, bank fishing, or floating.

Wade · Best fit56/100

Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.

Bank / edge56/100

Bank and edge fishing remains a practical low-commitment option if access is legal and footing is safe.

FloatCheck

This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.

Confirm before you leave

Flow and weather right now.

Use the flow trend to confirm the score before you leave. Weather can change the safest and most productive fishing window.

River strategy

Keep the page on the upper Wind near Dubois.

The useful Wind River report is the upper public-water plan near Dubois, not a vague mix of reservation water, Boysen tailwater, and Bighorn River naming changes. Use the Dubois gauge and WGFD access sources first.

USGS 06218500 near Dubois is the best page-scoped flow source.
Check public access areas such as Dunoir and Sawmill before walking banks.
Reservation and private-land boundaries are major planning issues downstream.
Runoff, cold water, and wind decide whether dries, nymphs, or another river make sense.

Why this score moved

HeatUse caution

The NWS forecast is near 89F. Fish early and verify water temperature where trout stress is possible.

Short-term weatherUse caution

The forecast has storm or heavy-precipitation risk, so timing and access matter more than the score alone.

Public alertUse caution

A heat alert is active near this forecast point, so the score is capped until water temperature and fish-handling risk are checked. NWS alert: Extreme Heat Warning issued July 13 at 11:50AM MDT until July 14 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Riverton WY.

Best mode nowUse caution

Wade: Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.

FlowHelps score

USGS shows 172 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1946-2025, 72 readings) puts the normal middle range around 148 cfs-413 cfs. Flow is inside the same-date normal range, so weather, temperature, and access become the next checks.

Read the water

What changes the plan.

Best fishing is usually after the main snowmelt push settles and before late-season cold or low water narrows the day. Have a backup plan when the Dubois gauge is rising fast.

Settled post-runoff

Best all-around window for dries, dry-droppers, and nymphing.

Rising snowmelt

Fish soft edges only if safe; otherwise wait for falling clarity.

Low clear water

Use smaller flies, longer leaders, and careful approaches.

Cold windy day

Nymph deeper, slow down, or choose a lower-elevation backup.

Field plan

Fish it with intention.

Best flows

Use USGS 06218500 Wind River near Dubois as the primary live trend. Stable or slowly dropping flows after runoff are the best fit; high cold water, wind, or unclear public access should move the plan to short scouting or another river.

When to skip

Skip the Wind when runoff makes crossings unsafe, when access boundaries are uncertain, when the plan drifts into reservation or private water without permission, or when weather makes an exposed upper-basin day impractical.

Local plan

Keep the day near the upper Dubois scope. Use Dunoir or Sawmill public-access information as the planning anchors, the Dubois gauge for flow, and a separate rule check before treating downstream Wind or Bighorn water as part of the same trip.

Backup water

If the upper Wind is high, cold, windy, or access-limited, compare the Shoshone near Cody, the Bighorn near Thermopolis, 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

Reviewed pattern · report says “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

Reviewed family · report says “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

Reviewed family · report says “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

Reviewed pattern · report says “Pat's rubber legs”Pat's Rubber LegsA weighted long-shank nymph, variegated chenille body, two tails, and multiple pairs of long rubber legs identify the core form. Generic rubber-leg stoneflies remain a broader family, not automatic Pat's Rubber Legs matches.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

Reviewed pattern · report says “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

Reviewed family · report says “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

Reviewed family · report says “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

Reviewed family · report says “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

Use the Dubois gauge trend to decide whether to fish edges, pockets, or skip high water.

Run a dry-dropper through broken pocket water once the river is clear and settled.

Use small streamers along undercut bends when flows are slightly up and safe.

Check access-area signs and avoid assuming downstream banks are open.

Carry bear spray and give yourself extra time on remote roads.

Access & responsibility

Know the entry. Know the exit.

Check Wyoming Game and Fish Area 2 regulations and current access-area rules before fishing. Confirm tribal, private, or reservation boundaries before fishing outside the upper Dubois public-water scope.

Dunoir PAA

WGFD public access context near Dubois; verify current signs and restrictions.

Sawmill PAA

Another WGFD upper Wind access reference for reach planning.

Dubois gauge corridor

Use USGS 06218500 before committing to pocket-water wading.

Transparent sources

Check the facts behind the plan.

Last material review: 2026-06-01

regulationWyoming fishing regulations regulationWyoming 2026 fishing regulation changes accessWGFD Wind River Dunoir public access area accessWGFD Wind River Sawmill public access area flowUSGS Wind River near Dubois 06218500 flowUSGS Wind River at Dubois 06220000 safetyNational Weather Service Dubois forecast point

Common questions

Before you leave.

What should I check before fishing Wind River?+

WGFD Area 2 rules, access-area status, USGS Dubois flow, weather, snowmelt, and land boundaries

Which flow should I use for Wind River?+

Use USGS 06218500 Wind River near Dubois for the upper page scope, with USGS 06220000 at Dubois as additional local context when needed.

Where should I start on Wind River?+

Start with WGFD upper Wind public access areas such as Dunoir and Sawmill, then confirm posted boundaries and road conditions.

Can I wade Wind River?+

Yes at normal summer flows in suitable pocket water, but snowmelt and cold pushy current make conservative wading essential.