Wade · Best fit92/100
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
All Wyoming reports
Fly fishing report · West
Wind River
Is Wind River worth the trip today? Check flow, weather, hatches, access, and rules for Wyoming before you go.
Photo: James St. John Opens in a new tab. · CC BY 2.0
Good day to fish?Latest river check
Great
Yes. This is a strong time to fish.
92
Best option: Wade. Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
See update time and confidence
Live data checkHighHow much of the live flow, weather, and alert data came back.
Today's callMediumWater temperature not verified; do not use this score to clear warm-water risk.
Score calculated Aug 15, 5:39 AM UTCUsually checks again about every 45 minutes
Best way to fishWade
These scores compare the risks of wading, bank fishing, and floating.
Bank / edge92/100
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.
Your plan
Keep today simple.
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.
- 1Start here
Use the Dubois gauge trend to decide whether to fish edges, pockets, or skip high water.
- 2Watch the water
Run a dry-dropper through broken pocket water once the river is clear and settled.
- 3Make one change
Use small streamers along undercut bends when flows are slightly up and safe.
More fishing tips
- Check access-area signs and avoid assuming downstream banks are open.
- Carry bear spray and give yourself extra time on remote roads.
Live river check
What the river is doing
Check the latest flow and weather before you go. A quick change can make the river harder or less safe to fish.
Showing the latest stored river check while current readings load.
- Flow
- 122 cfs
From the latest stored river check. Open the official source for the newest reading.
- Air
- 54°F
Mostly Cloudy
- Rain chance
- 6%
For this forecast period
Latest stored weather check
Mostly Cloudy
Mostly Cloudy
- Wind
- 12 mph
- Weather checked
Recent flow chart is loading
The latest stored reading is shown above. Check the official source below if you need the newest value now.
More forecast and source details
National Weather Service
Wind River near Dubois, Wyoming
The National Weather Service forecast is temporarily unavailable.
Live data
Where these readings come from
Latest stored USGS gauge: Wind River near Dubois
From the latest stored river check. Open the official source for the newest reading.
How to fish it
Start with the water in front of you.
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.
Fishing words used on this page
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge
- A USGS gauge is an official river station that measures flow or water height.
- Cubic feet per second (cfs)
- Cubic feet per second, or cfs, shows how much water passes the gauge each second.
- Nymph
- A nymph is a young water insect. Anglers also use the word for a fly that copies it.
- Blue-winged olive (BWO)
- Blue-winged olives, or BWOs, are small mayflies that often hatch in cool or cloudy weather.
- Caddis
- Caddis are small water insects. The adults look a little like tiny moths.
- Dry-dropper
- A dry-dropper rig has a floating fly with an underwater fly tied below it.
- Emerger
- An emerger copies an insect as it rises from below the water toward the surface.
- Midge
- Midges are tiny flies and a common trout food, especially in cold water.
- Pale morning dun (PMD)
- Pale morning duns, or PMDs, are light-colored mayflies that often hatch in warmer months.
- Pocket water
- Pocket water is a small calm spot among rocks or fast current.
Why the score changed
FlowHelps
USGS shows 122 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1946-2025, 72 readings) puts the normal middle range around 89 cfs-166 cfs. Flow is inside the same-date normal range, so weather, temperature, and access become the next checks.
SeasonHelps
Summer: Most dependable dry-dropper and terrestrial season after runoff drops.
WeatherHelps
The NWS forecast is about 54F with Mostly Cloudy.
Public alertsHelps
No active NWS alert was returned for this forecast point.
Fishing usefulnessHelps
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.
Trip notes
Check these before you choose a reach.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What to try
Start small. Change with the river.
Match the time of year, then let rising fish and current speed guide the next change.
March to AprilMidges, little black stones, early BWOs, and cold-water nymph windows
Zebra midge, black stonefly, BWO emerger, pheasant tail, small perdigon
May to JuneRunoff edges, salmonflies where present, caddis, PMDs, and Green Drakes on some water
Stonefly nymph, Pat's rubber legs, PMD emerger, elk hair caddis, green drake
This time of year · July to SeptemberCaddis, PMDs, terrestrials, small olives, ants, beetles, and hopper banks
Chubby Chernobyl, hopper, ant, beetle, X-caddis, small parachute Adams
Fly pattern to try · Chubby ChernobylChubby 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.Open the fly guide ↗
Fly group to try · hopperGrasshopper PatternsHopper patterns share a substantial body and long rear-leg impression, but foam, deer hair, wing construction, and waterline differ widely among named patterns.Open the fly guide ↗
Fly group to try · antAnt PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.Open the fly guide ↗+ 3 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box October to FebruaryBWOs, midges, October caddis in places, streamers, and slow winter nymphing
BWO emerger, midge pupa, October caddis pupa, sculpin, black woolly bugger
Start with one change at a time. The river will tell you more than a crowded fly box.
Access and safety
Check access before you go.
Use these places as starting points. Open the access link below and check posted signs before you park or enter. Check Wyoming Game and Fish Area 2 rules 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 area
Use USGS 06218500 before committing to pocket-water wading.
This page does not cover reservation fishing permission or lower Wind/Bighorn tailwater rules.
Public access can be section-by-section and should be verified before walking banks.
Runoff and weather can make a short-looking crossing unsafe.
Official river links
Check before you fish.
Open the official rules, closures, river readings, weather, and access links before you go. The agency has the final say.
Trip notes checked . Live flow and weather update above. Open each link for the latest details.
Checked by BlueStreamFly. How we check river reports
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
About this link
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
About this link
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
About this link
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
About this link
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
About this link
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
About this link
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
About this link
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
Quick answers
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.