Fly Fishing the Wind River Canyon - Jack Dennis Fishing Trips

1 Jack Dennis Fishing Trips Jackson Hole, Wyoming 83001 307-690-0910 The Amazing wind River Canyon by Micah Kruger If you have spent much time Fishing the waters of Wyoming, you probably have heard of the River I am about to talk about, if not already laid line to water on it. Of course, the River I am speaking of is the wind River . But it s not just the wind in general that produced one of the most amazing days of Fishing I have ever experienced, but a specific section of it that you may not have considered before as trophy trout water.

2 What I want to tell you about is the section of the wind River just south of the town of Thermopolis known as the wind River Canyon , home to cutthroats, rainbows, and brown trout with an average size of 18 to 20-inch with fish up to 30 inches possible. Even if you have spent time on other sections of the wind , you haven t seen her full potential until you have floated the Canyon stretches below Boysen Reservoir. Every angler that considers him or herself versed on Wyoming waters must fish the wind River Canyon at least once before they die.

3 Here in the Jackson area, we are blessed with arguably the best trout water in the western United States. How many people can make the claim of being within 90 minutes of the caliber of waters such as the Snake River , the South Fork, the Henry s Fork, the Green River , Flat Creek, and waters within Yellowstone National Park, just to name a few? And that only covers the Northwest corner of the state! As I tell my friends (especially those who pursue trout) who live in locales other than Wyoming, I am living the dream when it comes to all of the quality Fishing at my backdoor.

4 But even Fishing all of that top-notch water, nothing can prepare you for what awaits in the wind River Canyon . My trip to the Canyon took place in late July 2003, and it is one that will be impossible to forget. My friend, colleague, and gonzo Fishing partner Andy Asadorian accompanied me. Together, Andy and I sell flies at the shop and teach folks to fly fish all summer long as fly casting instructors and we were lucky enough to have the float trip set up ahead of time for us by our shop owner Jack Dennis and our manager, Jeff Currier.

5 Andy and I had arrangements to meet Darren Calhoun, owner and operator of wind River Canyon Whitewater, at his shop in Thermopolis, WY at 7:30 on that coming Thursday. Thermopolis is located approximately 215 miles east of Jackson via US-26/US-89/US-189/US-191. Because of the travel time involved, we decided to leave on Wednesday night so that we could be in Thermopolis nice and early and ready for a big day. (I can t Jack Dennis Fishing Trips Page 1 of 4 tell you exactly how long that 215 miles will take you because we had to stop at the Roadhouse just outside of Riverton for a burger and a beer and a quick game of 8-Ball.)

6 Apparently, individual times will vary.) We drove until we arrived at the Upper Campground, which is situated just below the dam at Boysen Reservoir (the Wyoming state record walleye was caught on the reservoir if you were curious), half an hour outside of Thermopolis on the banks on the wind River . Sleeping bags were tossed on the ground and a pleasant night was spent under the stars. A few hours later we were up early, in to town for a quick bite, and by 7:30 we were standing in the lobby of Darren s shop in Thermopolis.

7 By the look on Darren s face when we walked in, I could tell that the fun was just about to begin. Location, location, location. It can mean a lot depending on the situation. Sometimes it can mean the difference between ball four and winning the World Series or strike three and 6 months of heartache. The point is, location can be paramount, and in the case of the wind River Canyon , it plays a huge role in the quality and overall experience of the fishery. To be more specific, it lies on the wind River Indian Reservation, home to roughly 12,000 members of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes, and you must be a member of one of the tribes to be able to float the Canyon .

8 Consequently, there is only one licensed outfitter for is entire stretch of water. You guessed it! It s Darren and Pete Calhoun s wind River Canyon Whitewater, proud to be a 100% Indian owned outfitter and your only source for this one-of-a-kind float trip. Their distinction of being the exclusive guide service ensures that they can provide the highest quality experience every time out, and our trip was no exception. One of the most amazing parts of the trip is grasping the forethought that Darren has used in running his business.

9 His genius is that he only allows one party per day per stretch of River . In our case, one boat period. That s it. Darren told us he still allows additional parties of whitewater rafters on at the same time, but we only saw two other rafts go by but it was only for a minute towards the end of the day. What mattered most to us was that we were assured of being the only rods on the water that day. Apparently the majority of the reservation members have little to no interest in the wind as a recreational Fishing resource, so even those that are allowed to float the River don t do it.

10 Darren told us we would essentially be Fishing private water! We couldn t wait to get started and after finally getting to meet and chat with Darren, we were dying to hit the water. Just then the man we were all waiting for came bursting through the door, our guide Dan Hruska, and we were all out the door and headed for the put-in. Dan and Darren had decided that the best stretch for us that day was the Lower Canyon . The Lower combined with the Upper Canyon make up the only two stretches in the entire Canyon and our stretch would cover about nine miles of water.