Gray Reef
The North Platte River disappears as it finds its way through Pathfinder Reservoir, Alcova Reservoir, and finally Gray Reef Reservoir--but it reappears below as one of the most productive trout rivers in Wyoming. There is plenty of access to the river and it's only a 45-mile drive along good roads from Casper, Wyoming.
Unlike the Miracle Mile, this tailwater does not have a definite end. It's good trout water all the way to Casper, but it gradually loses the characteristics that make it a tailwater along the way. For all practical purposes, the tailwater section ends around the Lusby or Government Bridge access areas.
Fishing this lower tailwater section is quite similar to fishing the Miracle Mile, and I'll refer you to that section to learn seasonal variations, techniques, and hatches, as the two sections are nearly identical in those respects. I will only deal with the differences between the two waters in this section.
A major difference between the Miracle Mile and Gray Reef is that there are no large daily fluctuations in water levels in the lower tailwater. Miracle Mile flows are the result of a dam and reservoir system managed primiarily for hydro-electric production. When demand for electricity goes up, so do the flows.
Gray Reef rainbows grow rapidly, and trout over five pounds are relatively common. Walk-and-wade access is extremely limited, so you'll either have to bring your own boat, or hire a guide.
Because of steady demands for irrigation water in Nebraska, and an afterbay that nullifies the effects of hyro production, Grey Reef flows are generally high and slightly off-color in the summer, and low and clear in the winter, with only minor changes in flow. This provides for more dependable fishing, and more frequent opportunities for dry-fly fishing. Flows are usually increased around the middle of April, and then decreased around the middle of October. The week after the flows get bumped up is usually a poor time to fish because the trout are adjusting to the new levels, and there is often a good deal of debris in the water.
| July 1998 Electroshocking Survey
Conducted by Wyoming Department of Fish and Game |
| Rainbow Trout | Total Trout* |
| 3277 trout per mile | 3496 trout per mile |
| 4559 lbs per mile | 4960 lbs per mile |
| * Total trout category includes cutthroats and brown trout |
Unlike the Mile--which is a great walk-and-wade river--the Gray Reef is best-suited for floating. A good deal of water flows over private land and getting out of the boat or dropping your anchor is illegal in these areas, but a good oarsman can move you downstream through the less-productive areas, and backrow in the good spots.
The characteristics of the water is also different on the Reef. There is more distance between the riffles, and more and longer stretches of relatively slow glides that seem unproductive when there aren't rising fish. This tends to spread the fish out, and with the exception of the upper mile or so of river, the fish are more scattered throughout the river and not so concentrated in holding areas.
Recent population studies show an estimated 3,496 trout per mile, with 3,277 of those rainbows. There are some browns around and even fewer cutthroats, but not very many. Your chances of catching a real hog are nearly as good on the Reef as on the Mile, but again, you need a boat to do it.
Insect populations are generally the same with a few differences. Scuds are as important in the upper couple of miles, but become decreasingly important the farther you get from the dam.
Around the middle of April, there is a Slate-Winged Mahogany Dun (Paraleptophlebia) hatch that brings fish up to the surface in good numbers. These insects usually hatch around noon and can be matched with a size #16 Red Quill.
The Grey Reef normally has much better dry-fly fishing than the Miracle Mile. The summer of 1999 proved to be no exception.
The other notable difference in hatches occurs in late August. Tricos can be found in good numbers along the Reef, or at least in numbers that get the fish feeding on them. There are some Tricos on the Mile but the water is usually too dirty or unsettled to effectively fish when they do hatch.
Because of the more constant water flows, dry-fly anglers will find the Reef more to their liking. The fish on the Reef have an opportunity to establish feeding lies and can be found actively responding to the variety of insects on the surface.
Streamer fishing along this stretch is an exciting method of taking fish, especially from a boat. Those long, unproductive-looking glides are prime spots to throw weighted streamers on sink-tip lines for an occasional fish. The deeper pools and riffles should definitely be worked wiht a streamer as they hold some truly large fish that may not react to other offerings.
The final distinction is that the Reef recieves less fishing pressure than the Mile. While the Miracle Mile gets a great deal of traffic from out-of-state anglers (78% of the angler days are from non-residents according to the last survey) less than half of the anglers fishing the Reef are non-residents.
Although this fishery has been a local secret for some time, it won't always be that way. The Gray Reef is every bit as good a fishery as the Miracle Mile and much easier to get to. Casper is the largest city in Wyoming and the Gray Reef is a short, easy drive away over good roads.
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