Note: This is the first of four posts on my trip to Wyoming. Over 4 days we fished the Lower Shoshone, Upper Shoshone, Greybull, and Clark’s Fork Rivers.
Our first day of fishing was a float trip on the lower Shoshone River with North Fork Anglers outfitters of Cody, WY.
If you’re not familiar with the Shoshone, it is a 100-mile long river that cuts through northern Wyoming. Its headwaters are in the Absaroka Range in Shoshone National Forest. It ends when it runs into the Big Horn. The river is divided by the Buffalo Bill Dam. We fished the lower Shoshone first and waded the upper the next day. That trip is the second installment of this series.
As we walked from the shop to the truck, our guide Mike told us we were basically going down the hill. He was right. We drove a short distance to a public launch in downtown Cody.
He quickly rigged us with a hopper/dropper setups, and within a few minutes we were leaving Cody and on our way. It was sunny, mid-80s, blue sky day, perfect for a float.
Mike basically grew up in Cody, so he knew the water well. He also provided some of the local history and respected private land rights, an important consideration when fishing in Wyoming (or anywhere else).
We were into fish early on. Big browns and rainbows took the dropper and protested vehemently all the way to the boat.
Mike consistently put us on fish, and knew when to change the rig or move to a new spot. I stayed in the rear of the raft all day, but felt that I had equal chances to catch fish.
This is not a river that is easily waded. In addition to private land restrictions, the water runs fast and there is very little bank. At times it felt more like a rafting trip.
For someone visiting from the northeast, the scenery was a major part of the experience.
The time flew. We caught fish throughout the float, and found it hard to believe it was after 5 when we reached the pullout. It was a great day, and we both have nothing but good things to say about Mike and North Fork Anglers.
If you are considering a float trip in the Cody area, we would recommend the lower Shoshone.
A Note on Traveling:
We stayed at VRBO property in Clark, 3o mins north of Cody. We had a great host. She told stories about the area, lent tools to fix a broken reel, and most important shared her bear spray. We were only a mile from the Clark fish hatchery. Employees there were a great source of info. I would recommend this property. It is about 2 hours south of Billings. Less than a mile to public access for the Clark’s Fork. If you want to learn more, email me.
Enjoy!