Snow and rain hit southeast Wyoming overnight, but today this cold front pushes on out. Behind it is a wonderful warmup. For Thursday on through Saturday, take the opportunity to light up the grill, dust off the tackle box and toss the winter parka aside. Temperatures are forecast to be downright toasty in some areas. The next ripple of wet and chilly weather arrives late in the weekend into early next week. While weather ups and downs continue, as is normal for May, the lows aren’t quite as low, and the highs inch their way upward. It looks like we might finally be out of the winter deepfreeze. Phlox is even blooming on the prairie, a sure sign of the change in season.
Fishing Conditions
Fishing reports are skimpy, thanks to the rather chilly and windy April. The runoff has not started yet due to the colder temperatures. That could change rather quickly as temperatures rise the next few days. That means the best angling might be in waters where runoff has less of an impact. Head to lakes and river backwaters where calmer conditions exist. Water temperatures in many areas are still rather nippy. That means the catching could be slow, but the fishing should be just dandy.
Ranking Categories
H (One fish) – to ensure fish dinner, go to the local grocery store
HHHHH (Five fish) – toss a line and get a fish; the fish aren’t picky
Granite, Crystal and North Crow reservoirs
HHH
The buzz: An angler reported his grandson had a great day, catching a few rainbow trout using a bobber and worms. Both Granite and Crystal reservoirs are known for their ability to put a smile on a young angler’s face. The biking and hiking trails are clearing, with the best conditions on the east side, especially the Middle Kingdom and Canyons trails. The west side trails need a little more time and warm weather to clear.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Nightcrawlers
Salmon eggs
Powerbait
Various spinners (gold, silver colors)
Bead head pheasant tails
Bead head prince nymphs
Woolly buggers (with a crystal flash tail)
Pole Mountain
H½
The buzz: The snow comes and goes across Pole Mountain. There was another blast of the white stuff Tuesday night. Even without that, there’s still a good bit of slogging on the hiking trails. Mountain biking on these trails is a ways off, but pedaling along some of the gravel roads that are currently closed to motorized travel might be an option as temperatures warm. The beaver ponds should be opening up, with some lively brook trout for those anglers willing to hike in. Roads will open up gradually as conditions allow.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Worms
Bead head pheasant tails
Nilla buggers
Egg patterns
Laramie Plains lakes
HH
The buzz: The fishing remains on the slow side across the Laramie Basin. Warmer weather later this week could be the cure. Expect slower action at Lake Hattie, but with bigger fish than most any of the other basin lakes. For those willing to take a longer drive, Diamond Lake is fishing well.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Nightcrawlers
Rapalas
Panther martins
Chironomids
Woolly buggers
Bead head prince nymphs
Laramie River
HH
The buzz: The fishing is on the slow side, but anglers are having some luck from Woods Landing into Laramie. Instead of aiming for the deep holes, one fly-fisher reported having the best luck fishing the ripples. The water is surprisingly warm for this early in the season, but that could change quickly when the runoff kicks in and brings all that snowmelt down from the mountains.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Red copper Johns
Red San Juan worms
Gold spitfires
Hare’s ears
Bead head prince nymphs
Orange blossom specials
Beldar buggers
North Platte River and Encampment River – Saratoga Valley
HH
The buzz: The runoff was delayed with the cooler weather, but could start up this week as conditions warm. The river is flowing at 297 cubic feet per second at North Gate, near the Colorado-Wyoming state line. Expect flows to increase quickly by the weekend, although the angling should be decent for the short term.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Panther martins
Rapalas
Bead head copper Johns
Stonefly nymphs
Wooly buggers
Thin mints
North Platte River – Grey Reef
HHH
The buzz: The fishing is good when the wind is at bay. With the flow around 450 cubic feet per second, there is decent fishing, both from a drift boat and from the bank.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Pine squirrel leeches
Sparkle worms
Flossy worms
UV leeches
Amber scuds
Olive scuds
Purple Q-tips
North Platte River – Miracle Mile
HH½
The buzz: The Mile is fishing fair to good. Anglers report they aren’t catching huge numbers of fish, but are compensated by hooking some big ones. The flow is fairly high at 2,000 cubic feet per second.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Red rock worms
Red San Juan worms
Leech patterns
Vanilla buggers
Rubber legs
Flossy worm
Amber scud
Goldies
Wheatland Reservoir Number 3
HH
The buzz: The fishing action is gradually picking up with the ice off this large reservoir. While the action is slow, the size of fish in this reservoir makes the wait worth it.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Bead head prince nymphs
Black or olive woolly buggers
Squirrel leeches
San Juan worms
Glendo
HH
The buzz: The walleye action is still on the slow side, but is picking up as the water warms and with the end of the spawning season. Anglers report some fair to good catfish action. For those looking for some trail running or mountain bike riding, the 40-plus miles of trail in this state park are in great shape and, due to the lower elevation, allow access earlier than many other trail systems.
Suggested bait, lures and flies:
Leeches
Nightcrawlers on worm harnesses (gold and silver blades)
Rapala spinners (perch, minnow and rainbow patterns)
Jigs with minnows
Sucker meat (catfish)
Grayrocks Reservoir
HH½
The buzz: The fishing is slow for both bass and walleye, but anglers report catching a few both from boats and off the bank. It should improve as the water warms up.
Suggest bait, lures and flies:
Leeches
Nightcrawlers with worm harnesses (gold blades)
Rapala spinners (perch and minnow patterns)
SNOW REPORT
For those with a continuing urge to enjoy the waning snow season, there are still a few options for downhill skiing and snowboarding. Winter Park/Mary Jane saw nearly a foot of new snow this past week, with 7 inches in the forecast before the next warming trend. The season continues on the Mary Jane side until May 9, while the Winter Park side closed last weekend.
Grooming of the Nordic ski trails at the Happy Jack Recreation Area ended earlier this week. Snow comes and goes, with skiing certainly possible for the short term, but expect typical spring conditions and expanding bare patches. Those getting out on the multi-use trails report plenty of snow to slog through yet. Dry trail running or mountain bike riding are a long way off on this trail system.
There have been occasional bouts of snow this past week in the Medicine Bow Mountains to keep things going for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The snowpack is at 102% of normal, the same as last week. At Keystone, near Rob Roy Reservoir, there have been a total of 254 inches of snow so far this season according to Don Day Jr. at www.dayweather.com. This is a 7-inch increase from last week. It is below the 286 inches reported by this time last year, but ahead of the 221 inches reported in 2019.
Reports on conditions for the various trails off of Highway 130 are limited. Expect excellent crust skiing up high. The best conditions for that type of skiing is when the previous day warms up, but temperatures drop below freezing overnight. Such circumstances provide excellent ski opportunities from Green Rock on up into the Libby Flats area early in the day.
The lower-elevation trails at Barber Lake and Corner Mountain could be marginal for skiing, but not bad for snowshoeing.
Similar conditions are likely on the Chimney Park trails, located nine miles west of Woods Landing off of Highway 230. With the warmer temperatures in the forecast, get out early before conditions turn sticky and slushy.
Personnel at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center report the avalanche danger for the southern Wyoming and northern Colorado mountains is rated “moderate” above treeline and “low” near and below treeline. At the upper elevations, wind slabs are a concern. In the afternoon, expect typical springtime wet snow concerns to develop at the lower elevations. Start early and end early to avoid these hazards.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service snow measuring station reports 45 inches of snow at Cinnabar Park, a 9-inch decrease from last week. The station at Brooklyn Lake reports 58 inches of snow, an 8-inch decrease from last week. On the north end of the range, the station at Sand Lake shows 79 inches of snow, a decrease of 6 inches from a week ago. The station at Medicine Bow, at an elevation of 10,500 feet, reports 88 inches of snow, a decrease of 8 inches from last week. The station at North French Creek, on the west side of the Medicine Bow Mountains, reports 67 inches of snow, a decrease of 5 inches from last week. The Crow Creek station on Pole Mountain shows 8 inches of snow, a decrease of 7 inches from last week.
Quick numbers
All Wyoming ski areas are closed for the season.
Selected Colorado downhill areas still open:
Arapahoe Basin: 58-inch base; 9 lifts, 129 trails and 89% of terrain open.
Loveland: 62-inch base; 7 lifts, 84 trails and 89% of terrain open.
Winter Park/Mary Jane: 78-inch base; 4 lifts, 60 trails and 36% of terrain open.
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