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North Platte River (Grey Reef) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Grey Reef: the tailwater that grows Wyoming rainbows like livestock.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~54 F est.
Air / High
84 / 85 F
Wind
WSW 21 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

North Platte River (Grey Reef) is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 21 mph, rising pressure near 1004 hPa and a high of 85. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutFair

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutFair

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 86 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low85 / 59 F
WindWSW 21-25 mph
Pressure1004.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 19:35
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 85/59 F, wind 24 mph, rain 0%

Slow. Wind at 24 mph makes boat control the day's real problem; find protected banks.

Species guide

The species that matter on North Platte River (Grey Reef): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the North Platte River (Grey Reef) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks North Platte River (Grey Reef) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 83 F, wind to 21 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 27 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 27 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 24 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 80 F, wind to 24 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Wyoming requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Artificial-only and limit rules vary by reach: check WY Game and Fish regional pamphlet.

Access

Grey Reef, Lusby, Government Bridge accesses below Alcova; Miracle Mile primitive ramps.

About this water

Tailwater complex on the North Platte, Natrona/Carbon counties, WY. Casper's blue-ribbon backyard.

Fishing North Platte River (Grey Reef): the full guide

The Reef

The North Platte below Grey Reef Dam is a trout factory: stable flows, scud-and-worm biomass and rainbows averaging 18-plus inches in numbers that seem invented. Float the Reef-to-Government-Bridge runs with rubber-legs and worms, swing streamers in fall, and hit the famous "Reef bugger bite" at ice-out. Casper's shops run daily shuttles.

Grey Reef's mile of giants

The Grey Reef tailwater below Alcova holds trout densities that read like typos: thousands per mile, averaging 16-20 inches. Year-round flows keep scuds and leeches producing: drift boats run crawler-harness-simple rigs (bobber, split shot, two flies) with metronome consistency.

The Miracle Mile and beyond

Upstream, the Miracle Mile between Kortes and Pathfinder adds a second pilgrimage reach: bigger water, browns on streamers, fall spawn-run heavyweights. Public access is generous by Wyoming standards: wade fishermen do fine wherever boats launch.

Common questions

When should I float Grey Reef?

April-May for the pre-runoff prime and October for streamer browns: but the tailwater fishes all 12 months. Book shuttles early around the April crowds.

Reservoir interludes

Between the famous river reaches, the North Platte system's reservoirs (Seminoe, Pathfinder, Alcova, Glendo) run their own programs: Seminoe's trout-and-walleye combo against red granite, Glendo's walleye flats, Alcova's clear-water cruising rainbows. Boat anglers trolling cowbells fill the gaps between float trips: the system fishes as one 100-mile conveyor of cold water.

What flows make Grey Reef fishable?

500-1,500 CFS is the comfortable float band, and the tailwater rarely leaves it: dam releases keep it stable. The famous 'bug flushes' (short high-flow pulses) turn the bite nuclear: watch the schedule.

Is fishing good at North Platte River (Grey Reef) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Grey Reef14 miPathfinder Reservoir25 miSeminoe Reservoir45 miGlendo Reservoir76 miBoysen Reservoir97 miOcean Lake113 mi
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