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North Platte River (Grey Reef) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The North Platte below Gray Reef Dam in Natrona County: a tailwater with its own 2026 Wyoming rules and public access areas toward Casper.

Seasonal closure: Two signed stretches below Gray Reef Dam. Next closed from April 1, 2027 through May 15, 2027. Wyoming closes the stretch between the "Closed Area" signs at the gauge cable crossings below Gray Reef Dam, and the 1.2 miles from Ledge Creek to S Gulch, from April 1 through May 15. Source, read October 12, 2026.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~47 F est.
Air / High
64 / 65 F
Wind
SW 31 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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) fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 31 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:44 AM-11:44 AM and 10:14 PM-12:14 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutGood

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 48 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Wyoming requires a fishing licence from age 14, from $48.50 for residents. What a Wyoming licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with WGFD before you keep anything. The season dates for Wyoming, read off the agency, are on the Wyoming seasons page.

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.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp64 F
High / Low65 / 46 F
WindSW 31-42 mph
Pressure1007.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:29 / 18:11
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish North Platte River (Grey Reef) this week

The best day on North Platte River (Grey Reef) this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 1 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Slow

Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Solunar majors
9:44 AM-11:44 AM and 10:14 PM-12:14 AM
Minor period
4:08 AM-5:08 AM
Sun
07:29 to 18:11
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 32 mph
Rain chance
1%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

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 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 21 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 15 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

Wyoming fishing license. Gray Reef Dam to the WY 220 bridge: 1 trout per day, release all under 20 in., single-point barbless artificial flies and lures only, no pegged attractors, spring closures April 1-May 15 (2026 Wyoming Fishing Regulations, Area 5). Live baitfish may not be used on this stretch.

Access

Reclamation lists a boat ramp and parking lot half a mile below Gray Reef Dam, a primitive campground below the dam and a fishing pier at the dam, managed by Natrona County Roads, Bridges and Parks. WGFD's Lusby Public Access Area, 20 miles southwest of Casper off WY 220, has two parking areas, comfort stations, a primitive ramp and about 2.1 miles of river; its road is not plowed in winter. Elsewhere the river runs through private land: stay inside the signed easements.

About this water

The North Platte River below Gray Reef Dam, about 30 miles southwest of Casper, Natrona County, Wyoming.

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

Gray Reef and its rules

Wyoming Game and Fish spells the reach Gray Reef. In the 2026 Wyoming Fishing Regulations, the North Platte from Gray Reef Dam downstream to the Wyoming Highway 220 bridge is limited to 1 trout per day, and every trout under 20 inches must be released at once. Only artificial flies and lures on single-point barbless hooks are allowed, and pegged attractors are banned.

Spring closures

The same section closes two stretches from April 1 through May 15: the water between the 'Closed Area' signs at the gauge cable crossings, the first about 700 yards below Gray Reef Dam, and about 1.2 miles from the Ledge Creek confluence down to S Gulch. WGFD says the Ledge Creek closure, new for 2026, protects spawning rainbow trout.

What the managers list

The Bureau of Reclamation lists brown, cutthroat and rainbow trout for Gray Reef and says rainbow and cutthroat are stocked in the river below the dam, not in the reservoir, which swings from nearly full to nearly empty every day as a reregulating pool. WGFD describes year-round rainbow and brown trout fishing at its Lusby access.

Upstream reaches

Upriver, the Miracle Mile runs from Kortes Dam to Pathfinder Reservoir in Carbon County, where 2026 rules require single-point barbless hooks, and watercraft are banned from Kortes Dam to the Seminoe Road bridge. Between Alcova Dam and Gray Reef Reservoir, single-point barbless hooks are also required.

Common questions

Can I keep a trout at Gray Reef?

One per day, and only if it is 20 inches or longer, between Gray Reef Dam and the WY 220 bridge (2026 WGFD regulations).

Is any of the river closed in spring?

Yes. From April 1 through May 15, WGFD closes the water between the signed gauge cable crossings below the dam and about 1.2 miles from Ledge Creek to S Gulch.

Where can I launch near Gray Reef?

Reclamation lists a boat ramp half a mile below the dam, and WGFD's Lusby access has a primitive ramp further downstream.

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

Pathfinder Reservoir12 miSeminoe Reservoir32 miGlendo Reservoir89 miBoysen Reservoir91 miOcean Lake106 miSteamboat Lake124 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.5721, -106.6935 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.