GETTING SALTY IN WYOMING

Please take this with a grain of salt (pun intended)! As a longtime fishing writer for 25 years now, I always have had a love/hate relationship with a few salty veterans. Most folks read my destinations features about well-known fisheries. Maybe they take my advice, book a trip or in a few rare instances, call me out, saying things like, “You ruined my secret spot.” I simply have replied, “How did I ruin your “secret spot” when the world has known about the Snake or Bighorn (whatever the river in reference was) for generations?”

I avoid writing about small backcountry lakes, unnamed streams or even lesser-known rivers and creeks that you need a bloodhound or a topographical map just to find. Sometimes, I highlight a flyfishing destination, then quickly sprinkle in all the great

waters you find—maybe flyfishing hubs like West Yellowstone, Almont, Thermopolis, Glenwood Springs, Missoula, and Thayne.

Thayne you ask—yeah Thayne, Wyoming. This sleepy Wyoming town is just a stone’s throw from Victor, Idaho, Jackson, Wyoming, and the South Fork of The Snake River. I have highlighted the Grey’s River in the same drainage before, but this time around, let us tackle the Salt River….and no, it is not a saltwater river (maybe a tiny percentage), but history will tell you, it’s been a popular place for a long time!

The Salt River got the name due to the saltwater springs, beds and briny areas found in the region that Native Americans and trappers used to cure and preserve meats. The springs offer a flow of 60% saltwater in a limited number of the feeder creeks. The 84-mile Salt River flows north from its headwaters below 10,472-foot Mount Wagner through the town of Thayne and Star Valley, before dumping into Palisades Reservoir to join the Snake River and head West. The whole region is an interesting place as you have three amazing trout fisheries join at Palisades Reservoir—only to become the powerhouse SF Snake that flows West to Idaho Falls and beyond, before joining the Columbia and eventually the Pacific Ocean. Okay, now that I got you on the map, let us talk about spring fishing, pre-runoff fishing since that is the next stage we will encounter in order as I look at the calendar. Locals and guides such as Darin Day from the Rockin’ M Ranch (https://rockinmranchwyoming.com) says fishing typically gets going in June, but if you have friends in the right places, he has been able to plow snow from ramps in late April, which is rare, or May, and have a go at it with dries and streamers. “Since the pre-runoff thing is really not a thing you can count on along the Salt, let’s start with June for a safer bet,” said Darin. “I like to fish streamers like the Double D, a leech pattern I tie or stick with Woolly Buggers and sculpin patterns, but I’m partial to articulated patterns like the Barely Legal. Most guys will slay the fish with nymph rigs, but who comes to Wyoming and a

river like the Salt to nymph—not me!

“As for the dry selection, make sure you are well stocked for early season action in June with Purple Haze, Parachute Adams and Yellow Salles,” adds Day. “As flows start to diminish and we get to that magical 700 CFS range, that’s the time we start presenting big dries and droppers. Your typical Wyoming bugs that work on the Snake will also work here. Darin suggested Chubbies in your favorite colors, with droppers like Brassies or Tungsten Pheasant Tails.

“The favorite colors seem to change each year,” said Day. “Last year a tan or pink was the ticket, but this past season, purple was the top pick. Also, know that the Salt is a well-known hopper paradise. Toward the end of July, I throw big foam patterns like a size 8-12 Fat Albert and Dave's Hopper, and an assortment of stone fly patterns which will produce throughout the rest of the summer.

“When the dog days of summer kick in and the fish have a little higher IQs after seeing so much junk on the water, action gets a bit more technical, so I start throwing smaller patterns like Spinners and size 18 Purple Haze or Adams. This is a good time to use a double dry, maybe a size 14 Adams with a size 18-20 mosquito trailer.”

As fall takes over in the region, the streamer bite can be special on the Salt. Get back to those articulated streamers or feed a small bugger down a feedline and be ready for quick grabs by both the river’s browns, and cutthroat.

“Before things really lock up with ice, the diehards like me do enjoy an outing or two from October to December unless we are in the backcountry getting an elk or deer,” said Darin. “As you might imagine, depending on the weather, action is typically on small midge dry and wet patterns. Nymphing might be the way to go until you see some heads mid-day.

“Overall, the Salt River is a unique fishery,” says Day. “It is a river that has a little bit of everything for the beginner to the most experienced fly fisherman. I have been fishing the river for over twenty years, and a guide for six of those seasons. Access can be tricky,

as there are a lot of private stretches and low bridges, so I’d highly advise fishing it from a low-profile raft or driftboat.”

As for what is on the menu, this windy river hosts a variety of fish, with the Snake River cutthroat leading the charge. Darin says it is also home to whitefish, browns, brookies, rainbows, and a surprise tiger trout here and there. Check it out; I am sure one of the three amazing fisheries in the area will do more than just float your boat.

About The Author

High Country Angler contributor Brian La Rue enjoys giving fly fishers ideas of where to go for an adventure. Feel free to reach out to Brian at Brian@hcamagazine. com if you want your lodge or guide service featured in an upcoming promotional marketing plan.

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