DL - Looks like a pretty good time in Wyoming. I like that brown trout. I would not mind catching one of those. I like the cutthroat also. It has been some years since I caught some Yellowstone cutts. I assume that is a Yellowstone but it might not be. Damsels seem to like to line up on a perch like that. Who knows why. Moose are cool as long as they don’t trample you. They are big and a little scary up close. Thanks for making a post.
My buddy who lives in Sheridan told me he thinks there were 4 species of cutthroat in that area. I think we caught Yellowstone and Snake River fine spotted but don't quote me. The big browns and rainbows were out of the Bighorn on hoppers. We saw multiple moose every day, fortunately the rut is over and the cows and calves were pretty chill. No one seemed nervous we were there and they just went on munching willow branches and grass. That said, we didn't try to pet or ride one either.
Last edited by DLJeff; 08-24-2023 at 08:48 AM.
The cutthroat populations in the west are really something. I had a few books back in the day and used to know all the cutts - where they currently were, where the extinct ones had been, their original drainages, etc. I was interested in catching them and seeing the places they still lived but it came down to very small steams and very small fish so I did not get far on that. I went looking for the Humboldt River cutthroat in northern Nevada once and saw a lot of grouse, some owls, a very big rattlesnake and some beautiful country but no trout. Bass in the southeast are similar in that there are lots of species and they developed due to getting isolated in different watersheds. It is nice to fish a place that is the same as it was 200 years ago but those places are hard to find.
That same trip I also ended up at the Bighorn. I waded it and caught fish but flows were high and access to good spots was limited.
Catching cutts with moose around looks like a pretty good experience.
I think most of the Bighorn is best fished with a boat. You'll find gravel bars and diversion dams and shallow bend drop offs to wade fish, but having a boat is almost a necessity.That same trip I also ended up at the Bighorn. I waded it and caught fish but flows were high and access to good spots was limited.
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