Wyoming

Wind River

Wyoming·Wind River Country·43.53° N, 109.63° W

Solunar · next 7 days

About Wind River

The Wind River is central Wyoming's big freestone hiding in plain sight. It rises in the Absaroka and Wind River ranges above Dubois and runs southeast roughly 185 miles toward Boysen Reservoir, changing personality several times along the way. Up top around Dubois it's a small-to-medium mountain freestone you can hop across in spots, holding an unusual mix for one river: wild Yellowstone cutthroat, browns, rainbows, and brookies. Dubois is the only water in Wind River Country with native Yellowstone cutthroat, and the fish size steps up noticeably below the Jakey's Fork confluence, where averages move from sub-12" toward 15" with better fish mixed in.

The Dubois water fishes like a runoff-driven Rocky Mountain freestone. It runs off-color and largely unfishable during the June snowmelt peak — the near-Dubois gauge (USGS 06218500) has pushed north of 4,000 CFS at peak versus a fishable summer baseline around 150-350 CFS — then clears to a cool green in late June and early July as caddis come off in clouds and salmonflies emerge. From July into October it's classic wade fishing: hoppers and attractor dries, PMDs, small olives, and terrestrial droppers off the string of Wyoming Game & Fish walk-in public access areas that line the US-26/287 corridor (Dunoir, Sawmill, Landen, Jakey's Fork, Painted Hills, North and South Parker). This is walk-and-wade country — there's no meaningful float program on the public upper river, and much of the surrounding land is private, so stick to the marked access areas.

The catch, and it's the single most important fact about this river, is access downstream. Below roughly Crowheart the Wind River enters the Wind River Indian Reservation (Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho) and stays on tribal land for about fifty miles toward Riverton, and again below Boysen Dam through the Wind River Canyon. Those reaches are not covered by a Wyoming fishing license — they require a tribal fishing/trespass permit plus a Recreation Stamp, and the canyon float is restricted to tribe-authorized outfitters. The celebrated "wild brown tailwater" you'll read about is the Wind River Canyon below Boysen: genuinely excellent, but reservation water with its own rules, not a place you can pull over and fish on a Wyoming license. Get the access boundaries straight before you plan a trip here.

Species

Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout
Primary (upper, native) · Jul-Oct · 8-15"
The signature fish of the Dubois reach and the only native cutthroat in Wind River Country. Best on the public upper river above the reservation boundary; readily takes attractor dries and hopper-droppers.
Brown Trout
Common · Sep-Nov · 12-20"+
Bigger fish show up below the Jakey's Fork confluence. The Wind River Canyon tailwater below Boysen (reservation, permit required) is a notable wild-brown fishery.
Rainbow Trout
Common · Jun-Oct · 10-16"
Throughout the drainage; strongest in the cold, clear Wind River Canyon tailwater (permit-only reservation water).
Brook Trout
Present (upper/tributaries) · Jul-Sep · 6-11"
Small-stream and headwater fish around Dubois and in the public tributaries (Jakey's Fork, DuNoir drainage).
Mountain Whitefish
Abundant (native) · Year-round · 10-16"
A reliable native nymphing target, listed on WGFD public-access-area signage. Often the most numerous fish in a given run.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout	Primary (upper, native)	Jul-Oct	8-15"
Brown Trout	Common	Sep-Nov	12-20"+
Rainbow Trout	Common	Jun-Oct	10-16"
Brook Trout	Present (upper/tributaries)	Jul-Sep	6-11"
Mountain Whitefish	Abundant (native)	Year-round	10-16"

Sections

4 reaches

Upper Wind — Dubois Freestone (Public)

WadeCutthroat · Brook Trout · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout · Whitefish

The public heart of the river: a small-to-medium runoff-driven freestone of pocket water, riffles, and short runs through willow meadow and foothill canyon near Dubois. Off-color in June, it clears to a cool green in late June and fishes hoppers, attractor dries, PMDs, and small olives through October. Fished on a Wyoming license via the chain of WGFD walk-in Public Access Areas (Dunoir, Sawmill, Landen, Jakey's Fork, Painted Hills, North/South Parker) — stay on the marked areas, as surrounding land is private.

Best for: Wild Yellowstone cutthroat, brown trout, and brook trout on dry-fly and hopper-dropper rigs; light nymphing for mountain whitefish. Big-fish uptick below the Jakey's Fork confluence.

Wind River Canyon — below Boysen Dam (Reservation, Guide-Only Float)

FloatBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

A cold, clear tailwater plunging roughly 15 miles through a deep canyon south of Thermopolis. It stays clear nearly year-round — which is why it fishes when the upper river is blown out — and is one of Wyoming's better wild-brown fisheries. But all but about two miles lie on the Wind River Indian Reservation: a tribal permit is required, and below-dam float access is restricted to tribe-authorized outfitters (Wind River Canyon Whitewater & Fly Fishing is the sole commercially permitted outfitter). Below the canyon's Wedding of the Waters the river becomes the Bighorn, off the reservation.

Best for: Wild brown trout and rainbow trout to 18"+ on nymph and streamer rigs; permit- and guide-gated.

Dubois Tributaries — Jakey's Fork, East Fork & DuNoir (Public)

WadeCutthroat · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout

Small public tributary and headwater fisheries around Dubois — Jakey's Fork, the East Fork Wind River, and the DuNoir Creek drainage west of town in the Shoshone National Forest. Tight, brushy small water fished on a Wyoming license. Note that the Little Wind River and its forks, by contrast, are entirely reservation water and require a tribal permit.

Best for: Brook trout and small wild Yellowstone cutthroat on short dry-fly presentations; classic backcountry small-stream fishing.

Middle Wind — Crowheart to Riverton (Reservation, Tribal Permit)

WadeBrown Trout · Rainbow Trout

A larger, low-gradient river through the Wind River Indian Reservation valley, heavily diverted for irrigation (the Riverton gauge has run near 27 CFS in July — a dewatering artifact, not a fishery signal). This reach lies entirely on reservation land: a Wyoming license does NOT apply, and a Wind River Tribal Fishing/Trespass Permit plus Recreation Stamp is required even to be on the land. Documented here for accuracy, not as a recommended public destination.

Best for: Opportunistic brown trout where flows hold; quality is limited by summer irrigation withdrawals. Permit-only reservation water.

At a glance

Ideal wading flow: 150–400 cfs
Blow-out: >1,500 cfs
Ideal water temp: 48–62°F

Best seasons

Summer (Jul-early Sep) is prime on the public upper Wind for solitude and dry-fly fishing, with the caddis and salmonfly windows opening as runoff drops in late June. Early fall brings browns and BWO action. Spring offers pre-runoff midge and BWO before the river blows out with May-June snowmelt. The Wind River Canyon tailwater (reservation permit) fishes year-round precisely because it dodges runoff, but it's guide-gated.

Regulations

Two completely different regulatory regimes split this river, and getting them straight is the crux of fishing here. The public upper Wind around Dubois is Wyoming Game & Fish water fished on a standard Wyoming license. Everything below roughly Crowheart — the mid-river toward Riverton, the Little Wind system, and the Wind River Canyon tailwater below Boysen — lies on the Wind River Indian Reservation and requires a tribal fishing/trespass permit. A Wyoming license does NOT authorize fishing, or even travel, on reservation land.

Public upper Wind (Dubois area, WGFD Fish Management Area 2): valid Wyoming fishing license required.
Public reach general stream creel: 3 trout per day, no more than 1 over 16".
Up to 3 hooks/flies/lures per line; bait, fly, and lure all permitted (no fly-only or artificial-only special designation on the general upper Wind).
Access the public upper river only via marked WGFD walk-in Public Access Areas (Dunoir, Sawmill, Landen, Jakey's Fork, Painted Hills, North/South Parker) — much of the surrounding land is private.
Reservation reaches (below ~Crowheart, Little Wind system, Wind River Canyon): a Wind River Tribal Fishing/Trespass Permit plus a Recreation Stamp is required — a Wyoming license does not apply.
A tribal permit is required even to be on reservation land, not just to fish it.
Wind River Canyon float access below Boysen Dam is restricted to tribe-authorized outfitters.

Tribal permits are sold at Wind River Fish & Game HQ in Fort Washakie and authorized vendors in Riverton, Lander, and Dubois. Below the canyon's "Wedding of the Waters" the river becomes the Bighorn (off the reservation, back on a Wyoming license). Late-summer irrigation withdrawals heavily dewater the mid-river through the reservation valley — the Riverton gauge has dropped near 27 CFS in July, a diversion artifact, not a fishery signal. Regulations and tribal permit terms change annually; verify the current WGFD regs booklet and tribal permit terms before fishing.

Source: Wyoming Game & Fish Department (public reach) / Eastern Shoshone & Northern Arapaho Tribes (reservation reaches). Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Dubois, WY

1.5 hrs from Jackson (over Togwotee Pass), 1.5 hrs from Riverton, ~3 hrs from Casper

Fly shops

Wind River FlyfitterDubois

Camping: National forest campgrounds up the Wind and DuNoir west of Dubois (Shoshone NF), plus Dubois motels and cabins. Boysen State Park sits at the reservoir. Reservation-side camping requires a tribal permit.

Dubois is the upper-river hub for lodging, small groceries, and the fly shop. Riverton and Lander offer larger services and reservation-permit vendors; Thermopolis is the gateway to the canyon tailwater (and its hot springs). Nearest commercial air is Riverton Regional (RIW, ~1.5 hr) or Jackson Hole (JAC, ~1.5 hr west). For the Wind River Canyon, book the tribe-authorized outfitter — you cannot fish it independently on a Wyoming license.

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About Wind River

Species

Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout

Primary (upper, native) · Jul-Oct · 8-15"

The signature fish of the Dubois reach and the only native cutthroat in Wind River Country. Best on the public upper river above the reservation boundary; readily takes attractor dries and hopper-droppers.

Brown Trout

Common · Sep-Nov · 12-20"+

Bigger fish show up below the Jakey's Fork confluence. The Wind River Canyon tailwater below Boysen (reservation, permit required) is a notable wild-brown fishery.

Rainbow Trout

Common · Jun-Oct · 10-16"

Throughout the drainage; strongest in the cold, clear Wind River Canyon tailwater (permit-only reservation water).

Brook Trout

Present (upper/tributaries) · Jul-Sep · 6-11"

Small-stream and headwater fish around Dubois and in the public tributaries (Jakey's Fork, DuNoir drainage).

Mountain Whitefish

Abundant (native) · Year-round · 10-16"

A reliable native nymphing target, listed on WGFD public-access-area signage. Often the most numerous fish in a given run.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout	Primary (upper, native)	Jul-Oct	8-15"
Brown Trout	Common	Sep-Nov	12-20"+
Rainbow Trout	Common	Jun-Oct	10-16"
Brook Trout	Present (upper/tributaries)	Jul-Sep	6-11"
Mountain Whitefish	Abundant (native)	Year-round	10-16"

At a glance

Ideal wading flow

150–400 cfs

Blow-out

>1,500 cfs

Ideal water temp

48–62°F

Best seasons

Regulations

Public upper Wind (Dubois area, WGFD Fish Management Area 2): valid Wyoming fishing license required.
Public reach general stream creel: 3 trout per day, no more than 1 over 16".
Up to 3 hooks/flies/lures per line; bait, fly, and lure all permitted (no fly-only or artificial-only special designation on the general upper Wind).
Access the public upper river only via marked WGFD walk-in Public Access Areas (Dunoir, Sawmill, Landen, Jakey's Fork, Painted Hills, North/South Parker) — much of the surrounding land is private.
Reservation reaches (below ~Crowheart, Little Wind system, Wind River Canyon): a Wind River Tribal Fishing/Trespass Permit plus a Recreation Stamp is required — a Wyoming license does not apply.
A tribal permit is required even to be on reservation land, not just to fish it.
Wind River Canyon float access below Boysen Dam is restricted to tribe-authorized outfitters.

Source: Wyoming Game & Fish Department (public reach) / Eastern Shoshone & Northern Arapaho Tribes (reservation reaches). Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Dubois, WY

1.5 hrs from Jackson (over Togwotee Pass), 1.5 hrs from Riverton, ~3 hrs from Casper

Wind River

Solunar · next 7 days

About Wind River

Species