Under Western Skies

The west has long had a reputation for its vast wilderness and endless exploration opportunities. While in Wyoming over the summer, I found this to be a truly accurate assessment.

We landed in Cody, Wyoming the first week of June for a family vacation. Immediately, trout were on my mind. Although most of the rivers were still running high from snow melt, I knew I could still find fish somewhere. I stopped into a local fly shop and got some sound advice to fish a few of the alpine lakes around the Beartooth Mountains.

After narrowing it down to two lakes not far from town, I set out to land a Wyoming still-water cutthroat.

After getting blown off the water by intense winds my first two outings, I lucked into perfect conditions. As the sun rose, trout began to rise all around a submerged clump of trees in the corner of the lake. I laid a tandem rig of dry flies gently onto the surface, as to not spook the fish, and woosh! Fish on. While fishing with Pennsylvania State Forester, Dan Devlin, we each managed to land a half dozen each, missing many more in between.

We spent the rest of the trip exploring Yellowstone and Glacier National parks. I did manage to make one last outing to the lakes before we pushed further west.

I felt like, although I still managed to find a few fish, this was only a thin slice of what the west truly has to offer. Whether you are a hiker, camper, or fisherman like myself, the west is full of opportunity. You just have to go out there and find it.

Trouty Gear worn during this trip:

Black Trouty Cap

Maroon Trouty Long Sleeve

Psycho Trouty Hoodie