Fly Fishing Flat Creek - Above Cache Creek (Jackson Hole)

Overview

Flat Creek above Cache Creek winds through Jackson Hole’s meadow country, including the National Elk Refuge. Clear glides, undercut grassy banks and aquatic vegetation give Snake River cutthroat trout sheltered feeding lies. In the refuge’s spring-creek water, a careful approach and an accurate, drag-free cast matter more than covering a large area.

Meadow Fishing

Watch a feeding fish long enough to identify its lane before casting. A small dry fly can cover a trout taking midges or mayflies from the surface, while a longer leader helps keep the fly and line in different currents. Avoid casting a shadow across the lie during the approach.

Trico spinner falls provide late-summer small-fly opportunities. Beetles, ants and hoppers offer another approach along grassy banks, particularly when insects fall from the meadow vegetation. A small foam beetle placed close to an undercut can cover a sheltered lie without sweeping across the entire creek.

A damselfly nymph or scud can reach fish holding near aquatic vegetation when surface feeding is quiet. Keep the presentation precise and adjust the depth to the chosen pocket. The Teton skyline and open meadows frame the fishing, while the creek’s slow current leaves trout time to inspect the drift.

Access

The National Elk Refuge fishing map marks designated parking at McBride Bridge on Flat Creek Road, beside the creek. Use the mapped fishing access and the posted fishing boundaries; permission is specific to the refuge’s designated creek sections.