Top 5 Wyoming Rivers Fishing This Week | July 2026

The Hoback River is currently flowing at 531 cfs (normal) with a stable trend. Flows are fishable today. Water Temperature: 59°F (prime). The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 70-88°F. Calm winds support dry fly presentations.

Insect Activity: Midges are the morning player on the Hoback right now — size 20-22 Griffith’s Gnats and Zebra Midges in the flat glides before the heat builds. By midday, caddis activity picks up along the banks with Elk Hair Caddis or LaFontaine’s Sparkle Pupa in sizes 14-16. The real show this week is terrestrials: grasshoppers are firing and fish are actively looking up — tie on a Morrish Hopper or Chubby Chernobyl in tan/brown by midday and fish the grassy banks hard.

Where to Fish: At 531 cfs the Hoback is running full but very wadeable — focus on inside bends where the current slows and fish stack up. The riffles near the Granite Creek junction are a prime morning spot for midges, while deeper runs and undercut banks through the canyon hold the larger Snake River cutthroat. Work the seams tight — fish are right along the current break, not out in the main push.

Gear Tip: Start with a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator early. Shift to dry fly or dry-dropper during hatch windows. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: General Area 1 regulations: 3 trout/day (streams), no more than 1 exceeding 16 inches, no more than 1 cutthroat exceeding 12 inches. Maximum 3…

The Middle Fork Powder River is currently flowing at 4 cfs (normal) with a stable trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 60-78°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: The Middle Fork Powder at 4 cfs is classic low-summer ranch creek fishing — trout keying on terrestrials through the heat of the day. Parachute Ants in size 16-18 are the confidence fly; fish them on fine tippet with a dead-drift and watch for subtle sips from browns and brookies in the shadows. Early mornings, try a Klinkhammer Special or Sparkle Dun in size 16-18 for the sporadic PMD activity in calmer pools.

Where to Fish: Think spring creek tactics at these flows — the 14-16 inch browns and rainbows will be stacked in the deepest lies: outside bends with undercut banks, holes below small drops, and any shaded section holding cooler water. Approach every pool from downstream, stay low, and make your first cast count — these fish are spooky in the low, clear water.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Standard WGFD fishing regulations apply. Valid fishing license required. See https://wgfd.wyo.gov/regulations.

The Salt River is currently flowing at 369 cfs (normal) with a stable trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 68-86°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: The Salt River is an underrated terrestrial fishery in July, and this week is no exception — with flows at a healthy 369 cfs and temps building toward the high 80s, hoppers are already reaching the water along the ag fields and willowy banks that define the lower canyon stretch. A Dave’s Hopper or Hippie Stomper in size 10-12 fished close to the bank in the afternoon is your best shot at the river’s bigger cutthroat and cutbow trout. Caddis activity is solid through the evening hours — X-Caddis and Elk Hair Caddis in sizes 14-16 will produce as the light drops, and the artificials-only section below the Highway 238 bridge means fish here see fewer bait rigs and tend to be more active on the surface.

Where to Fish: The Salt’s flows this week make it floatable for those with a raft or drift boat, which opens up the long riffles and braided channels that are difficult to cover on foot — those braids and gravel bars are where fish push to feed on terrestrials mid-morning. If you’re wading, work the outside seams of the larger bends where cutthroat and cutbow trout hold in the deeper water, and pay special attention to transition zones where fast riffle water dumps into slower pools. The artificials-only restriction below Highway 238 is worth the extra few miles — those fish are catchier on a well-presented dry.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: General Area 1 regulations: 3 trout/day (streams), no more than 1 exceeding 16 inches, no more than 1 cutthroat exceeding 12 inches. Maximum 3…

The Encampment River is currently flowing at 54 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. Water Temperature: 55°F (prime). The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 66-84°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: The Encampment is running a prime 54 cfs with water temperatures at a cool 55°F — excellent conditions for surface activity throughout the day, not just morning and evening. Caddis are the dominant hatch right now: Elk Hair Caddis and Z-Wing Caddis in sizes 14-16 produce well from late morning through afternoon, and an X-Caddis fished in the film will fool fish that are looking for emerging pupae. Yellow Sally stoneflies are also active on this river in early July — watch for the small yellow adults fluttering near streamside vegetation around midday and match them with a size 16 Yellow Sally Adult pattern.

Where to Fish: The Encampment’s canyon section is classic high-gradient freestone water with consistent riffles, plunge pools, and pocket water — at 54 cfs, every pool is wadeable but the current is enough to push fish into defined feeding lanes along the edges. Work each pool systematically: cast the caddis or Yellow Sally into the seam at the head first, mend to get a drag-free drift through the main body, and finish with a swing at the tail where fish often stack up. The river holds rainbow and brown trout ranging from 10-17 inches, with the bigger fish tucked tight against the canyon walls and log jams — get your fly within six inches of structure before you write it off.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: Artificial flies & lures only

The Greys River is currently flowing at 513 cfs (normal) with a falling trend. Flows are fishable today. The Verdict: Excellent Conditions This week’s forecast shows temperatures ranging from 67-85°F. Calm winds make indicator nymphing more effective.

Insect Activity: July is when the terrestrial bite comes alive on the Greys, a hidden gem in the Salt River Range. Hoppers are already reaching the water from nearby meadows — a Chubby Chernobyl or Morrish Hopper in size 10-12 drifted along grassy undercut banks draws aggressive takes from Snake River cutthroat through the heat of the day. Yellow Sallies are active in the morning; fish a size 16 Yellow Sally Adult through the pocket water behind boulders.

Where to Fish: The Greys rewards anglers willing to hike past the first few access points — fish pressure is minimal beyond the first mile and the cutthroat here have seen far fewer flies. Work the pocket water methodically, casting ahead of and behind every boulder where cutthroat sit facing upstream. The flat pools between riffles are your best hopper water — position downstream, make reach casts to the far bank, and hold the rod high for a drag-free drift.

Gear Tip: Start with a streamer rig in softer edges. Switch to a two-fly nymph rig and a yarn indicator as flows settle. A 9-foot 5X leader with light tippet keeps the rig natural in these flows.

Presentation: Start shallow, then add weight or depth as you move into deeper runs and pockets. Use longer drifts to cover tailouts and seam water.

Regulations: General Area 1 regulations: 3 trout/day (streams), no more than 1 exceeding 16 inches, no more than 1 cutthroat exceeding 12 inches. Maximum 3…