Wyoming Reflections
by Jack Wolbach
A broken RV axle and a little bad luck slowed down my fishing trip this year to Wyoming, but despite all that I managed to do some great fishing in a beautiful Wyoming setting. My reflections can’t do justice to this memorable experience.
The upper La Barge Creek, which originates high in the Wyoming Range, has been restored to a cutthroat trout only fishery by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. It receives little fishing pressure and you can experience a day of solitude on a beautiful mountain stream. There are no campgrounds on the La Barge Creek, but two USDA Forest Service cabins are for rent in the area.
The Little Popo Agie River, running through the Red Canyon below Lander, has two fishing access points in the canyon. Fingerlings and many small catchable trout have begun to reappear in the Little Popo Agie. The conservation efforts of the Nature Conservancy in the Red Canyon may be aiding in what appears to be a revitalized river. Fish into the evening and experience the beauty of the setting sun in this red cliff canyon.
Brooks Lake and its outlet stream, near Togwotee Pass, were both low this year. You can camp on this beautiful lake and fish into the evening when the fish are most active. The Brooks Lake Stream runs down through a ravine, with many holding areas and fine fish. Grizzly bear sightings kept me out of the ravine this year. I live to fish another day!
And finally a trip up to Double Cabin above Dubois to fish the Wiggins Fork and Frontier Creek was cut short by a forest fire in nearby Horse Creek. When I saw the fire growing, I contacted the USDA Forest Service, who advised me not to enter the area because they would have to evacuate me if the fire could not be contained. The fire burned for days; everyone was evacuated, and I saved myself many dirt road miles of driving by asking the advice of the USDA Forest Service.
Next year, with a new RV axle, and a fly fisherman’s dedication of purpose, I will return to the high country, to the country I have grown to love, and fill my creel with Wyoming reflections.