Flyfishing in the Bighorns

In addition to checking out the No-Fly Zone store on Sunday, we also went by the Wyoming Game & Wildlife Office but they were closed on Sunday.  Monday morning we drove back to the Wyoming Game & Wildlife Office but no one was there who could provide specific information about where to fish and what to fish with.  We were beginning to wonder if anyone fly-fished in Wyoming!

We drove across the street to the Visitors Center and a lady there recommended we go to the Fly Shop of the Bighorns.  Finally, someone who was able to help us!

After getting Chuck's fishing license and a couple of lures at the Fly Shop and at Wal-Mart, we headed back up Hwy 14 so Chuck could try his luck at fly-fishing.

We pulled off at the picnic area for Sibley Lake and after eating a quick picnic lunch, Chuck tried first casting with his spinning rod...

 

...and before we knew it,

 

 he had caught a small trout.

 

The area where he started out fishing was a stream below the dam at Sibley Lake.

 

I think some beavers have been working on trying to make another dam across this stream!  :)

 

He caught several small trout near this stream and also fished a pool of water down from the stream where he tried fly-fishing...

 

and caught some more small trout there as well. 

 

Next, we walked up the dam...

 

...where Chuck fished on the lake side...

 

...and he caught a couple of more fish that were a little bigger.

 

The temperature in Sheridan was near 80 but up here in the mountains, it was cool, windy, and in the low 50's. 

The fishing seemed to be slower on the lake side so we walked back down the other end of the dam where there was a small slew of water under the dam.

 

Chuck caught 4 fish here within just a few minutes.

 

It was about 3:00 and we still wanted to check out the Tongue River that had been recommended at the top of the Bighorn Mountains.  We drove further up Hwy 14 and then down Hwy 14A past Burgess Junction a short distance to where we saw several places where we could park the car and Chuck could fish.

 

Chuck caught two of the biggest trout all day within just a few minutes.

After that, the fish decided to stop biting.  You could see them in the water...

 

...but they were not interested in anything Chuck threw at them.

I didn't fish but I "caught" a little button buck bedded down up on the hillside...

 

...and these unusual looking birds that were pecking around for bugs. 

I think these birds are "Sandhill Cranes."  If anyone knows for sure, we would appreciate your posting a comment to let us know. 

And of course, I had to capture pictures of some of those beautiful Bighorn wildflowers.

It was just plain beautiful all around...

 

By 5:30 we decided we better call it a day and head back home.  For dinner, we decided to try out one of the local restaurants we had seen when driving in Sheridan called "Powder River Pizza."

 

We had their "Pizza Sampler" where they combined 4 of their specialty pizzas on one pizza.  It was delicious!  In fact, we think it is the best pizza we have had on the road since we began full-timing.  If you are ever in Sheridan, Wyoming, you need to check it out:  www.powderriverpizza.com

After dinner, we drove down Main Street in Sheridan.

 

Like Buffalo, it is so nice to see a small town where Main Street is still thriving and full of shops, restaurants, and businesses. 

Fishing in the Bighorns and the best pizza since full-timing made for another awesome day in our full-timing adventure.