What's in the guts?

Here's a little stomach sample from a big Grey Reef fish caught these past few weeks. There is a reason our fish get so big. The North Platte is a food conveyor belt full of all sorts of tasty trout food.

Grasshoppers and Big Water

From the Casper Star-Tribune

Flooding
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_d7a536c3-c4be-59e3-9a5c-7af92791f7af.html

Grasshoppers
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_e3e40f20-bf66-5f44-9cd3-3b27c62af695.html

The writers at the Casper Star-Tribune are typically not very thorough in their reporting so take these with a grain of salt.

Erik

DON'T FORGET-Invasive Species Sticker

A quick reminder to everyone. Don't forget to purchase your invasive species sticker. You can purchase them through the Wyoming Game and Fish office or an automated license selling agent. That of course excludes The Reef Fly Shop because we still write ours by hand-we're old school.

Tom Bie is Everywhere: A Completely Incomplete Profile

Tom Bie may be an imposing figure but his short steps contradict his long strides he makes in the outdoor world. If you are a skier, a paddler or an angler Tom Bie has had an effect on you. I am starting to feel like he is the Kevin Bacon of the outdoor industry. This guy is everywhere.

He is the founder and editor of The Drake Magazine, a quarterly fly fishing publication, self described as "for those who fish". Tom despises grip-n-grin photos and knot tying tutorials. You won't find them in The Drake. Instead you will find well written stories, profiles, locations and very cool yet non typical photos and satire. The locations are often of a popular destination off of the water...like a bar or motel. Profiles may be of obscure guides and stories may be politically driven and not aftaid to raise a few hackles. Satire of anything (many things) that deserve to be made fun of in the angling industry.

Tom Bie is 1/3 of Confluence Films. Confluence Films fly fishing movies RISE and DRIFT play on a loop at The Reef Fly Shop. His projects all seem to have very short titles but all focus on a story and excellent cinematography/photography. Like the magazine, the movies have something appealing to all viewers and not just fly fishers.

Tom has been involved in outdoor journalism for many years. A few of his accolades are former Editor in Chief of Powder Magazine and his relationship continues as a writer. He was also Editor of Paddler magazine among others. He also writes a column in Angling Trade Magazine where he likes to stir the pot on the final page.

My livelihood and hobbies have me continually bumping into Tom. It seems he is in every fishing film I watch. He pops up in the ski films I have. Recently I ordered a movie called "Swift, Silent, Deep". It chronicles the Jackson Hole Air Force, an undefined group of powder hounds that skied Jackson Hole Mountain Resorts side country before the back country gates were open. Tom was writing for the newspaper in Jackson, Wyoming when the late, great steep skier Doug Coombs was evicted from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for illegally venturing out of bounds. Tom is in the film discussing the struggle he had with patrollers after presumably writing the article in favor of Coombs.

Pay attention and you will see, hear or read Tom Bie. Even if you don't find his angle appealing you can't disregard the fact that he is making every effort to change the one dimensional, superficial stigma that has been synonymous with fly fishing for way too long.

Erik Aune




Tom's Tarpon: Fly Fishing For Tarpon from WorldANGLING on Vimeo.

MONSTER FISH!!

We know that your first reaction is probably WOW-that's a big damn fish! Second thought-where's the background? Well in order to protect the location, the angler (Pat Ginder) and ourselves felt it necessary to WHITE OUT the background. We apologize if this pisses anyone off. But what we can tell you is--it's huge, it came from one of the three tailwater's (Reef, Fremont, or Mile) and it was caught by a most deserving person. Pat served as a Marine in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Congrats Pat on the fish of a lifetime!

P.S. It ate a sz. 18 reef worm (red).

Bikes at Grey Reef?

This is a quick post to ask if Grey Reef anglers are also mountain bike enthusiasts? Mountain biking is a universally accepted activity...all ages and genders. So.....
1. Would good mountain biking options make it more attractive to come to Grey Reef over other fishing destinations?
2. Would you expand the amount of travelers in your group if you had the option of a great series of cross country bike/hike trails at Alcova (Fremont Canyon Rim) as well as our consistent fishing on the North Platte River?
3. Would you bring your bike for sessions on a pump track if there was one at The Reef Fly Shop?

I am aware that the pump track thing isn't the most accepted form of riding...it would be mainly to satisfy me. But, the State of Wyoming has built trails at Curt Gowdy and now Glendo. It seems to me that it is relatively inexpensive infrastructure for gaining that eco-tourism demographic where it was non existent. Give your thought please.
Erik