Fly Fishing the Tongue River & Bighorns Near Sheridan, Wyoming

There's a bend on the Tongue River, maybe twenty-five minutes above Dayton, where the canyon walls pinch in and the water slows into a green seam the color of bottle glass. Stand there at seven in the evening in July, and you'll watch the surface start to dimple — one rise, then three, then more than you can count — as the caddis come off and the browns forget to be careful. Most people drive right past it on their way to somewhere more famous. That's their loss, and your gain.

Wyoming has a way of hiding its best water in plain sight. Everyone points west toward the postcard rivers. Meanwhile, the creeks and tailwaters draining the Bighorn Mountains stay quiet, cold, and full of wild fish that have never seen a crowd. If you know where to look — and you're about to — the fly fishing near Sheridan, Wyoming is some of the most rewarding, least-pressured angling in the Rockies.

The short version: the Tongue River above Dayton holds wild browns and rainbows in a dramatic canyon 25 minutes from downtown Sheridan. Higher up, small freestone creeks along the Bighorn Scenic Byway fish beautifully all summer, and the Story area offers gentle, wadeable water close to town. Late June through September is prime.

Why Sheridan is a fly fisher's basecamp

Most anglers think of Sheridan as a place you pass through. Locals know it as the front door to a whole watershed. The Bighorns rise straight out of the plains just west of town, and every drainage off that range — the Tongue, Goose Creek, Little Goose, Big Goose, and a dozen unnamed feeders — carries cold, oxygenated water down through public land.

That geography is the whole secret. You can sleep in a real bed in town, drink good coffee, and be knee-deep in a canyon within half an hour. No four-hour shuttle, no dawn scramble for a parking spot. Just water, and time, and the particular quiet of a Wyoming morning before the wind comes up.

The Tongue River: the one you'll remember

If you fish one piece of water near Sheridan, make it the Tongue above Dayton. The road up Tongue River Canyon turns to gravel and then to trailhead, and the river runs beside it the whole way — pocket water, plunge pools, and long glassy runs under limestone cliffs.

The fish here are wild browns and rainbows, most in the ten-to-fourteen-inch range, with the occasional shoulder-heavy brown that'll make your reel sing. They're not picky in the way tailwater trout can be, but they are spooky. Keep low, fish upstream, and lengthen your leader in the slow water.

Local tip — Start with a size 14 Elk Hair Caddis and a Pheasant Tail dropper. If nothing looks up, swing a small streamer through the deeper plunge pools right at last light. That's when the big browns hunt.

Before you go, stop by the Fly Shop of the Big Horns in downtown Sheridan. The folks there know exactly what's hatching on the Tongue this week, tie their own patterns for this water, and can arrange a guided float or wade day if you'd rather learn the river with someone who's fished it a thousand times.

Up the byway: high-country creek fishing

When midsummer heat pushes the lower river toward the warm side, go up. The Bighorn Scenic Byway climbs from Dayton into the national forest, and the small freestone creeks up there stay cold all summer. This is dry-fly fishing at its most joyful — cutthroat and brookies in water you can hop across, eager for anything that floats.

You won't catch a trophy up here. You'll catch twenty fish before lunch, in air that smells like pine and snowmelt, with a view that makes you stop casting just to look. Bring a light rod, a box of attractor dries, and a sandwich. It's the kind of day people drive across the country for.

Water close to town: Story and Goose Creek

Not everyone wants a canyon scramble. The Story area, tucked against the mountains south of Sheridan near the historic fish hatchery, offers gentler, more accessible water — perfect for a first day with a fly rod or a relaxed evening after a big drive. Goose Creek runs right through Sheridan itself, and there are quiet public stretches where a patient angler can pull a surprising brown out from under an undercut bank.

Stay Nearby

Here's where I'd sleep. For the Tongue and the byway, a cabin in Dayton puts you minutes from the canyon mouth — walk out the door with coffee, fish the morning rise, and be back before the family's awake. Browse the Dayton stays near the mountains for the closest jumping-off point.

If you want to wake up inside the range itself, the entire cabins along the Big Horn Mountains Scenic Byway put creek fishing right outside — the kind of place where the loudest sound is the water. Every one of these is a vetted Wyo Stays property, managed by a licensed, insured Wyoming vacation rental brokerage — which in plain terms means a real local team you can actually call, not a listing you cross your fingers on.

Practical tips from someone who fishes it

• License first. Anyone 14+ needs a Wyoming fishing license — buy the daily or season permit online from Wyoming Game and Fish before you leave the driveway.
• Time the runoff. The lower river is high and off-color into mid-June. Wait for it to drop and clear, or fish the smaller creeks that clear faster.
• Fish the edges of the day. In July and August, the bite is best in the cool of early morning and the last hour of light. Midday, go find a swimming hole.
• Pack for weather that changes its mind. Afternoon thunderstorms build fast over the Bighorns. A light shell and an eye on the sky keep a great day from turning into a wet one.
• Leave it better. This water is wild because people have treated it that way. Pinch your barbs, keep fish wet, and pack out everything.

After a day in the canyon, downtown Sheridan is waiting. A pour at Black Tooth Brewing Company and a steak at The Rib & Chop House is the correct way to end a fishing day — ask any local.

If you'd rather someone else handle the details, our local concierge can line up a guided day with a Bighorns outfitter, pack you a streamside lunch, and point you to the run that's fishing right now — just ask the Wyo Stays Concierge when you book. And if morels are more your speed than mayflies, our guide to foraging the Bighorns after the Elk Fire covers the other great harvest these mountains give up each spring.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best fly fishing near Sheridan, Wyoming? The Tongue River above Dayton is the marquee water — wild browns and rainbows in a canyon 25 minutes from downtown. Higher up, small freestone creeks along the Bighorn Scenic Byway fish well all summer, and the Story area offers gentler water close to town.

Do you need a Wyoming fishing license to fish near Sheridan? Yes. Anyone 14 or older needs a Wyoming fishing license, available by the day or season from Wyoming Game and Fish. Nonresident daily licenses are affordable and can be bought online before you arrive.

When is the best time to fly fish the Bighorns? Late June through September, after spring runoff clears. July and August bring reliable dry-fly action on the high creeks; September cools the water and wakes the big browns. Fish mornings and evenings in midsummer heat.

Can beginners fly fish near Sheridan? Yes. The creeks along the Bighorn Scenic Byway and the water near Story are forgiving and wadeable — ideal for a first day. A half-day with a local guide shortens the learning curve fast.

Are there vacation rentals close to the fishing? Yes. Wyo Stays manages cabins in Dayton and along the Bighorn Scenic Byway that put you minutes from the water. Book Direct — No Channel Fees, and you'll have a real local team on call the whole stay.

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The Bighorns don't give up their best water to people in a hurry. But spend a few evenings on the Tongue, watch the caddis come off in that green canyon light, and you'll understand why the people who live here never feel the need to fish anywhere else. When you're ready to plan the trip, book direct with Wyo Stays — and if you happen to own a cabin near this kind of water and have ever wondered what it could earn, here's what your property could do with the right local team behind it.