Tailwater · Mixed · Wyoming

North Platte River — Miracle Mile

North Platte River — Miracle Mile terrain map

The Miracle Mile is five and a half miles of cold tailwater between Kortes and Pathfinder, dropped down in the middle of Wyoming nowhere about an hour from anywhere, and it grows enormous brown and rainbow trout that run up out of the reservoirs to spawn.

Prime · Brown Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather25°C
WindE 23 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.8 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Wyoming licence
  • Tailwater open all year; flow tracks the Kortes Dam release with a statutory minimum
  • Check Wyoming Game & Fish.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
About this water

The Miracle Mile is five and a half miles of cold tailwater between Kortes and Pathfinder, dropped down in the middle of Wyoming nowhere about an hour from anywhere, and it grows enormous brown and rainbow trout that run up out of the reservoirs to spawn. A law actually guarantees a minimum flow here to keep the fishery alive — that's where the name comes from. It blows with the wind, it's crowded in the run seasons, and the fish are heavy and strong. Flow comes off Kortes Dam, so you watch the release, not the sky.

  • Mixed
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity63 × 12%7.6
Conditions total= 83
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January31 December
Related guides
Booking & contacts