Every spring on the Grey Reef stretch of the North Platte River, it’s game time for spawning rainbows—and that means closures. With the updated regulation this year, the closures will stand from April 1st to May 15th.
The OG “cable to cable” closure below Grey Reef Dam is still in play. It’s not signed, but instead marked by two cables running across the river. You can float through these cables, but your rods cannot be in the water. Safest just to keep rods up in the boat to avoid any confusion. Fishing in between these cables not only disrupts our spawning trout, but also can land you a fat ticket.
There’s also a new closure downstream that is marked with signage, so keep an eye out for those! On a map, this closure starts around Ledge Creek and ends at S. Gulch (for those that prefer the local name, S. Gulch is just around the bend from Wind Island). Both closures are there for one reason: protect fish doing their thing so we can keep fishing the waters we love.
Keep in mind not all redds land within a spawning closure. There are many beds that exist outside of what is closed. Keep an eye out for sandy colored rocks and stacked trout especially when wading.
Fun fact: Rainbow trout don’t guard their eggs. Once they drop them in a redd, they’re gone. One accidental step on a bed can wipe out hundreds of future fish. Fish hard, just fish smart.
