The best cutthroat in the West | 4-day Wyoming backcountry fly fishing

[@TightLoops]

I appreciate your closing statements here! Its a long standing and ongoing debate amongst conservationists. How much attention is too much attention? and when does something become in jeopardy of being loved to death? No one really has an answer, and at the end of the day its up to personal discretion. I agree completely that people need to care about wild places, fish, and wildlife in order to want to protect them into the future, and that value is far more easily assigned when someone has tangible, real world experiences with it. That said, we live in unprecedented times, and the access and spread of information has never been faster or easier, and some places are more sensitive than others and legitimately can't sustain hordes of eager anglers, no matter how well intentioned they are. There was a study several years back that found that the average cutthroat in the Lamar valley in YNP is caught and released over 9 times. Even the lowest impact catch and release techniques are still impactful. Anyway, not sure exactly what I'm getting at here. It's a good thing you're thinking about this stuff, and sharing it with your audience. I also think you've landed on the right side of things in realizing that places that are kept secret can't be saved, however I don't know that that necessarily means we should all have license to share easy information about sensitive areas whenever possible. Sure, the info is out there, but the places that currently host it don't invite the same traffic as your channel. I'd bet a lot of money that the cutt slam website hasn't had 18,000 eyeballs on it in the last month. But yeah, sweet video! Keep it up, and its great to see other fishing channels talking about biodiversity and the value of wild, native ecosystems. It helps to make more stewards. The questions remains if we'll be able to make enough stewards to save the natural world from ourselves lol.

[@FLYALLSZN]

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to digest the whole video. Secondly, thank you for leaving this thoughtful comment. It’s never easy to fully break down nuanced issues like this, I’ve mulled these topics for hours and often. To this day (and you can ask any of my close friends) your “journey on” film is hands down my favorite fly fishing film. I can replay almost every shot from your time on the Lamar, but in those 7 years since discovering this film I’ve never once visited this hallowed stream. Moving folks from inspiration to action is an awfully long journey. The general optimism I hold is that more folks understanding where these fish preside will help push public sentiment toward wild & native fish management. If more folks are interested in native cutthroat in favor of non-native salmonids it sure makes efforts towards returning them to their historic waters a bit easier. It’s a fine line to dance and it’s no secret that I’m on the more liberal side of this equation when talking “where” and “how’s”. That’s the double edged sword of this platform. It gives a voice to simple folks like myself who think differently than most in this “niche” space. The comments section isn’t always the best place for this, but if you want to discuss this any further I’d love to talk.

[@TightLoops]

@@FLYALLSZN yeah dude! I hope you don't think I was arguing or anything. The discussion just got me thinking and I wanted to share some of those thoughts. Typing/thinking out loud I guess. Like I said, I'm stoked to see you including direct discussion about this kind of stuff in videos, as it should be front of mind for all of us in the information age. And yeah I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk about this stuff in person one day as well. Its a small world, I'm honestly surprised we haven't run into each other out there already!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Didn’t take in that way at all! Tone isn’t the best thing to display with text. I’ll keep an eye out for y’all on the road. Tight lines

[@JonCrow-h2o]

Another great video man. I’m glad to see another adventure from you, inspires me to continue doing mine chasing trout with my buddies on roadtrips camping. Some of the best content out there!!!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Love to hear that!!

[@Ham4Ever1]

This is so cool. I'm only 11 minutes in; this will take me a few sessions to properly watch, but I'm so invested. Your shots are beautiful, and you Nick make great hosts to narrate your story. I'd love to get to do something like this with my father or a friend. In a few days I'll comment back again, and I think it'll be pure praise for your work and friendly envy for how cool this was to do.

[@FLYALLSZN]

That’s phenomenal! I love to hear that, hope you enjoy the rest of it

[@andronomisneltron3231]

The netman drama segment was a great piece of video

[@darrelbaillie7829]

Hi there Mike. Great to see another video of your adventures. Have also seen your Facebook page, and interacted. Always enjoy watching your escapades. Take care.

[@how_nate_rolls4603]

“It’s not ours. It’s just our turn”. Love it. Yes, I about crapped my pants when you mentioned Wiggins by name lol. I know that first specific spot verrry well. Missed you by two weeks. But I listened to your explanation at the end and you certainly make sense. Well said.

[@FLYALLSZN]

I’m just so happy you made it all the way to the end to even give me a chance to explain my position. Means a lot.

[@Dlassi]

I always refrain from watching your videos, or else they'll get me itchin to go out fishing. Gotta wait till the night before to give them a watch.

[@JimBroski-i7q]

Sure enjoyed this video. You do such a great job capturing all aspects of adventure and fly fishing off the beaten path. Keep it up.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!!

[@seannnfranco]

oh man was I excited for this video!! LOVE IT man

[@JhonIgnacioGarzajr]

Welcome Back! This is awesome!!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Howdy, thanks!

[@AmericaBadger24]

My dad loves watching your videos

[@TheMegachocho]

Honey!! Fly all season posted again!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Yes!!

[@stevenschoppmann4946]

Welcome back Mike. Didn't realize there were 4 different cutty species in that region. So informative. Thanks for taking us along.

[@FLYALLSZN]

I’m so happy this could be a resource for you! Each of them are so cool in their own right!

[@jacobrandall6070]

Another unreal video. Mike is the man

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you!!

[@Troy_fish]

Great video . Love seeing all the work you put in to it.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you!

[@johanvandenbergh475]

Great video, Mike! I allways enjoy your trips.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Love to hear that! Thank you so much

[@gromit3298]

Mike this is really one of the best and most entertaining videos ever, I appreciate you have great friends that really enhance the content in many ways and add great dynamics to it, you narrate beautifully and I can say as a Scotsman of over 70 seasons and with a wee bit of experience and knowledge I’m in absolute awe of what you guys are doing and accomplishing to push the boundaries of angling makes me feel like I’m so bloody glad I’m still around to see this, power to you and your friends Mike

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much! That means so much!

[@claycaswell7934]

Great Job. I am a former Wyoming resident. Thanks for highlighting the Cowboy State. I love your passion. Fish on brother!!!!!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Love to hear it! So glad you enjoyed it

[@xjcrawler01]

Nicely done, I did the WY cutthroat slam in 2023. This video brought back the entire trip. Even some of the spots. :P thanks for sharing.

[@allendks45]

Not many folks go up Crystal Creek cause it's a tough out of the gate uphill right away. Nice fish the further you go up.

[@scottrick5190]

Great vid Mike, one of your best…thanks.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!! It was a blast to film

[@knightfour6171]

Well spoken Mike. Couldn't agree more.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you!!

[@mr7hankeyy]

Nice video Mike! One of the best fly fishing channels, keep up the epic trips!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you!!

[@kennethsilvestri5874]

Great video Mike! Appreciate you sharing the names of the creeks. Maybe I'll venture down there one of these summers. Living in Montana, I get the hot spotting concerns as we have seen our rivers here overwhelmed with people, pressure, and the fish in decline. However, as you mention, most people will not walk that far or go through all that to get there. If these places could be fished by drift boat or raft, then it would be a bigger problem. Keep those videos coming.

[@Slow_sippers]

I like your videos. Very well put together. I do disagree with your take on the naming rivers/creeks by name though. I’m very much like you and put a lot of time and effort exploring spots and in my opinion it’s unfair to those who put in the work to find spots like these when you slap the names up. Some of these creeks you listed are well known but it’s just the principle. The fact is most people are lazy and when you put a name to a fish it’s going to attract more and more people to the area that otherwise wouldn’t have been there. Yes the information is right under our nose, but when people are uncertain if an area has fish or not they are less likely to make that leap and go explore it. For example, I know I guy that grew up in eastern Idaho that is an avid fisherman and had never explored some of those watersheds that were right in his backyard. So just because the info is there doesn’t mean everyone will use it. I do agree that it’s important that people should get involved and know about these efforts to support conservation. However, from my experience, most people suck and will leave places like these trashed with litter. Additionally there’s a higher likelihood that those do not respect the fish and environment to the highest degree possible will fish these areas and potentially harm the fish because a majority of people mishandle fish. But it is your life and your rules, I just thought I’d share my side from a somewhat local guy that fishes that area a lot. If you give people low hanging fruit to grab, the wrong people will grab it. Make them work for it like you did so they can enjoy it that much more. Awesome video though, the cutt slam is a great time 🤙🏻

[@FLYALLSZN]

We look at this conundrum very differently. Nothing wrong with that.

[@Slow_sippers]

@@FLYALLSZN As long as the watersheds and surrounding environment aren’t negatively impacted, then it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day either way. It’s just cool to leave some places lesser known and let nature do its thing.

[@Nicoleevsullivan]

Lots of big dead fish in the water this summer :( more and more people

[@ReelyFlyGuy]

I completely get your concern. But the people watching this video aren't the people that are going to trash and mistreat wildlife. Sure some of them might, but most won't. Really it's just going to come down to overfishing... Which I really don't think we should be pointing fingers at each other but at the lack of access to these natural beautiful resources. If We weren't all funneled into these areas that were allowed to be at maybe people would spread out more. I'm sure you're going to cringe at me saying this but truly this video is going to help me out. I'm finding my own places around the areas, but I know I'm not waisting time. I work 5 days a week, If I'm lucky I'll get the weekend, that's Saturday driving, so an an afternoon, evening and maybe a Sunday morning. That's pretty much one trip in to a river, if I get skunked I might never go back, and it could have just been one of these rivers and I had a bad day. This is also especially true because I'm not made of money, gas is not cheap. Luckily the information is there like the cutthroat slam sites. And trust me I've done my research and I've done my exploring. Hours and hours on end, I'm not afraid to put the work in. With my skill, I do seem to waist a lot of it lol. but what I do lack is connections and networking. Which has to one of the top ways that these spots are passed on. I'm just not a social guy, I've tried but just not worked out.

[@Slow_sippers]

@@ReelyFlyGuy They maybe won’t litter, but most likely will mishandle fish and overfish like you said. These videos provide an unnecessary ease of access. There’s just no reason to name creeks/rivers/lakes by name. Especially when it involves a species of fish as sensitive as trout and on top of that a certain sub species that occupies a fraction of its original range. There’s just no need for it. There’s ways to express this form of art and make awesome videos without name dropping places. Humans are the reason a lot of these fish and ecosystems are in bad shape, so why put this on the internet and invite them back to these places to damage them even more?

[@DavidThroldahl]

Mike - Outstanding!

[@brysonschaugaard601]

Very pumped up man!!

[@JimGeurts-f2n]

Very enjoyable video, captured the joy of experience in these wild places. I have begun the Wyoming Cut Slam and am 3/4 through the process and I have found several of the locations you fished and found it fun to see some water I have been to that are pretty dam remote. I understand your feelings that these areas really aren't secret, but at 61 years old, to keep them from being overrun is something I value too. I love your "technical" aspects of the video and am very excited to tie up some of the F.A.S.D.D. flies, this is genius. I crushed on the dry dropper on the Smiths with a duracell dropper this Summer, but there were definitely holes that were deeper that I would have loved to increase a foot or two for a run and move back up on the next hole and this is alot easier than cutting and retying for sure. You seem like a great fly fishing soul, and I always appreciate youth in the sport that has such a love of the entire experience. And you like whitefish!! I always tell my buddies I love these native species, and they fight so hard and are so willing to eat the nymph. I liked your video on the Teton River from last year too. I floated that run during the salmon fly hatch and it was really epic. Wish you many bent rods, maybe see you on the river some day!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!! Love to hear about your slam! Dry droppers are a game changer, especially the F.A.S.D.D.

[@intothewildwego7085]

Another incredibly well done video, Mike! I loved every minute. I especially dug your sequence of black and white photos and your ending thoughts. I always ache for time on the water after watching one of your vids. Killer adventure, dude!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!!

[@FlyFishingTexas]

Fantastic Video!!!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you very much!

[@ryderpelley7886]

Awesome! Love your videos!!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!!

[@nickg8643]

Your storytelling is second to none man. As someone who has to travel across the country to fish out west, your videos always get me so hyped for my next trip, regardless of how close or far it is. Keep it up man

[@FLYALLSZN]

I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s great to hear that it inspires you.

[@DocB_83]

Wyoming is fly fishing mecca. Some of my favorite streams in the world. Just got back from The Gila in NM and checked Gila Trout of my bucket list, but always thinking about my next Wyoming trip. Great videos man!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!!

[@axelschug3451]

I missed you guys by 3 days! Thanks for leaving me a few fish 😂. And yes that last road sucks! No worries on “spot burning” cuz you really have to want it to go to these places. PS where is Dixie’s? 🤤

[@FLYALLSZN]

Just three days?! That’s so funny! It’s in Idaho falls! Worth a stop

[@timkern177]

It's good to see some familiar waters again.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Back in the cowboy state!

[@ZachWeisman-z7t]

I live in Jackson Hole, and yeah you gotta go as far away from the town as possible to find good fish but man it's a cool spot. My biggest cutty ever was in the fall on the Snake River guy was like 22 inches. Loved the vid though keep it up!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!!

[@berks8260]

Great adventure, beautiful cutties…can you tell me what brand holster that is? Thx!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Which one?

[@gp4081]

Great video!

[@tigersteamer]

Good vid man.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much!

[@kylekeinath6702]

I just got back from the stream you got your Yellowstone cutthroat on. Wish I could post photos to this but easily best fishing day of my life. 15 to 18 inches out of every hole, riffle. Fish that had no sign of previous angeling which is nice.

[@FLYALLSZN]

I love to hear that!

[@kylekeinath6702]

@@FLYALLSZN originally was going to fish the Soda Fork and north branch of the Buffalo but the Fish creek fire put a kibosh to that.

[@mcgovks]

Always been a fan, but with the Bob Ross coming into play during the Cutthroat description, I’m an even bigger fan haha Love it, hope you keep it up

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you!!

[@JoshJagdfeld-z7l]

Epic video as always, Mike. Watched from beginning to end! I had the fortune of fishing the Blackfoot and catching some cutties this Summer with my teenage son - admittedly not the Wyoming fishing here, but great, nonetheless! Keep up the amazing work. Many of us are here for it!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Absolutely love to hear that! Can do!

[@Personalfinance_10174]

Great content!! Your videos stand out on utube, well done!! Have u guys ever hit the Green River, like say in Seedskadee NWR? That is a really interesting area but the fishing can be tough...would love to get ur take on it as a wading angler.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Not yet! Might need to look into it

[@Kageal]

Great video man!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Appreciate it!

[@seannnfranco]

youre a great guy mike. love how you talk about fish. I always feel the same, I appreciate you for covering this beautiful state in a way that doesnt destroy its presence in nature, and for informing people about different species and native and nonnative fish, youve done alot for me and flyfishing, and im sure youve done just as much for many others! thanks for making these gorgeous videos that I lose myself in (:

[@FLYALLSZN]

Hell yeah! I appreciate that so much. So glad you enjoyed the story

[@seannnfranco]

@@FLYALLSZN so good homie !!!

[@dankochanek8056]

Nice net job lol!!

[@koosticdead]

I need a fishing buddy like yall !

[@FLYALLSZN]

For sure!

[@AmericaBadger24]

Your so cool

[@Maurice742]

Just returned from YNP and your video makes my cabin fever even worse 😫 enjoyed your video a LOT! Great job! One question, if I may: where did you get your acrylic glass box from? Need this in my collection. What should I be looking for? Thanks in advance

[@FLYALLSZN]

It’s off of Amazon! It was just a 12” planter box

[@Maurice742]

@ thanks for the tip. Can’t find it though 😔

[@cpeterson1131]

Awesome video bro

[@FLYALLSZN]

Glad you liked it!

[@gemstatefisherman3409]

I’ve completed the wyo cut slam many times over. But I’ve yet to do my goal of completing it in one day.

[@FLYALLSZN]

That would be so sick!

[@gemstatefisherman3409]

@@FLYALLSZN it’s pretty doable, just everything has to go exactly perfect. And as per the course, it never goes perfect haha.

[@zachcragoe]

Let’s goooooo!

[@FLYALLSZN]

YES

[@Owls-b7h]

Please do a video in Washington state.

[@foragefarmer1300]

I found out about the first river from a friend who had been going out to elk hunt that unit every year for at that point 5-10 years and told me about the fishing he did after tagging out. Well a state record elk got harvested in that unit and getting a tag went from easy to hard overnight. He finally got another tag this year after trying for 5-6 years. Wyoming posts the success ratio for all their units. All the information was there but it took someone killing a state record to put it on the map. I will say that you are not the first, the damage was done when a much larger channel outed the entire drainage with their "big fish adventure". I personally witnessed the before and after of the specific spot you fished and it is a shadow of its former self.

[@FLYALLSZN]

You’ve fished all 20+ miles of the Wiggins fork and have seen a total collapse of the Yellowstone cutthroat population? They seemed to be quite healthy in the very small section we fished.

[@foragefarmer1300]

@@FLYALLSZN That is not at all what i said and you know it. Pathetic attempt at deflection. Good day sir.

[@zachcragoe]

@@foragefarmer1300 success ratio means nothing on G&F Website. The residents who kill big bulls in these units keep their mouth shut and don’t respond to the surveys.

[@chantheman8443]

Off topic question, but where did you get that purple cord hat with a feather on it in your driftless video?

[@FLYALLSZN]

Vintage find! Lost it in the river awhile back

[@georgedanek7090]

Oh man your video makes me want to get back out to Wyoming. Great stuff! Also, what gum are you always chomping on?

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you! I don’t remember! Probably whatever I could get my hands on at the time

[@nickwestin8444]

I already miss my net

[@FLYALLSZN]

RIP

[@garrettweston767]

Shout out Clay Newcomb!

[@FLYALLSZN]

Bear grease crew is really doing good stuff!

[@joelhess1997]

Love the video and story Mike! It was an absolute pleasure crossing paths with you and Nick. Keep the stoke 🤙🏼 JT

[@FLYALLSZN]

Thank you so much JT! Great to meet y’all!

[@ryanbeebout7676]

But you run and you run To catch up with the sun But it’s sinking. Racing around To come up behind you again. The sun is the same in a relative way But your older. Shorter of breath and one day closer To death. -Roger Waters

[@lizzybachman5491]

You don’t live here, so you don’t see the damage it does to mention places like the last one by name, especially to this large of an audience. These special places change so much once people find them. I’m absolutely all for people discovering them on their own, but not everyone who goes there will respect the water and its surroundings the way you do. When you see these places year after year, you see the fishery degrade from increased human influence. I guess I can just hope that everyone who watches this and ends up in these places treats them well. There’s a difference between “gatekeeping” and doing your part to protect one of the most special creeks many of us here locally have ever had the honor to step foot in.

[@FLYALLSZN]

I explain my stance on this a bit later on in the video, and we may just have different ways of looking at it. All the information is out there no matter how special the creek is. Anecdotal evidence is certainly important but hard data shows much more. That’s why the various conservation organizations exist. They determine whether or not a place is “trashed” and need tighter regulations. Hopefully if more people know then more people care. Giving value to these special fish is the only reason they still exist today.

[@lizzybachman5491]

@@FLYALLSZN I saw the whole thing, and I do understand that people knowing about these fish is why they’re protected. There are plenty of folks (like y’all) who care for these resources but the ones who don’t make huge impacts on these places that they will never see because they’re just passing through. There are many places here that need tighter regs (greys and salt for example) but nothing changes year after year despite the traffic majorly increasing & the quality of fishing (and fish) decreasing. It’s such a fine line between helping and hurting when you give people instant, easy access to knowledge about these places. In our lifetime, despite conservation efforts, we will never see the Salt or Greys the way they were before people realized the fishing was amazing in those places, because too many people treated them poorly too quickly without thinking about the consequences. The visitation, pressure, traffic, and everything else that comes along with these fast growing mountain towns does damage too quickly for anyone to catch up with before it’s too late. Just something to think about from someone who recreates on these rivers and creeks daily, has seen firsthand, and has heard years worth of stories from old guys about how much things have changed with the growth of the internet and the fishing community online. No one can stop people from finding these places, and that’s completely opposite of the goal. But there’s zero denying how much the increased pressure has changed these fisheries, and I think it’s up to us to be aware of our role in that. I’ll step off my own soapbox now, just some food for thought from someone with a different perspective. We can and should do better to protect these tiny creeks that can’t take years of increased pressure the way other places can, or future generations will never know them the way we know them now.

[@FLYALLSZN]

Nothing wrong with a different perspective.

[@Scentcy_girl]

Did you hike up the Lake Alice to try to catch the only only known pure strain of naturally reproducing Bonneville cutthroat trout in the state? Guessing you were close if you were on hobble Creek

[@FLYALLSZN]

We did not! But that sounds like an epic adventure!