The Bearded Bandit

A Day in the Life of a Fly Fishing Guide

Casper, Wyoming

Photography by Melanie Limpus and contributed by Shane Williams

The 4:30 a.m. alarm came too soon, ringing in the dark before the birds were awake. The two hour drive to Casper presented us with quiet roads and a dazzling, pink and orange sunrise. As we pulled into the parking lot of Sloanes General Store outside of Alcova Reservoir, a truck with a drift boat behind it was already there waiting for us.

Shane Williams was tying a new color variation of leech fly as we pulled up next to him. He hopped out of the front seat and greeted us with a sleepy smile. This was Shane’s day off, and he was spending it with two of his friends, waking up at the crack of dawn to take us fishing.

He held up his freshly tied leech fly to show us and grinned, “This thing is going to work.” It certainly did.

Shane grew up in Douglas, Wyoming. He spent nearly every weekend fishing as a kid, and around 2010, he began venturing into climbing. When he wasn’t out exploring for new potential routes to develop or a boulder to project, he was wetting a line in any stream or river that he could find. For a few years, Shane moved around the state of Wyoming, chasing adventures from Lander to Ten Sleep to Casper. By 2016, he was more serious about fishing than ever before. That’s when he decided to go to guide school. 

“When my mom passed away, I was looking for the next thing to do with my life and was basically fishing all the time,” Shane said. “One of my friends suggested going to guide school, and it just made sense.”

After dropping off the shuttle car and backing the boat into the water, we jumped in and prepared for the day. Shane spent a few minutes getting everything ready – packing the cooler, organizing the boat, and tying flies on our lines. We would’ve helped, but Shane has his system down to a tee. There were a handful of other boats getting on the water at the same time as us, and every single guide in those boats chatted with Shane. It was a relatively busy day for the local guides, and, again, Shane was spending one of his few days off doing the same thing he does every day for two of his friends.

“On an average day, I’m up way too early and out way too late. I’ll tie flies while drinking coffee, head to the shop, load up the rig, untangle shit, pick up lunches, and spend seven to eight hours on the water,” Shane explained. “Afterwards, I’ll drop people off, resupply at the shop, wash out the boat, tie more flies, play with my dog, and go to bed. Then it starts all over again.”

Shane is a guide for Wyoming Fly Fishing, located in Casper. Their guided fly fishing services take people on wade and float trips on both the North Platte and Bighorn Rivers. Wyoming Fly Fishing was the first outfitter in the area, and their special use permits across the state allow their guides access to over 200 miles of floatable water, 40 miles of wade-accessible water, and 34 public and private boat ramps.

While the fly fishing guiding season runs 12 months of the year, the peak of the season is generally from mid-April to mid-November. For the past couple of years, Shane has worked nearly every day during peak season. During those off months, he spends his time working the ski lifts at Antelope Butte Recreation Area in the Bighorn Mountains outside of Shell, Wyoming.

Now we’re not anglers. Both Blaine and I grew up using spinning reels. Blaine was raised on farm pond fishing in Indiana and discovered the art of trolling for Walleye and Northern Pike on the lakes of Minnesota, while I learned to fish with my dad on the Yellowstone River in Montana. We fish as often as we can, but the opportunity only comes once or twice a year for us.

Shane’s expertise combined with his patience makes for a brilliant fly fishing teacher. He’ll tell us exactly where and when to cast, on which side of the boat, and when to mend. He also doesn’t waste any time with hero casting. Whether someone is an experienced angler, somewhat familiar with fishing, or has never held a pole before, Shane can guide them to success. By following his instructions, we landed fish all day long.

“One of the highlights of my job is when people come out and they’re actually interested in fishing and want to learn. It’s very cool to see,” Shane said.

Blaine caught the first fish of the day – a beautiful, medium-sized rainbow with tons of spots and deep pink coloring. While constantly operating the oars and keeping a close eye on the lines, Shane is quick to jump up and grab the net when someone lands a fish. Every time we went to set the hook, Shane was always one step ahead of us. 

“Yep!” he exclaimed as we pulled up on the rod. “Keep that line tight and that rod straight up in the air!”

At one point, both Blaine and I hooked two separate fish at the same time. They were two cutthroat trout, both varying in colors and spots. Shane explained that the difference in these two fish meant that they originally came from different watersheds.

“It’s pretty common for two people to hook a fish at the same time. It’s less common when both fish get in the boat,” he told us proudly as we held our fish side by side.

There were a few other boats around when we caught those cutties. From the second we both hooked our fish to the moment we released them, Shane was giggling the whole time.

“Some of the other guides call me the Bearded Bandit because I’m always pulling fish out of people’s pockets,” Shane laughed.

After a few more bends in the river and a few more fish were caught, Shane rowed to the side of the river and dropped anchor. There, he pulled out a camp stove, a few pots and pans, and a bag of groceries. He continued to light the stove and prepare lunch for us. In a matter of minutes, the aroma was intoxicating as sausages, bell peppers, and onions sizzled on the stovetop. Served with cilantro lime rice and a southwestern side salad, our lunch was a deliciously unexpected treat. 

The day was perfect so far – partly cloudy in the mid-seventy degree range. Blaine and I have fished with Shane in nearly every weather condition. Whether it be a cloudless hot day, an overcast rainy day, early in the morning or late in the evening, he’s always put us on fish.

Eventually, we stopped taking photos of every fish we caught. Although, at one point, I managed to wrangle in a beautiful football-sized rainbow over 20 inches long. It was on par with one of the biggest trout I’ve ever caught on a fly, all of which, to note, have been with Shane.

“Watching people catch the biggest fish they’ve ever caught is incredible,” Shane grinned. “It’s like watching your buddy send a route that he’s been trying to climb for years. It’s so fun to see how people react. They’ll shake and get rattled over it. The genuine excitement is hard to beat.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon pulling in more fish and catching up with our dear friend. Every now and then he’d tell us to switch sides of the boat or reel in so he could switch out a fly or two for us. We’d observe as somehow he’d maintain control of the boat’s direction while tying a new fly to our lines, “vagabond” tattooed across his fingers. That new color variation of leech fly never left my line, though. It really did work.

To learn about guided fly fishing adventures, or to book a trip with Shane, call (307) 277-6282.

Follow Shane on Instagram: @swilliams307