S6, Ep 53: On the Water: Dustin White on Early Hatches and Dive Bar Delights
Join host Marvin Cash and fly fishing guide Dustin White on The Articulate Fly for a fresh "On the Water" segment straight from the windswept waters of central Wyoming. Dustin returns from battling the elements, ready to share his insights on the evolving fishing conditions and what anglers can expect as they venture out post-Memorial Day.
Amidst tales of gusty days and sporadic rain, Dustin reveals the persistence of baetis across various sections of the North Platte, the emergence of sallies in warmer waters and the surprising onset of dry fly opportunities typically reserved for late summer. Our hosts discuss how the recent weather has spiced up streamer fishing and the anticipation of carp turning their attention from spawning to feeding.
As the conversation drifts to local culture, Marvin and Dustin give a nod to the revamped Back Door Lounge in Casper, a beloved guide haunt that's stepped up its game with a killer kitchen and expanded drink offerings, proving to be the perfect spot for anglers to swap stories and unwind.
Whether you're planning to pole around for carp, chase the hatch or simply soak in the local scene, this episode is drenched in the passion and camaraderie that epitomizes the fly fishing community. So, rig up, listen in and get ready to hit the water with confidence. Tight lines!
To learn more about Dustin, check out our full length interview.
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Speaker:
Marvin: Hey folks it's marvin cash the host of the articulate fly we're back with another
Speaker:
Marvin: on the water with dustin white dustin how are you marvin.
Speaker:
Dustin: I'm doing good um coming off a pretty uh windy stint uh out uh in central wyoming
Speaker:
Dustin: so uh we're looking forward to the the updated forecast we got coming out.
Speaker:
Marvin: Yeah i was we were talking before we started recording and i didn't realize
Speaker:
Marvin: as you were coming back east, I was like, you know, a good time to maybe be
Speaker:
Marvin: off the water and not get blown all over creation for a few days, right?
Speaker:
Dustin: Yeah, it's been windy. It was a bit rainy for probably a good week and a half, I would say.
Speaker:
Dustin: And so there's another couple days left of wind and I got to come back east
Speaker:
Dustin: for a good friend's wedding this weekend.
Speaker:
Dustin: So I'll miss the tail end of that torrent that we've been having and get back
Speaker:
Dustin: for when the weather starts to shift back the way we like it.
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Marvin: Yeah, so on the other side of the Memorial Day weekend, when folks start getting
Speaker:
Marvin: out on the water, what should they expect to see back in central Wyoming?
Speaker:
Dustin: It's a little different on each system. We've still got betas on all three,
Speaker:
Dustin: I guess we would call sections that we tend to discuss here of the horn,
Speaker:
Dustin: of the reef, and of the mile.
Speaker:
Dustin: So betas are still kind of popping everywhere.
Speaker:
Dustin: But, you know, on terms of the
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Dustin: North Platte, we are starting to see some sallies in that warmer water.
Speaker:
Dustin: So sallies have been kind of popping up on the mile.
Speaker:
Dustin: We've been starting to see them on the lower sections or midsections of the
Speaker:
Dustin: North Platte below the reef that we fish.
Speaker:
Dustin: Even some PMD action with some of the days in temps, you know,
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Dustin: again, where we're sitting in warmer water.
Speaker:
Dustin: In terms of the horn, you know.
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Dustin: The the normal sort of stuff that we would you know
Speaker:
Dustin: see there this time of the year are still happening of of scuds of betas uh
Speaker:
Dustin: but but but seeing some caddis uh as well and so all of that's been good uh
Speaker:
Dustin: we've been fortunate enough um you know to have uh the last couple days um some
Speaker:
Dustin: good blue wing hatches so we've had some head looking up um so we've had some success throwing
Speaker:
Dustin: particularly, you know, pretty basic parachute patterns for rising fish.
Speaker:
Dustin: But the cloud cover in that wind we've had is actually made for some pretty
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Dustin: dynamic streamer fishing on all three fronts.
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Dustin: So a little bit of a different variety to choose from, depending on what style
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Dustin: folks would like to target fish with.
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Dustin: Um, but again, you know, um, those, those sorts of tried and true things for
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Dustin: this time of year, um, would, would be, would be effective.
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Dustin: Um, the, the only thing, you know, as I mentioned, it's a little bit different,
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Dustin: uh, for this time of year is, you know, having some, some pretty,
Speaker:
Dustin: uh, effective dry fly fishing, which is tend to be, tends to be something we
Speaker:
Dustin: see more later summer into the fall.
Speaker:
Dustin: Uh and then also some of the the bug hatches we're having seem to be a little
Speaker:
Dustin: earlier um than we normally see um sally's being the the most uh obvious of
Speaker:
Dustin: that but um like i said um taking advantage of what the conditions give us um
Speaker:
Dustin: we've had some some some wonderful fishing on all three uh systems very.
Speaker:
Marvin: Very neat and i also know that as it warms up you're going to be pulling around chasing carp too.
Speaker:
Dustin: Yeah yeah we're we're right around the corner from that and so So,
Speaker:
Dustin: you know, carp right now, we're still definitely pretty spawning.
Speaker:
Dustin: So a lot of them really aren't too interested in eating.
Speaker:
Dustin: But as that winds down, they turn to some, you know, pretty voracious eating habits.
Speaker:
Dustin: So, yeah, we'll be pulling around for them here.
Speaker:
Dustin: I would say within a week or two, we'll start being able to run more and more
Speaker:
Dustin: of those trips. And then, you know, as the summer kicks off,
Speaker:
Dustin: you know, after Memorial Day, I would say it'll be full tilt for them out on the reservoirs.
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Marvin: And if you need to make a wager about what guides are doing on their day off,
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Marvin: that's probably what they're doing, right?
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Dustin: Yeah, yeah. Guides day off, we're probably out there chasing some carp.
Speaker:
Dustin: There's no doubt about that.
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Marvin: Yeah. And, of course, you know, this year, folks, we're kind of talking about
Speaker:
Marvin: local kind of, you know, food and bev places in Casper.
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Marvin: And, you know, Dustin and I were kind of ticking through the list.
Speaker:
Marvin: And a new place that's recently remodeled their bar is the Backdoor Lounge.
Speaker:
Dustin: Yeah, so that's kind of been the, I would call it the dive bar that the guides,
Speaker:
Dustin: us guides would hang at in the later hours.
Speaker:
Dustin: Just an awesome little hole in the wall place.
Speaker:
Dustin: And they took advantage of the off season this year and moved locations still
Speaker:
Dustin: on CY Avenue, but just went a little further west by, you know,
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Dustin: maybe three quarters of a mile down the road.
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Dustin: But remodeled a totally new location.
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Dustin: Same great staff, same fantastic service, but they've updated a lot of what
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Dustin: they offer to their patrons.
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Dustin: So, you know, whereas before it was kind of that dive hole in the wall,
Speaker:
Dustin: you know, you might find a microwave pizza as your only food option.
Speaker:
Dustin: They've got a really killer kitchen right now that they do, you know, regular specials.
Speaker:
Dustin: And in fact, just a bit ago when we had a couple weeks ago with the Kentucky
Speaker:
Dustin: Derby, they did an entire southern cuisine menu with pimento cheese and hot
Speaker:
Dustin: honey fried chicken biscuits.
Speaker:
Dustin: I mean, they did it right. But their regular rotating menu is phenomenal.
Speaker:
Dustin: They've got a great bar staff there and just a really fun place to actually
Speaker:
Dustin: just go have a conversation with some friends.
Speaker:
Dustin: Hang for the night we've been really really stoked on the the the new update
Speaker:
Dustin: that that they've done and and I think folks are are taking kindly to it as well yeah.
Speaker:
Marvin: Did they have any possum for your Kentucky Derby event.
Speaker:
Dustin: No, they didn't stray that far off the beaten path, so to speak.
Speaker:
Dustin: But no, like I said, they had a really great tomato cheese dip.
Speaker:
Dustin: They had, of course, the mint juleps.
Speaker:
Dustin: They had the chicken biscuits, as we talked about, and a few other dishes.
Speaker:
Dustin: So it's pretty awesome as different events come up for the calendar year.
Speaker:
Dustin: They've got a really wonderful kitchen staff that will kind of come up with scratch plates.
Speaker:
Dustin: For those things in addition to their ongoing menu. So pretty good.
Speaker:
Marvin: Yeah. And so, you know, you were saying, you know, Dive Bar before.
Speaker:
Marvin: I mean, are they still kind of in the long neck game?
Speaker:
Marvin: You know, maybe have some special well cocktails. You know, what's the kind
Speaker:
Marvin: of the drink of choice over there?
Speaker:
Dustin: Yeah. You know, before, you know, the drink of choice would have been,
Speaker:
Dustin: honestly, a, you know, a bottle of PBR.
Speaker:
Dustin: And, you know, we'd always do the twist off and guess what the suit of cards is under the bottle cap.
Speaker:
Dustin: They've expanded on that now and they have a pretty killer draft list.
Speaker:
Dustin: They've expanded their cocktail beyond just basic single pours of cheap whiskey
Speaker:
Dustin: to some more finer spirits that they're offering.
Speaker:
Dustin: So they still have a little bit of what folks used to be familiar with there,
Speaker:
Dustin: but they've expanded it in order to kind of meet the needs,
Speaker:
Dustin: the desires of anyone that comes to the door. So just a really,
Speaker:
Dustin: really fun place to hang.
Speaker:
Dustin: Still just a little bit down the road, still at CY Avenue, but it still is the
Speaker:
Dustin: local guide haunt, but just with new digs and all gussied up a little bit.
Speaker:
Marvin: Yeah, so you may have to maybe trade in your Jack and Ginger and a Pizza Hut cup for maybe an IPA?
Speaker:
Dustin: Yeah, I would, I would say so. Yeah. Yeah. You still might be able to find it,
Speaker:
Dustin: but, uh, yeah, we're just, uh, taking a step up there. We're moving on up.
Speaker:
Marvin: Yeah, there you go. Like George and Wheezy. Um, that's exactly it.
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Marvin: Yeah. And you know, folks, we love questions on the articulate fly.
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Marvin: You can email them to us or DM us on social media.
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Marvin: If we use your question, I will send you some articulate fly swag and Dustin
Speaker:
Marvin: and I, when he gets back home to Casper, we're going to kind of nail down what
Speaker:
Marvin: the drawing is going to be, but, uh, you know, we'll be something cool just
Speaker:
Marvin: just like it was last year.
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Marvin: And, you know, yeah, and the wind's dying down and, you know,
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Marvin: wherever you are in the country, you know, it's a good time of year where,
Speaker:
Marvin: you know, you don't necessarily have to hang up your trout rod and a lot of
Speaker:
Marvin: places, you know, saltwater and warm water fishing is starting to gear up and
Speaker:
Marvin: you should get out there and catch a few.
Speaker:
Marvin: Tight lines, everybody. Tight lines, Dustin.
Speaker:
Dustin: Tight lines, Marvin. Thanks so much.
Dustin White
Guide
Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Dustin had a rod in his hand soon after he started walking. He spent much of his childhood and adolescence fishing for muskie, pike, and bass on his family’s lake property. Any and all family trips were spent on the water chasing numerous species of fish in both freshwater and saltwater. However, Dustin’s favorite form of angling has and will always be targeting Trout and Steelhead on the fly. Dustin spends his winters guiding for Steelhead on the tributaries of Lake Erie. Dustin is a graduate of Sweetwater Travel Guide School, and he is a proud pro-staff member of a number of the industry’s top manufacturers. He is also the cofounder and director of “Nimi on the Fly,” a nonprofit charity that seeks to promote character building, enrichment, and conservation with youth the sport of fly fishing.
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