About me
Fishing in Alaska with my big brother Leigh (left) who taught me everything I know! He had kids, I moved to Alcova lol!
I started working at a fly shop in Ohio when I was 14 years old. While Cincinnati offered some good fishing I felt most at home spending my summers in Kentucky chasing small mouth bass and the occasional trout. The first hatch I ever really experienced was a biblical 17 year cicada hatch that had millions of cicadas crawling all over the Elkhorn River in central Kentucky. Previously we thought catch 12 to 13 fish was “crushing it”, but when we tied on some big foam cicada patterns we quickly realized how many fish we weren’t catching most days. Along with my middle school friends Chip and Griffin we proceed to catch around 30 small mouths that day. We matched the hatch…I thought that was the coolest thing in the world and nothing else other then fly fishing seemed to matter.
After graduating from High School, I moved out to CU Boulder, Colorado to pursue a Geology degree. I quickly became obsessed with Colorado’s trout fishing, with a lot of help from my older brother. After spending 4 years going fishing instead of going to class, I started fishing my way north into Wyoming where I eventually spent 3 years working in Jackson Wyoming (Jackson Hole) at a fly shop. Fishing everything from the Green River to the Henrys Forks, I quickly realized I loved the fishy waters of Wyoming, Montana & Idaho. Spending most of my year in the greater Yellowstone area and migrating further west in the fall to swing for steelhead in Idaho and Oregon, I had found the secret to happiness… always go fishing! I then moved to Bozeman Montana where I spent 5 years guiding the Madison, Gallatin, Jefferson, Yellowstone & a little on the Big Hole rivers while continuing my annual fall migration westward to the coast of Oregon for steelhead & salmon.
If I could do my twenties again I wouldn’t change a thing. I cherish all those nights in the back of a pickup or in a wet tent chasing fish and guiding on as many rivers as possible. But now that I am older I have settled in Alcova Wyoming, primarily guiding the North Platte River for The Reef Fly Shop & North Platte Lodge. I still manage to sneak in tiger musky trips, long hikes up fish filled canyons, and some steelheading in on my days off but most of the time you’ll find me floating around Alcova. Below are some pictures of a fun float I did with my old middle school friend Griffin when he visited early December of 2019. Oh boy did he get em! Pretty amazing backyard to have and demonstrates why my dog and I love living here.
A painting a former guest painted of me netting a fish for her husband…thanks Sue, so great!
Getting some dinner in the back country
Contact info
Jack gardner
307-699-3713
dryphlies@gmail.com
the reef fly shop & North Platte Lodge
307-232-9128
info@thereefflyshop.com
about alcova
The North Platte fishery of Grey’s Reef is located in Alcova, Wyoming about 30 miles west of Casper Wyoming on Highway 220. Alcova is nice and quiet, once you’ve left Casper, there not much here. Alcova has all the necessities but not much else. You can get gas at the general store & basic grocerys but I would hit a grocery store in casper if you were planning on feeding yourselves. The sunset bar & grill has good greasy food.
The Reef Fly Shop (307) 232-9128
The Sunset Bar and Motel (307) 472-3200
Sloane’s General Store & Cabins (307) 234-2066 (Gas and Diesel Available)
