A proposal to ban watercraft on the upper stretch of the North Platte River’s Miracle Mile section near Casper is drawing fire from some anglers who want to kill the rule before Gov. Mark Gordon signs off on it.
The name Miracle Mile is deceiving. It’s actually an 8-mile stretch of the North Platte that’s widely regarded as the gold standard for trout fisheries.
Pleasure floaters also covet that stretch of river for its scenery and ample public access.
A proposal to ban watercraft on the upper 3 miles of the Miracle Mile has some anglers up in arms.
Floater and angler Bradey Hall of Casper launched a petition against the measure on Monday. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had garnered 294 signatures.
Hall and his friend Jed Zampedri, also an avid fly-fisherman and floater from Casper, told Cowboy State Daily that they’re flabbergasted by the state attempting to shut down what they say are federal public floating access points along that stretch of river.
“It’s federal access. It’s federal, but they’re trying to regulate it by state statute,” Zampedri said.
Attached To Fishing Guide Bill
The proposed measure came about as a provision of House Bill 5 — which the Wyoming Legislature passed and Gordon signed into law during the 2025 legislative session.
The main purpose of that bill is to regulate Wyoming’s commercial fishing guiding industry.
Proponents of the bill argued that guided fishing is essentially an unregulated free-for-all, and some of Wyoming’s most prized fisheries – including the Miracle Mile – are getting mobbed as a result.
The proposed watercraft ban recently came through the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, Michael Pearlman, spokesman for Gordon’s office, told Cowboy State Daily.
“These rules emerged from the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, which passed the chapter 22 watercraft regulation at their July meeting. It prohibits the use of watercraft above the county road bridge (on the North Platte),” Pearlman stated in an email to Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
It’s not certain when Gordon might decide on the matter.
“The rules are currently in process but have not reached the Governor's desk yet for his final consideration,” Pearlman stated.
Row V. Wade
Zampedri, who is a fish biologist, said he doesn’t see a solid scientific reason for banning watercraft on the upper stretch of the Miracle Mile.
If the idea is to put less angling pressure on the fish in the upper section, it would likely backfire, he said.
Banning floaters on the upper stretch could drive more people to the lower five miles of the Miracle Mile, ratcheting up pressure on the trout there, Zampedri said.
He and Hall said that the proposed floating ban might have stemmed from complaints by anglers who fish from the riverbank or wade into the river to cast.
Some tension between floating anglers and wading anglers is nothing new. Some waders might think the upper stretch is getting overrun by boats, they said.
But as they see it, an outright ban on floaters along the upper stretch would be unfair.
“The resources are either there for everyone, or they are there for no one,” Zampedri said.
Moreover, a wading-only policy along that stretch of the river would essentially ruin access for people with disabilities or mobility challenges, Hall said.
“If you’re even remotely unstable on your feet, you can’t safely get into that river,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
