THERMOPOLIS — What was once a steady trickle of fishing tourism on the Bighorn River in Thermopolis has become a current strong enough to reshape how business is done in this small Wyoming town of fewer than 3,000 residents.
As the number of these fishermen steadily increased, Jessica Ream saw a need.
Sandwiches.
Her husband Tom Ream had started guiding fishing trips and quickly discovered that he had nowhere to go to get a good lunch that would keep on the river.
“We wanted someone else to do this and didn’t necessarily want to be the ones to do it,” Ream said. “But there was this strong need for people going out on the river to get their sandwiches and things just fell in place for us to help out.”
The couple had purchased property on the river and, in August 2024, opened their riverside shop to serve the growing crowd.
“We want to serve anybody on the river,” Ream said. “Kayakers, floaters, and, of course, the fishermen.”
The tourism season has started in Thermopolis and Ream said that she already had kayakers pulling up to their dock to grab a quick lunch.
“They called 45 minutes ahead and came up to the back door to get their sandwiches,” Ream said. “I was excited because this is what I wanted it to be.”
The couple just got their liquor license this year and will be expanding their services as a riverside café and bar.
Even though the river is already experiencing low water levels, those involved in the fishing industry are anticipating record numbers
“We have become a destination,” said guide Tom Ream. “People are making the trip to come here.”
Creating Their Niche
In recent years, as more people are discovering this fishing haven, innovative entrepreneurs like the Reams are creating specialized niches centered around the fishing industry on the Bighorn.
Their businesses range from private shuttles to the Ream’s new sandwich shop catering to anglers.
Tatum Eppeson, like Jessica Ream and Lewis, fell into her niche almost by accident.
She wrote a children’s book with her kids based on the fishing on the Bighorns. Ream created the stuffed toys that accompany the book and now fisherman can buy unique gifts themed to their favorite pastime.
“The fishing is why we moved here,” Eppeson said. “The book is about Trouty McFee, and I just took stories from my kids and my husband being down at the river.”
As fishing continues to grow in Thermopolis, the local entrepreneurs say that they are there to just make the experience a memorable one whether you are on or off the Bighorn River.
“Thermopolis is a pretty tight community,” fishing guide John Wood said. “We all have to support each other because we are small businesses in a small town.”
Wood first came to Thermopolis as a real estate agent for Hayden Outdoors Real Estate and discovered that it was difficult to meet people and get clients.
Since he had been a fishing guide previously, he turned to the line of work he was familiar with as he built up his specialized real estate business. He began to make his connections as a realtor through his fly-fishing clients.
“We have a lot of folks coming out of town to fish and they sometimes turn into buyers,” Wood said. “Eighty percent of our buyers are Wyoming folks that just have never really been over here and explored the town, explored the river, and some of them want to buy.”
These fishermen are mainly looking for a recreational property along the river, or a second home, or a small ranch, near town, Wood said.
Dan Paull is one such real estate buyer that now works closely with Wood on the fishing side of his business.
“I started guiding here in Thermopolis about 10 years ago,” Dan Paull said. “I was able to purchase property north of town, and now I have a lodge here in Thermopolis.”
Paull is a regular at the Ream’s new sandwich shop where his fishing clients purchase lunch and other supplies. He said that rather than compete, the businesses in Thermopolis work closely together.
His goal is to give his guests a great experience away from people and still show them the “Wyoming-esque” experience on the river or in the field.
“I don’t do sandwiches and I’m not a fly shop,” Paull said. “It’s growing into an intricate partnership with everything intertwining and working together.”
Fly-Tying Niche
Mitchell John and his brother, Richard, are the ones who have recently filled the niche for a fly shop, called East Rosebud. Their specialty is selling fly-tying supplies, and this will be their second season in Thermopolis.
“We’re the only fly-tying store within hundreds of miles,” John said. “People are amazed that we have the fly-tying room and that you can get boots, waders, rods, line, flies.”
John does not do any guiding and when somebody calls requesting a boat, he will put them in touch with one of the local guides.
You can get the material to tie your own flies. we work with guides. I mean, if someone calls us, we get them on a boat with somebody. This is the only complete fly shop in Thermopolis.
“I think it’s important to recognize that by working together, our competition is not the guy next door or the guy in town — it’s the destination,” fishing guide Warren Wolf said. “We’re in competition with the Henry’s Fork, and the Madison, and the Gallatin, and the Bighorn up in Montana, and those locations.”
White Water To Fishing
Wolf is the manager for the White Water, and he buys sandwiches for his clients from the Reams. The business has been moved just this year to a more prominent location in town, and they are already seeing an increase in business.
“We’ve been offering White Water trips in the Wind River Canyon for 34 years,” Wolf said. “We knew the fishing was here also and so it slowly morphed to add the fishing over time.”
He said that the number of fishermen ebbs and flows over the years, and the Bighorn has always had a fishing draw. However, he said, it has become more notable since COVID brought an influx of tourists seeking a place to get outside and away from the crowds.
“The Bighorn’s always been a popular fishing destination,” Wolf said. “There’s plenty of pie once we get the people here for everybody to operate,” Wolf said.
Dusty Lewis said he started renting out personal watercraft through his company, Rent Adventure, to keep people an extra day in Thermopolis and he has also noted the growth in recent years.
“When I first opened my vacation rental, people complained that there was nothing to do,” Lewis said. “By giving even the non-fisherman something to do, we keep them in the community and that also helps other local businesses, like the grocery store and restaurants.”
Drawn By The Lure Of Outdoors
“The word’s gotten out with social media,” Wood said. “It was kind of a smaller, unknown fishery but now it’s growing fast.”
Lewis said he has had people come from as far away as Hawaii to meet their relatives who are traveling from the Midwest.
“I found that people often meet here at my vacation rental from different directions,” Lewis said. “Since Thermopolis is in the middle of nowhere, we are in the middle of everywhere.”
Tom Ream said that he has clients from all over and said that some book a fishing trip last minute.
“There’s a lot of the international tourists who are coming for the dinosaur center and then realize there’s more stuff here,” Tom said.
Tom said that he and his wife, Jessica, moved to Thermopolis to be outdoors and he fished for himself before being asked to start guiding.
“I ended up guiding because there was a lack of guides,” Tom Ream said. “There were only originally 3 to 5 guys that were local and then they start asking around to all the fishy people they know, and that’s how I got in.”
Tom Ream explained that he is seeing more people add Thermopolis to their yearly trips that used to go elsewhere.
“There’s nothing quite like it,” John said. “Wyoming’s best-kept secret is now getting out.”
Regulations Welcomed By Guides
‘What I would like to see in the future for everybody, guides, businesses and locals, to work together in some capacity to make this a better place for not just the experience of the people, but the fishery itself,” Paull said.
Recent regulations have been passed in Wyoming that require guides to have a license from the state and pay fees for their boats which Paull sees as a positive move.
“Nobody likes more regulation, but at the same time, I think everybody can see and understand that something needs to be done to protect our rivers,” Paull said. “It seems like the fishing is really catching on more and more every year and we need to figure out the best way to live with that.”
Paull said that it is important for the new fishing related businesses in Thermopolis to make the place a better place for everybody. His understanding of the new regulations is that the state will be monitoring the impact on the fisheries and then adjust it accordingly down the road.
“It is not just for today, but for the longevity of everything down the road,” Paull said. “I think that’s going to be an evolving thing and important to have conversations with on how we can make a positive difference to the community.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
