I worried more about grizzlies than sediment when I fished the Shoshone River in July. The clear, cold water I expect in the West looked right as can be near Cody, Wyoming. Fly-fishing guide Tim Wade of North Fork Anglers told me the river hosts native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and he was telling the truth. I caught a few. I also believed his statement about the area being a grizzly bear hotspot. I kept bear spray clipped to my waders.

“Makes it more interesting. People are afraid of bears,” he’d said. “They’re good for my business because people don’t want to be alone.”