WYOMING — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is rolling out its 2026 XStream Angler challenge, open to anyone looking to fish the smaller streams of Wyoming.

The XStream Angler challenge is an opportunity for anglers in the state to explore over 150 streams with instream flow water rights. According to WGFD, instream flow rights are a tool used for legally protecting the water within a stream and maintaining it at a specific level to protect fisheries. Typically these instream flow rights are used in a certain segment of a stream, rather than the whole length.

“The Game and Fish Department’s XStream Angler program showcases some of the state’s most important streams and the work we’ve done to protect the water flowing in those streams,” the challenge description reads. “The XStream Angler program was created to encourage anglers and anyone else who values flowing waters to seek out the many popular and not-so-popular, streams where instream flow water rights have been obtained over the past quarter century to protect fisheries.”

To participate, anglers can submit an application for one of three achievement levels. WGFD will award a certificate and a sticker for the XStream Angler level to anyone who fishes on three different stream segments. The XStream Expert level will be awarded a hat after visiting 10 different stream segments. For the truly dedicated, the XStream Champion level offers a chance to receive a commemorative coin after visiting 20 different stream segments.

Check out the WGFD website to view the map of waters with instream flow and plan a fishing trip today. WGFD lists only two qualifying stream segments in Teton County, both of which are on private property. But south of the valley, anglers can find segments in the Greys and Little Greys rivers near Alpine, as well as the Hoback River, and Granite, Willow and Cliff creeks in the Hoback Canyon.

Learn more, view the map and fill out an application here. Participants in the challenge must have a valid Wyoming fishing license or be under the age of 14 years old.

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.