Opening day fishing success depended on location. Near the hatchery and the State Park proved the best locations. Weather has been tough with wind rain & some snow, but looks to improve. Small leech (beadhead peacock leech) patterns seem best for fishing shallow waters for now. Let’s see what works as the weather improves.
Recent heavy rains have impacted Park streams almost everywhere. We suggest waiting for flows to drop (Fall River flows out of the Park doubled because of recent rains and run-off) for best fishing. The PMD emergence on the Madison River has been put down because of the rains. With drier weather it will resume. The Firehole River is fair fishing with PMDs, BWOs and caddis emerging, but will improve.
The big news is that damselflies are beginning to emerge on many southeast Idaho reservoirs. With warm weather coming such as Chesterfield, Daniels, Hawkins, Treasureton, Twenty-Four Mile and Springfield will offer some great fishing. Concentrate on shallow waters, around submerged vegetation and bays. See our 5-20-10 Still Waters fishing report for suggested fly patterns.
Now with warmer weather coming look for warm water species to become active. As soon as they do, we will post suggestions here.
Most of these have been impacted by our recent rains. This really applies to streams in the Henry’s Fork drainage. Wait for rains to stop and weather to warm for best fishing. One exception might be the Portneuf River above Pebble Creek where PMDs have been emerging big time.
Big bugs are out all the way to Box Canyon. Warm weather is coming, so look for them to be more active. Fish on the upper river have been exposed to them for a lesser time than those below. So the Box and the reach from Riverside to Warm River could be just great. When the fish are really on the adults, pattern selection (other than choosing one that is visible in broken water) is not as important as placing the fly in the right place. Watch for a fish rising repeatedly and with the right timing drop your fly just ahead of him.
Fall River has about doubled in flow because of recent heavy rains. This has slowed fishing below Chester Dam, so we suggest that locations above Chester dam will offer the best fishing.
The South Fork has been impacted just about the least by all our rains. Fishing has been great. Flow out of Palisades at just below 8000 cfs ( 9700 cfs @ Heise) means a very accessible river whether you float or walk-in/wade. Tribs are putting in some discolored water which is overwhelmed by the clear flow out of Palisades Dam. Afternoons give downstream waters a chance to warm making PMs best fishing time. Streamers (See our 5-20-10 South Fork fishing report for specific patterns), San Juan worms, rubberlegs and your favorite nymph patterns, with or without beads, are also great choices. With warming waters look for action in riffles when BWOs and caddis emerge.
A reminder: If you decide to launch at Twin Bridges be prepared to push your boat to the North channel.
Check out our “Today at Jimmy’s” page for details on Boot Allen’s visit to the shop next Saturday, June 12th. Boots will be here to sign copies of his recently released book “Snake River Angling: Through the Eyes of an Angler”.
An update/reminder for South Fork-Snake River fly-fishing fans and anyone interested in area fly-fishing. Boots Allen will be in the shop, Saturday, June 12 beginning 10 AM to sign copies of his recently released book “Snake River Fly Fishing: Through the Eyes of an Angler”. Boots will also tie examples of flies featured in the book, give presentation thoughts for them, answer questions on the content of his book, and offer angling strategies for the Snake River. We have a good stock of these books on hand, but if you cannot be at Boot’s book signing, come in to buy a copy and leave ideas on how you would like him to personalize your book. Then come in for the book at your convenience.
Looking for a great Father’s Day gift? This book would work just fine!
I got out and fished the Box Canyon yesterday with my family and some friends. Took my daughter Paisley on her first float down the river.
I flipped over a rock and found a healthy population of stonefly nymphs about ready to hatch.
This is why we fish rubberlegs all the time. Stonefly nymphs are a constant supply of food for the fish in the river. As much as the fish like them, I am almost convinced that Paisley likes them more.
(What the heck is this?)
What do you think: do I have a river bum in the making?
The Henry’s Fork was the place to be this past weekend. With the Salmon Flies hatching and the good water conditions the fish in that river saw a lot of anglers and boats. Now that the opening weekend is over, fishing mid week will produce the least amount of people and pressure on the fish, which means you will find it easier to catch more fish. Pale Morning Duns, Stoneflies, and Caddis are the ticket this week on the river. The big Stones will be hatching anytime in Box Canyon and some have already started to make an appearance. I was in the Box yesterday and we found success on rubberlegs, caddis pupa, and caddis on the surface. The stoneflies have moved up past Warm River and are in good numbers above Mesa Falls. Plan on seeing some drake in a week or two. This is the month to fish the Henry’s Fork, lots of good opportunities to fish dry flies.
The fishing on the South Fork just continues to get better and better. Nymph fishing is still the major technique for catching fish. However with the right conditions (crappy weather or overcast) Streamer fishing has been really good as well. The flows are at 8900 cfs. All boat ramps are open with the exception of Twin Bridges. Jimmy floated that section on Sunday. If you decide to launch at Twin be prepared to push your boat to the North channel.
