Top

October 2010

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / 2010 / October (Page 3)

Still Water 10-15-10

Water is low just about everywhere.  Chesterfield Reservoir is producing big fish for those fishing deep.  Top end of Daniels Reservoir is out of the water, but presenting midge pupa under an indicator is effective.  Twenty-Four Mile Reservoir is very low making launching  boats a bit of a challenge.   Springfield Reservoir remains on the slow side, but look for improvements as we get cooler temps.

Share

Yellowstone Park 10-15-10

It’s brown trout time everywhere they are found. So streamer fishing is the way to go for best action.  Exception is the Firehole River where good surface action comes from BWOs, a few October caddis and midges.

Share

Big Lost River 10-15-10

River below Mackay Dam is very (155 cfs) low so fish are concentrated in deeper holes and runs.  Surface fishing is to BWO and midge hatches which seem to be plentiful.

Share

Main Stem Snake River 10-15-10

It is time to use streamers here and will remain that way for months  to come. Evenings and early AMs will be the best time to be on the river. Have light colored and dark colored streamers in your fly box, a sink tip line, and stout leader on your reel.  With the river dropping walk in locations are plentiful. Come into the shop to learn the best of these.  Also, we can advise which sections to float at a given time.

Share

Henry’s Lake 10-15-10

Fish are in shallow water all around the lake.   You can have success wading at the State Park, around the hatchery, Wild Rose, and anywhere where you can find a solid bottom.   If you are boating, fish water less than six feet deep.  The cutts are tending to run in schools, so expect action for a while, then a period of nothing followed by alternating action and nothing.   Brookies seem to be concentrated around the state park-Howard Creek, Targhee Creek, west shoreline, and the hatchery.  Hybrids are were you find them.  All this moving to the shallows seems a bit strange because water temps in the lake remain around the lower fifties in Deg. F.    Makes us wonder how much better fishing will become when water temps drop into the forties in Deg. F.   Patterns proving very effective when presented on an intermediate line are bead head peacock leech, brown mohair leech with bead, and small soft hackled streamers.

Share

Today at Jimmy’s

This fall I have had the oppertunity to go do a lot of Steelhead fishing. I thought I would share some photos with you from some of my trips. I have been spending a lot of time the last few years learning about Spey fishing, its safe to say its a new obsession. I have been drawn to Spey fishing mostly because it involves chasing what I feel is one of the most desirable species to have pulling on the end of your line. Another reason is Spey casting is not something you learn to do overnight or during a weekend. I compare it to mastering a golf swing, it doesn’t take much to learn the basics, but to be a good spey caster it takes many hours and hours of practice. I got to go to Oregon to fish in September to start the season off. My good friend Ryan Beck came with me, everything we did was focused on catching fish. Ryan and I would spend nights tying flies by lantern light and listening to music  and getting excited to to try out a new pattern the next morning. We would fish hard everyday, and surprisingly eat very little food. We were to busy trying to catch fish and would crash in our sleeping bags to do it all over again the next day. It was fishing bumming at it’s finest.


Here at the shop we have a good selection of Spey and Switch Rods. The good news is you don’t have to spend a fortune to get into an outfit. Redignton makes a really nice line of Spey rods at a very good price, they cast and fish well. Sage has a new Spey rod called the VPS, which has replaced the VT2 series. We still have some VT2 rods left and they are on sale! We offer classes for casting and have a large selection of DVD’s on Spey fishing and casting. If you would like to know more about spey casting come into the shop and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Photos courtesy of Ryan G. Beck and Tim Woodard


Share

Henry’s Fork 10/15

Blue Wing Olives and Midges are bringing fish to the surface. The Lower river and the Box Canyon are fishing well. Nymphing and streamers have also been producing fish. Flows were bumped below Ashton the other day but the water has calmed down now and fishing is back to normal.

Share

South Fork 10/15

Flows have been dropped to 4400 cfs. yesterday and have remained steady as this morning while I am writing the report. As far as the fishing goes not much has changed here. Nymphing on the bright days but if you feel like dry fly fishing throw a Parachute Adams on the bank and you will get trout to eat. It really boils down to what you expect out of the day. If you are good with a few fish, fish dries, but if you want to have the best opportunity to catch a lot of fish nymph on theses bright days. Blue Wing olive and Streamer activity will be better on the overcast days, strip streamers during the mornings and evenings on the bright days. With the decrease in water levels wade fishing is becoming more accessible.

Share

South Fork 10/13

I have just spent the last two days on the South Fork guiding, and I can tell you that there was a huge difference in the fish activity between Monday and Tuesday. Monday was overcast and raining, fish were eating dry flies,nymphs and streamers. Tuesday was the exact opposite type of day in regards to weather, bright Sunny and not a cloud in the sky.  The fish were not as eager to eat flies on Tuesday, but they still ate and we caught fish. So here are two different type of days and two different type of fishing reports. In the fall fish are more active during the overcast days and the hatches are much more prolific as well. On the bright sunny days fish still need to eat but typically you will find them hanging in the deeper water eating nymphs. I did see fish rising to Blue Wing Olives on Tuesday and we had a few eats on a Parachute Adams against the bank on Tuesday but the nymphing gave us more opportunities to catch fish.  Choosing your day is key this time of year, however if you have a day to fish take advantage of that day regardless of the weather. Rubberlegs, and any assortment of beadhead droppers will catch fish. October caddis and Blue Wing Olives on the surface. Look for trout in the riffles and the slow foam lines. The whitefish are everywhere and are in a pre-spawn eating frenzy just expect to catch them if you are nymphing. All sections have been fishing well, but the Canyon is very pretty right now with the trees changing colors.

Share

Small Streams 10-9-10

Flows out of Blackfoot River Dam are still high (400 cfs) for best fishing, but are sure to drop soon.  Streamers work well on the South Fork of the Teton River.  Some smaller streams remaining good fishing  include the Salt River tribs, Birch Creek, Robinson Creek, and Warm River.   Look for BWO life cycle patterns to do well on all these, but remember the closure on Warm River from its confluence with the Henry’s Fork upstream to the railroad tunnel.  So the best water to fish here is from Warm River Spring downstream into the canyon.

Share