November 2011
Henry’s Lake 11-11-2011
We have not heard if the lake has iced over, but any day now it will. As soon as we hear, we will post it here. Meanwhile be ready to move around the lake to find where fish are active. Bring intermediate and floating lines to concentrate on shallow waters and warm clothing.
Still Waters 11-11-2011
Question now is “when will these ice over?”. Chesterfield Reservoir bays and shorelines, anywhere on Springfield Reservoir, and the upper end of Daniels reservoir is fishing quite well. To any of these bring big flies, that is woolly bugger and leech patterns in fall colors, and small flies; that is midge pupa patterns. Concentrate on shallow waters during warmest times of day and don’t fall in.
Henry’s Fork 11-11-2011
Expect turbidity spikes in the river below Ashton Dam as work on the outlet tunnel and coffer dam proceeds. Midge emergences are big time on the lower river, and small bead head nymphs, pattern of your choice, catch fish, but streamers are catching the biggest fish. Box Canyon and The Tubs are the place for big fish on the upper river. Dress for the occasion if you venture to these.
South Fork 11/11
Flows have been reduced to 3,700 cfs out of the Dam. I imagine this will be the last drop we see for the winter. Fishing has been really good on the river. Lots of Midges being taken on the surface and below the surface. Fish have been keying in on the Midges in the foam lines in the shade. Rubberlegs and Zebra midges have been working as a good nymphing strategy. I have heard from a few people that in the fall all I tell people to fish with is zebra midges and rubberlegs when it comes to nymphing. Yesterday one of those customers called me while on the river and said “I understand why you always say to use rubberlegs and midges this time of year….It works!”
Streamers have also been producing nice fish. Stick with it through the day, change colors until you start to get some action. You should find better streamer success towards the end of the day vs. early in the morning.
Still Waters 11-05-2011
Now that the weather is turning for the worse, Chesterfield Reservoir is living up to its reputation as a great fishery. Try your favorite leech patterns in shallow water. Same thing with the upper end of Daniels Reservoir–fishing is turning on with leech patterns in fall colors and damselfly nymph patterns. We hear the same for Blackfoot River Reservoir, especially along the south side near Dike Lake. Here’s a thought about this famed reservoir which seems to have fallen on hard times. It will hold abundant water this winter meaning good holdover trout next year. With this high water some of the pelican habitat is flooded, so better days may be ahead.
Henry’s Fork 11-05-2011
Inspection work on Ashton Dam requires reducing flows as low as 300 cfs from time to time over the next week. This fluctuation will impact turbidity in the river as well as fish activity. PacifiCorp will begin filling Ashton Reservoir on November 28th. Best news is that because Island Park Reservoir holds abundant water, flows out of Island Park Dam will be at least 500 cfs through the winter. This is great news for fish especially the youngest which need bank side water for shelter. Best way to enjoy top water fishing on the river now is with midge life cycle patterns as BWOs will begin to diminish. Nymph patterns will also work, but streamer fishing is the best way to encounter the largest fish these days.
South Fork 11/3
Flows have stayed steady at 4,000cfs. Water temps will be dropping as we continue to get this cold cold weather in the mornings. Blue Wing Olive hatches are most likely finished with but Midges will still continue to hatch. Look for fish feeding on them in the foam lines, eddies, and the calm flats.
Nymphing is probably the best action you will find for catching fish. Streamer fishing will also produce some fish as well. Optimal days are when its overcast and snowing above freezing temps when it comes to streamers. As the water temps drop slow down your presentation with streamers.
Today at Jimmy’s 11/3
We have a great replacement for waddington Shanks. We now carry the Fish Skulls Articulated Shanks. These are a great substitute for waddington shanks. Waddington shanks have been hard to get because they are produced by Partridge and that is a English company. They don’t really have a distributor in the states so we have been constantly getting back ordered on this product. To be honest with you I prefer these Fish Skull shanks because it is a single wire design and they’re so many different possibilities with hook options when using this shank.
They come in 3 sizes.
- 20mm
- 35mm
- 55mm
Here are a few sample Flies from the Fish Skull website.
Main Stem Snake River 11-1-2011
Brown trout are migrating to spawning areas. Flows remain nearly double in the river for this time of year limiting walk-in wade access, so float fishing is best approach. Streamer patterns presented on sink tip lines are the way to encounter the big browns that populate the river.