The flush is on with peak of around 18000 cfs already happening. About 17000 cfs is currently coming out of Palisades Dam. Looks like the flush will be decreased about 900 cfs per day and finished this weekend with flow out of Palisades Dam dropping to around 12500 cfs. Water temp below the dam is 51 deg. F which is good for things like the big bug hatch to happen. But consider other locations to fish for the next several days.
As some of you may have heard, Highway 20 construction this summer and fall on Ashton Hill can result in up to half-hour travel delays. That means plan your travel to include this inconvenience that could impact fishing. An alternative to reach the river at Harriman State Park-Last Chance and above is to travel via the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway. Doing so adds about twelve miles onto travel. But it is a scenic trip and much better than waiting for who knows how long in a mile-long traffic jam sure to include many 18-wheelers and slow moving recreational vehicles.
Water coming out of Palisades Dam was bumped up to 14000 cfs from 12000 cfs yesterday. Should not impact fishing all that much. If you are considering floating from Byington or above to Twin Bridges, you can get out of the river from the south channel at Twin Bridges. Big (#4-6) rubber leg nymph patterns remain the best way to find fishing success on the South Fork.
Not far after heading east and crossing the Idaho-Wyoming border, the Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road currently becomes impassable because of snow. Some tourists from Texas found this out the hard way a few days ago. Relying on their GPS and disregarding Mother Nature, they drove their vehicle until it became mired in snow resulting a four-hour walk back out to get help.
The Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road gives access to some of the best fly-fishing locations in our region. However, it passes through some of the country most prone to heavy snowfall in the region. This means the road usually is not passable until the end of June. When it becomes passable, we will post that change here. When it opens, expect to have a wonderful choice of waters to fish, still or moving. We will also have information that will help you to enjoy these to the utmost.
For the next several days all streams, larger or smaller, that drain high country will be full to overflowing with run-off. This includes streams draining the Grand Teton Range, the plateaus in Yellowstone Park, and the Snake River drainage in Wyoming and extreme eastern Idaho. When the run-off drops to levels making these waters worth a fly-fishing visit, we will post such information here. The same applies to other waters such as the lower Blackfoot and Big Lost Rivers currently full of water to satisfy irrigation demands.