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Author: Bruce_Staples

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Articles posted by Bruce_Staples (Page 128)

Still Waters 7-7-18

Daniels Res

Daniels Reservoir is producing as well as any still water, but Chesterfield Reservoir is coming on with a few very large fish being caught.  For Daniels fish midge pupa deep with an indicator, or watch for fish taking damselflies on the surface.  Speckled dun life cycle patterns are also effective, and these should become more so in the upcoming days.  And remember that a most effective strategy on Daniels Reservoir (see the above pic?) is to fish the mud lines during our ever present windy days.  Use you favorite pattern that simulates a worm.   For Chesterfield leech patterns presented  deep or trolled seem to attract fish, but damsel fly life cycle patterns are effective in bays and such protected from the wind.  24-Mile is fishing OK with speckled dun and damselfly life cycle patterns producing.  Next year its trout will be larger.

 

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Yellowstone Park 7-7-18

03-12-09 South Fork 010

Fall River Basin streams are all in good fishing shape. About the only real hazard is the copious amount of mosquitoes hiding out in the timbered areas.  A good  soaking of DEET on exposed skin helps, but it is a bit distracting to breath in some of these pests. With respect to dry fly activity, remnant gray drakes, sallies, PMDs, and wind blown giant and golden stone flies provide great action on Bechler and Fall Rivers and Boundary, Mountain Ash and Proposition Creeks.  Green drakes, and a bit later brown drakes, will come on soon.  Elsewhere in the park , the Firehole River is warming up to the point that it will be soon tough on resident trout to be caught and played. Caddis and PMDs make for action on the Madison River, brown drakes are appearing during evenings in the meadows of the upper Gibbon River and if you are game enough to carry a flotation device into Shoshone Lake, you will find great action around submerged weed beds if you present leech and small streamer patterns using a full sink line.  Give streams (lower Yellowstone, Lamar, Slough, Soda Butte) in the northeast corner of the park some more time to get into good fishing shape.  The best days to fish Trout Lake this time of year are behind us, but consider coming back in October. Give the Snake River a bit more time to round into best fishing shape.  Some green drakes remain in the meadow reach of Lewis River below the lake and the meadows between Lewis and Shoshone Lakes.

river

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Small Streams 7-7-18

robinson creek3

Almost every small stream in our region now offers good to great fishing.  Exceptions are the lower Blackfoot River, a few streams in the headwaters of the Teton River drainage, and the Teton River in the basin where recreational boating could dominate mid-day hours.  Robinson Creek has to be a favorite this time of year.  With five different salmonid species present ( browns, brookies, cutts, rainbows, and whitefish), the fun of not knowing which will respond to life cycle imitations of caddis, golden stones, PMDs, western green drakes, sallies, and to those of terrestrial insects is hard to beat. True most of these fish are in small to medium sizes, but a few residents of large sizes are present.  There is a lot of activity going on and current interest in our larger waters.  So such as Bear, McCoy, Palisades, Beaver, Crow, Jackknife, Medicine Lodge, Stump, Tincup Creeks and upper Blackfoot, Little Lost, and Warm Rivers  will offer much more serenity.

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Henry’s Fork 7-7-18

Bucky

Big attraction here is the evening brown drake hatch, and it has consequences. Harriman East will see as many fly-fishers as brown drakes emerging.  This will be true especially during evenings, and the river above in Harriman Park and Last Chance will not be far behind.  Flavs, PMDs, caddis and a growing terrestrial insect population will make for good fishing during daytime hours.  With all these emergences going on along this fabled stretch of river, the lower river will see less pressure. Flavs, PMDs, caddis, and a remnant of golden stones will provide action with a building terrestrial insect population and promising to do the same from the lower Mesa Falls access on down.  Another factor in the game of “where to fish” is that the South Fork is coming on big time in offering good fishing.  That long awaited happening and the brown drake hatch, make the lower Henry’s Fork is a good candidate for experiencing less crowding.

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South Fork 7-7-18

Twin Bridges Ramp 05-01-11

Flow out of Palisades Dam is down to 12500 cfs ( 12000 cfs at Heise, 5140 cfs at Lorenzo), and that is slightly less than normal for this date.  Walk-in wade fishing is now safer, and at this flow the river offers more candidates for doing so. Big stoneflies are in the canyon and moving upstream.  Presenting nymphs, rubber legs, and such as SJ worms into deep holes from gravel bars is still a very effective way to fish. Presenting small nymphs, beadhead or not, are working best when fishing riffles. Any day, however, because of the good concentrations of PMDs, sallys, big stoneflies and caddis this will turn around to better dry fly fishing.  Rest assured that boat traffic on the river is increasing and will do so at an accelerating rate as it shapes up to meet its reputation as a great river to fish.

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Henry’s Fork 7-2-18

03-26-13 South Fork Bald Eagle

Brown Drakes (evenings) and flavs (afternoons) have begun emerging in the Last Chance-Harriman stretch of the river. I drove by the Last Chance Rest Stop  about 6:30 PM yesterday. Saw only one fly-fisher trying the river just downstream (???).  Maybe most of those were below in the Wood Road 16 area judging  from the the campers, etc. seen way downstream on passing over the Osborne Bridge.

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South Fork 7-2-18

Fall Cr. Falls (640x480)

Flow out of Palisades Dam was reduced  from 16400 cfs  to 14100 cfs last night (now 13700 cfs at Heise, 6640 cfs at Lorenzo). That’s only 1000 cfs over the normal flow for this date for the river below the dam. All kinds of bugs are flying as we mentioned in the last South Fork fishing report, but fish still seem to prefer rubber legs and streamers especially above the Big Feeder.  That will change soon as the river clears some more and flows drop, so keep those big dry patterns and PMD and caddis life cycle patterns handy.  We will keep tabs on when this begins to change.

FYI: First channel to Twin Bridges is open, but second channel remains blocked.

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Still Waters 6-30-18

horseshoe (2)

All the irrigation reservoirs to the southeast are beginning to produce good fishing. Daniels Reservoir seems to be the best bet for action, but it can become crowded at its best locations. Try damselfly and dragonfly live cycle patterns in its shallow areas. Midge pupa under a strike indicator will work almost anywhere, but the trick to success is to find the taking depth.  If wind comes up and resulting wave action muddies the shoreline water, look for fish to cruise these waters looking for scoured life forms. For this situation presenting anything resembling a drifting worm will be most effective.  Fremont county still waters Horseshoe and Teardrop Lakes have been stocked and are offering good fishing.

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Small Streams 6-30-18

robinson creek3

Several small streams in which spawning cutthroat are protected by a closed season open to fishing tomorrow. These include South Fork tributaries Burns, Palisades, and Pine Creeks, Blackfoot River above the reservoir,  Teton River tributaries including Bitch Creek, and Willow Creek tributaries.  Nymph, leech, and small streamer patterns may be most effective on all small streams for several days.

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