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Fishing Reports

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Fishing Reports (Page 11)

Still Waters, October 17th, 2023

Blue-green algae growth has ceased on nearly all our still waters. Such conditions for this decrease include fewer sunlight hours, cooling water and air temperatures, and time result in this good situation for anglers and animals be they pets or livestock. It’s really god news for fish because decreasing blue-green algae means more dissolved oxygen in hosting water as well as a lesser impact on available food. Our irrigation reservoirs ( ie Island Park, Twenty-Four, Mile, Treasureton, Chesterfield, Paul’s Reservoir, and even Henry’s Lake) are particularly subject to this bloom because of draw-down during warmest months, but natural lakes also host these algae (Blair Lake, Aldous Lake). So expect improvement in still water fishing success coming up.

Incidentally, there is a particular indicator that large fish are present in any still water. That is the presence of snails as indicated by their shells along the shoreline. Such as Sheridan Reservoir, Treasureton Reservoir, Hebgen Lake, Little Valley Reservoir, and Aldous Lake are examples. Jack Gartside’s Wet Mouse drifted under an indicator is an excellent pattern for imitating a dead and drifting snail in such waters.

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Henry’s Fork, October 17th, 2023

Wait for the wind to die down if you are fishing top waters anywhere on the river for BWO, caddis, midge, and mahogany activities. Wind is one of the worst enemies of aquatic insects that go to the surface to mature and lay eggs. Simply said; with windy conditions, they blow away before completing their purpose. If winds dies down during evenings, that is the time of day to see an increased density of these insects being active, and salmonids will respond this time of day.

Headlines 10/9

Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Water Status Report filed Yesterday, 10/16/2023

  • The new water year started out near average in temperature and wet, continuing the pattern that started in early August.
  • More precipitation is expected tomorrow through Thursday.
  • At an average outflow of 341 cfs, Island Park Reservoir has gained 284 ac-ft/day over the past six days and is 67% full, compared with 48% on average.
  • The upper Snake River reservoir system is filling slowly and is 43% full, compared with 39% full on average.
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Saturday Fly Tying Demos to Resume

For several years it has been a tradition at the shop to offer wintertime Saturday fly tying demonstrations (demo(s)), free to the public. True, these were suspended during the covid crisis, but on being revived during the winter of 2022-2023 an enthusiastic public attended.

Realizing that this event is in demand by the fly fishing public, Fly Fish Food Jimmy’s will continue this Saturday tradition with noted fly tiers demonstrating their abilities at the tying vise.  Each of these tiers will also offer tying technique and  “how, where and when“ information on fishing the patterns demonstrated.  

For each Saturday, beginning November 4th this year, and offered into March, 2024, this web site will announce the scheduled tier, information on patterns they intend to tie, and an outline of materials to be used do so. Demos begin at 10 AM and extend to around Noon.  Being adjacent to Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays respectively, demos will not be offered on Saturday, November 25th and Saturday, December 23rd.

Our November 4th demo features Clark (Cheech) Pierce. Cheech presented a worthy demo years ago at the shop, but since that event has accumulated vast knowledge on materials usage, much of which is original and new to the fly tying world.  Look for Cheech to also give information on using each demonstrated pattern as well as answer questions on technique and pattern selection. Look for more information on Cheech’s demo later this month.

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Henry’s Lake, October 14th, 2023

As expected, fishing is improving as cooler weather takes over. Fish are moving towards shallow water making Intermediate lines best for wet fly fishing and floating fly lines effective for presenting patterns suspended below indicators for trying shallow water around the lake.The State Park will remain open for fishing and boat launching but its facilities will close soon. Choice of effective fly patterns depends on the fly fisher with who you converse, but Bill Schiess’s book “Fishing Henry’s Lake” offers the best collection of “tried & true” patterns and how to present them.

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Southwest Montana, October 14th, 2023

From Quake Lake on upstream it is ” brown trout time” with streamers running deep being the name of the game in any moving water. Bad weather will offer the best results when pitching streamers. Below Quake lake, in the wading only part of the river, Caddis and small BWO life cycle patterns make for action. Rubber leg and streamer patterns are also effective especially early and late in the day.

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South Fork, October 14th, 2023

Flow throughout the river has been constant for about a week ( about 2800 cfs out of Palisades Dam). With high quality water and great dissolved oxygen concentrations, fish activity will be good. Mahogany duns, BWO and midges continue to make for good top water fishing. Streamers, fly rod jigs, woolly buggers and rubber leg patterns are good choices for fishing deep. The more frosty mornings that happen, the fewer terrestrial insects will be around.

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Henry’s Fork, October 14th, 2023

A day, like today, with overcast skies and minimal wind is ideal this time of year for good fishing. Decreasing water temps, good overhead cover, and excellent dissolved oxygen make for active salmonids. Terrestrial insects may be inactive, but midges, all day, and PM BWOs mean active fish throughout the river. Brown trout are migrating to spawning areas and streamer patterns will be the best way to encounter them. Rainbow trout will follow to pick off drifting eggs which means easy protein.

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Yellowstone Park, October 14th, 2023

The Lewis River brown trout run will soon be approaching its peak during the Park fishing season ( the peak in numbers happens in November after the Park fishing season closes). Presenting streamer patterns is the name of the game. It takes a bit of effort to enjoy the river’s best fish concentration: in the channel between Lewis and Shoshone Lakes. But the river below Lewis Lake requires less effort to approach, and has a good concentration of migrating browns. In either case, leave occupied redds alone. Also, be aware, that the later these runs are pursued, the worse the weather can become. See the above photo taken at the Shoshone Lake outlet campground when the weather was BAD, but fishing was GREAT!

The Firehole River now offers its best fall fishing. Try swinging soft hackled patterns into areas of rising fish or drifting small (#20-22) BWO patterns, drift free, to rising fish.

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South Fork, October 10th, 2023

No big changes since our last report. Even flows remain much the same. Palisades Reservoir is about 56% full with water storage by USBR beginning. Unsettled weather expected for the rest of the week should enhance top water fishing success and responses to streamer patterns presented to aggressive brown trout anywhere on the river. Better get out to enjoy what is left of the Fall colors: they won’t last much longer!

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Henry’s Fork, October 10th, 2023

Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Water Status Report Filed Yesterday, October 9th

  • The new water year started out near average in temperature and wet, continuing the pattern that started in early August.
  • More precipitation is expected tomorrow through Thursday.
  • At an average outflow of 341 cfs, Island Park Reservoir has gained 284 ac-ft/day over the past six days and is 67% full, compared with 48% on average.
  • The upper Snake River reservoir system is filling slowly and is 43% full, compared with 39% full on average.

Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Henry’s Fork Foundation

P.O. Box 550

Ashton, ID 83420

208-881-3407 CELL

208-652-3568 FAX

[email protected]

With unsettled weather the next few days, look for good fishing results throughout the day whether your choice may be top water and near such because of fish responding to midge, BWO or mahogany dun activity or through presenting streamer patterns to browns migrating in the river below Surprise Falls ( that six foot dip in the river below Lower Mesa Falls ).

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