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Fishing Reports

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Fishing Reports (Page 17)

Small Streams, September 2nd, 2023

Looks like stormy weather will prevail almost everywhere this weekend. Such weather will put terrestrial insects down relative to their activity on bright, sunlit days. Switching to wet attractor patterns is worth considering. Try nymph patterns such as two bit hookers, copper johns, hare’s ears, princes, and zebras, all with or without beads. If the stream you visit is discolored, do not overlook such as San Juan worm and small woolly bugger types as well as small streamer patterns.

BWOs could make an appearance ( with peak autumn activity yet to come) on certain places if you favor top water fishing. Warm River just below Warm River Spring would be a better location than by the crowded major campground at Three Rivers. Consider the Teton River in the Hog Hollow area and in the Basin as well as Buffalo River. Bring a raincoat wherever you go!

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Henry’s Fork, September 2nd, 2023

With the great overhead cover coming during this weekend’s stormy weather, streamer patterns should be very effective, Box Canyon, above and below Coffee Pot, and the Tubs areas on the upper river should be good locations for trying these. On the lower river, with its great brown trout population, deep runs, undercut banks, submerged structure, soft water below islands, are among good locations for browns. Evenings will be the best time for trying streamers anywhere on the river. Also proper presentation trumps pattern selection.

If streamers are not your preference, BWOs will make an afternoon appearance when cloudy weather prevails around certain locations, but peak activity will come later this month..

Bring a raincoat anywhere you venture on the river this weekend!

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Southwest Montana, August 29th, 2023

Elk Lake from Hidden Lake Road

Spruce fly numbers are beginning to diminish, but fly ants are making an appearance on both the Madison and Gallatin Rivers. As with so many other streams, hopper dropper combinations are working on both rivers. Above Hebgen Reservoir, an important fly fishing event is beginning; the migration of brown and rainbow trout from Hebgen Lake into the Yellowstone Park portion of the Madison River. True, numbers are small, but are increasing. So what is worth considering is that the number of streamer pitching enthusiasts is also small compared what will be encountered in October!

Elsewhere, lake trout in Elk Lake will be moving into shallower waters having rocky substrate to spawn. Streamer patterns presented on full sink lines will give the best chances to encounter them.

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South Fork, August 29th, 2023

Minor ups and downs in flow continue but with no major impact on fishing. We hear that the lower river seems to offer better fishing success than the river above. Hopper dropper combinations rule the roost with respect to good fishing results anywhere on the river. When overcast days arrive, be sure you have streamer patterns in that fly box.

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Small Streams, August 29th, 2023

Mahogany Dun

Good mayfly activity will begin on many streams as we begin the fall emergence peak. Gone are such as brown, gray and green drakes, flavs, and march browns. Only a few smaller PMDs are around on some waters. Tricos are diminishing, but speckled duns will remain in good numbers for weeks especially on still waters..The fall BWO hatch will begin any day now and carry on until winter sets in with such as tiny BWOs included. Pink alberts, also know as snowflake duns, will remain for a while. Mahogany dun hatches will be important and widespread. The Hecuba may fly hatch, more scattered and less consistent will appear on relatively soft bottomed streams. Mistakenly called green drake because of its size, it is famed for consistency on such as Slough Creek, but is less abundant on most Fall River Basin streams having a similar substrate.

A single track bypass road has been opened around the damaged section of the road to Bear Creek. The bypass road is suitable only for single vehicles, but not for those with a trailer. More information on the bypass can be obtained from the Caribou-Targhee Palisades District Ranger Station. Reconstruction of the main road will not be completed this year.

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Henry’s Fork, August 29th, 2023

If you see flying ants anywhere along the river, you have found the insect that trout will be keying on for weeks to come. Be sure to have patterns for them in that fly box. Also hopper-dropper combinations seem to work wellanywhere on the river.

Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Water Status Report Filed Monday, August 28th.

  • Last week was on the warm and wet side, keeping water-year total precipitation 109% of average.
  • Natural flow and diversion have stayed relatively constant over the past few days; irrigation demand and lower-watershed streamflow targets are currently being met with little to no reservoir draft.
  • At an average outflow of 565 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained 807 ac-ft since Friday due to rain and is 62.6% full, compared with 51.2% full on average.
  • Water temperatures over the past few days have been well above average; turbidity remains well below average but could increase at Island Park Dam late in the week.

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]

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Jackson Hole One Fly Contest, September 7th-10th, 2023

Every September in Jackson Hole, WY. forty teams put their skills to the test fishing two days, each with a single fly, with team and individual scores determined by the quantity and length of fish caught.  The Jackson Hole One Fly Event uses monies raised to fund conservation, habitat preservation and rehabilitation projects, along with stewardship education for the benefit of trout populations primarily in the Snake River Basin and the headwaters in Yellowstone Park.

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Main Stem Snake River, August 26th, 2023

Snake River at Freeman Park

Now that irrigation flow is decreasing it is time to begin looking at fishing the Main Snake River from the Henry’s Fork confluence downstream to American Falls Reservoir. There are numerous public access points from below power plant dams to the many boat launch facilities and scattered bank side public land. Conveniently some good access is present along the river in Idaho Falls. For example, from Freeman Park on upstream on both sides of the river there are places that offer plenty of room for a back cast and for safe wading. Brown and rainbow trout here range to trophy sizes. The fall mayfly hatch will consist of BWOs and can be enjoyed afternoons at most locations along the river. With September approaching another may fly hatch will interest trout significantly. That is of the snowflake dun ( also know as pink lady), the best concentrations of which are found on the lower river above American Falls Reservoir such as around the Tilden Bridge area to McTucker Ponds. As we advance into the fall season, the big attraction will be brown trout runs. This means presenting streamer patterns will be the the name of the game. So this part of the river so close to town is hard to beat on considering convenience.

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South Fork, August 26th, 2023

The relatively small fluctuations we are currently seeing in flow out of Palisades Dam have no big impact on fishing success. The density of thunder showers and rain storms have impacts that outweigh these. Here is why: During and right after these events relative humidity rises making aquatic insect hatches denser. Right after these storms clear up and downdraft winds decrease is also a good time to try patterns such as San Juan worm and woolly bugger types because increased flows free up annelids into the river.

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Small Streams, August 26th, 2023

Electroshocking for trout population studies will be undertaken by Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologists on the Teton River in the Basin. Here is their schedule and locations:

September 6th and 13th, South Bates to Bates.

September 7th and 14th, Packsaddle to Harrop’s ( State Highway 33) Bridge.

Medicine Lodge Creek

Most of our small streams are in great summer shape. They radiate heat during night time, so early AMs are at their lowest water temperature. Give them time to warm up to the level that makes fish and aquatic and terrestrial insects most active (usually by late morning), and they will offer great fishing.

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