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Fishing Reports

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Fishing Reports (Page 3)

Henry’s Fork, February 3rd, 2024

The river below Ashton Dam is offering some excellent midge hatches during days without storms. Choose mid days of relatively warm ( air temps near or higher than 40 Deg. F.), wind-free and overcast days which offer the best hatches. Flow is near normal (1170 cfs) making wading not difficult while access is good. Any pattern simulating a midge cluster is sure to bring interest from resident trout.

Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Snow-Water Equivalent Report of “Ground Hog’s Day.”

  • Maximum temperature yesterday set a record high for the date for the fourth consecutive day.
  • Only very light precipitation was recorded, leaving water-year precipitation at 84% of average and SWE at 66% of average.
  • Moderate to heavy precipitation is expected today through the end of next week.
  • At an average outflow of 398 cfs, Island Park Reservoir dropped by 15 ac-ft yesterday and is 90% full, compared with 75% full on average.
  • The upper Snake River reservoir system is 75% full, compared with 61% full on average.

Details

Yesterday’s watershed-averaged maximum temperature set a record high for the date for the fourth consecutive day. Very light precipitation was recorded, leaving the water-year total at 84% of average and snow water equivalent (SWE) at 66% of average. Current SWE is still third lowest for the date, ahead of 2001 and 1994.

Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Henry’s Fork Foundation

P.O. Box 550

Ashton, ID 83420

208-881-3407 CELL

 

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Saturday, February 10th Fly Tying Demo Features Doug Kinney

Doug Using His Fly Creations on the South Fork

Doug came to eastern Idaho from the Nebraska Sand Hills. Bass, walleyes and other warm water species spin-fished with lead-head jigs or flies cast with a bubble for panfish were standard techniques. Doug began around age 12 tying jigs and flies for these outings.  Donated hides, bird skins, and Mom’s sewing basket supplied materials in those beginnings.  By age 14 he gave fly-fishing a try, but being without a mentor, returned to spin-fishing. In 2006 Doug and his family moved to eastern Idaho where the blue ribbon waters and Jimmy Gabettas’s knowledge turned him into the fly fisher he had wanted to be for years.  It took experience on the water, time, and help through books, classes, and DVDs to become that fly-fisher and fly-tier. But through intense interest and having a job that allows some off-time, Doug has arrived to offer effective creations from his tying vise. He began this by taking part in the Eastern Idaho Fly Tying & Fly Fishing Expo tying demos, has added other shows to his list of visits, but opened Pie Hole,one of the best pizzeria to be found. Doug’s last demo at Jimmy’s was just before the C-19 breakout. so we are sure to see some new ideas from his tying vise aand subsequent fisshing experience..

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Saturday, February 3rd Tying Demo Features Brig Wilson

Brig and Family

Brig grew up in the Snake River Valley between the Teton River, the South Fork and the Henry’s Fork. Any chance he had, he was on the river (even during his high school graduation practice) fishing. He spent two years in Alaska where he also took any chance he could to fish.

Brig started tying flies seven years ago. From the very beginning he received some superb hands-on learning from some of the fly tying industry’s best. Especially in the last four years, he spends most his days creating fly tying tutorials at Fly Fish Food with Cheech, Curtis Fry, Lance Egan, and several other great tiers.

Brig spends his nights tying and designing new flies that move just the way he wants in the water. Then most weekends are spent on the water fishing in Utah or Idaho. He will offer some of his creations which have proven effective on east Idaho’s Henry’s Fork, South Fork, and Teton River as well as everywhere he fishes in Utah.

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South Fork, January 27th, 2024

USBR is keeping it word about South Fork flows this winter. Currently they are about: 950 cfs at Irwin, 1250 cfs at Heise, and 650 cfs at Lorenzo. Palisades Reservoir is about 80 % full, so there are no big concerns about it filling it even during this winter of below normal snow fall. Recent warm weather, which could extend into early February, may have removed snow from much of the countryside but unimproved roads remain mostly closed.

Same story continues with respect to fishing. Mid day hours are best for comfort, your rod guides, and your reel. These times will feature the best top water activity through midge emergences (Griffith’s gnat is still one of the best patterns for action), and trying slower, deeper water with streamer, fly rod jig and rubber leg patterns. Don’t try unmaintained roads; getting stuck can ruin an outing.

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Henry’s Fork, January 27th, 2024

Headlines From Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Snow Water Equivalent Report of January 26th, 2024

  • Repeat of Wednesday: light precipitation yesterday was enough to keep water-year total precipitation at 88% of average and SWE at 70% of average.
  • Generally dry weather is expected until late next week, when we have a 50-60% chance of above-average precipitation and a 20% chance of heavy precipitation.
  • At an average outflow of 377 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained 28 ac-ft yesterday and is 90% full, compared with 74% full on average.
  • The upper Snake River reservoir system is 73% full, compared with 60% full on average.

. Precipitation was enough to keep the water-year total at 88% of average: 88% in the Teton headwaters, 86% in Fall River headwaters, 81% in upper Henry’s Fork, and 129% in the valleys.

New snow water equivalent (SWE) accumulations were light, ranging from 0 at three stations to 0.3 inch at Grand Targhee. This left SWE at 70% of average: 77% in Teton, 74% in Fall River, and 61% in upper Henry’s Fork. The watershed mean stayed in 34th place out of the last 36 years, still ahead of 2001 and 1994 but behind 2010 and 1990. For a recent-year reference, current SWE is about 8% lower than it was at this time in 2021, which ended the winter with a peak SWE of 78% of average.

Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Henry’s Fork Foundation

P.O. Box 550

Ashton, ID 83420

208-881-3407 CELL

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Henry’s Fork, January 20th, 2024

Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Snow-Water Equivalent (SWE) Report of January 19th.

  • Yesterday’s precipitation increased the water-year total to 88% of average and SWE to 69% of average but increased the disparity even more between the southern half of the watershed and the upper Henry’s Fork.
  • Light but consistent precipitation will continue for the next week, with temperatures well above average.
  • At an average outflow of 386 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained 20 ac-ft yesterday and is 90% full, compared with 73% full on average.
  • The upper Snake River reservoir system is 71% full, compared with 58% full on average.

Details

New snow water equivalent (SWE) totals ranged from 0.1 inch or less at all stations in the upper Henry’s Fork to 0.7 inches at Pine Creek Pass and Grand Targhee. That moved watershed mean SWE up one more percentage point to 69% of average, although it dropped a place in the rankings to 3rd driest since 1989, now behind 2012 but still ahead of 2001 and 2010. SWE at Pine Creek Pass improved to 95% of average, moving that in the Teton subwatershed up to 79% of average. SWE is 74% of average in Fall River and 57% of average in the upper Henry’s Fork, the lowest on record for the date.

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Saturday, January 20th Fly Tying Demo Features Danny Lane

Danny and Friend

Danny was born in Boise, Idaho and spent his early angling days in pursuit of trash pond bluegill. Because he was only nine years old, and the flies he tied were ” rather casual”, warm water species with their willingness to eat anything were his only focus for years. Through adolescence, Danny kept catching bluegill on foam spiders and bass on wine cork poppers, but a trip to the Wood River in 1998 with a friend and his dad produced the first trout to be felled by one of Danny’s flies (a foam spider). In the time between then and now, Danny somehow graduated college with an English degree, got married, had two kids, caught a bunch of trout, some steelhead, redfish, snook, bonefish, tarpon, and a handful of permit. He guides for Three Rivers Ranch on the Henry’s Fork, South Fork, and Teton Rivers. Danny also ties commercially for trout and saltwater species and is an Umpqua Signature Tyer.  During his demo Danny will feature some the Signature flies as well as those he prefers for fly fishing waters in this area.

Danny caught his last bluegill in 2016, in a trash pond in Boise. 

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Main Stem Snake River, January 13th, 2024

If you can stand the cold weather and swishing those guides in water to free ice, the river (running 300 cfs) below American Falls Dam is the most convenient place to fish for now. Just below the dam gets quite crowded with anglers presenting terminal gear of all types (legal and not so legal). Moving on downstream gets one away from this condition, ice and snow permitting. Streamer, fly rod jigs, and woolly bugger types using sinking lines work best.

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Saturday, January 20th Fly Tying Demo Features Michelle Babcock

Michelle and Friend

Fishing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My parents have pictures of me sitting on the banks of the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone in Belfry, Montana, with my great-grandfather introducing me to fly fishing when I was a wee lass.
Born and raised in Southern Idaho, I am blessed to be near some of Northwest’s most amazing trout water.  I am the proud mom of three amazing boys: Hunter, who is serving in our US Navy as a corpsman; Tanton, following in his dad’s lineman’s footsteps; and Chase, who will soon be joining his brother in serving our country. My husband Ryan and I reside in Twin Falls with our three fur babies.


My fly fishing passion runs deep as it provides a therapy that only those who know can explain. In 2013, I decided to share my passion with like-minded women and hosted my first women’s trip on the Henry’s Fork. Since then, I have hosted women’s trips out of Dillon, Montana. It is a blessing every year to share the water with some incredible women who are either just starting or are seasoned anglers to learn and grow from one another and create some incredible friendships.
         I love fishing for big trout. When you fool a fish with a bunch of sparkle and feathers you put together, it makes it much more rewarding. Building streamers is a favorite of mine. When I first started tying, I would watch endless videos of big streamer patterns. I incorporated some of the techniques I’ve learned into my own patterns. During my demo I will be putting together a streamer that I have used on bull trout, as well as being my favorite pattern for cutthroat. I will also throw in a nymph or two that can be used in any local trout water.

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Henry’s Fork, January 13th, 2024

Headlines from Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage SWE Report of January 12th, 2024

  • Yesterday’s precipitation was relatively light, keeping the water year total at 82% of average. SWE increased to 62% of average but is still the lowest on record for the date.
  • Light precipitation is expected here over the next few days, while low temperatures in the range of -20 degrees are expected tomorrow morning.
  • At an outflow of 409 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained 55 ac-ft yesterday, all due to snowfall on the reservoir surface. The three reservoirs in the Henry’s Fork are 90% full, compared with 79% full on average.
  • The upper Snake River reservoir system is 69% full, compared with 57% full on average.

Details

Light precipitation is expected to continue off and on through the weekend here, with much heavier amounts to our south. Another round of slightly heavier precipitation is possible on Tuesday and Wednesday. The latest 7-day forecast shows a very strong northwest-southeast gradient in precipitation for our region, with only a few one-hundredths of an inch expected at the northwest corner of the watershed but up to 1.5 inches in the southeast corner. Meanwhile, up to 4 inches of water equivalent are expected in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah over the next week. Looking 1-2 weeks out, much warmer temperatures with near-average precipitation are expected. Long-term outlooks as well as historical records give us a high probability of ending the winter with a below-average snowpack. Near-record high snowfall would be needed over the remainder of the winter just to put us at average in mid-April.

 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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