Main Stem Snake River, November 1st, 2022
Only 230 cfs is being released out of American Falls Reservoir. Fish in the river below will be concentrated because of it which is likely to remain that low all winter.
Only 230 cfs is being released out of American Falls Reservoir. Fish in the river below will be concentrated because of it which is likely to remain that low all winter.
Flow out of Palisades Reservoir was dropped to 1330 cfs last night. Flow at Heise is a bit higher temporarily, and the same at Lorenzo. The temporarily high flow at Lorenzo is because upstream canals have been turned off. Winter flow is proposed to be 900 cfs.
Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s water status report of yesterday for the Henry’s Fork drainage:
Upcoming weather may make fishing the upper river a challenge. Fishing on the lower river should not be as challenging with respect to air temperatures but stronger winds will make dry fly fishing tougher and diminish hatches.
Flow throughout is less than normal in order to begin filling reservoirs. Below American Falls Dam flow is at a paltry 300 cfs. That will concentrate fish into deeper water and bring in lots of anglers. Brown trout are migrating to spawning areas, and there are plenty of walk-in-wade locations to encounter them away from spawning areas. Boating is also a good option because good water depth remains in the river. Fishing from a boat also minimizes interrupting the surface of spawning areas.
Walk-in-wade fishing is the way to go with these low flows throughout the river which makes it tough on hard-sided boats. Brown trout are migrating throughout the river..Flows have not reduced significantly since our last fishing report, and we hope they do not decrease further with winter just around the corner.
Presenting streamers almost anywhere on the river will be effective. Weedier waters such as in the Harriman State Park reach (and portions of the lower river), will have interrupted presentations from time to time but resident rainbows respond to them even though it is almost traditional to present aquatic and terrestrial insect life cycle patterns. Brown trout are migrating throughout the lower river, and offering streamers during low light conditions is certainly the best way to encounter them.
Any day now, the lake will ice over. Cold, clear, wind-free days and nights are ongoing. So as with fishing Yellowstone Park waters; you had best hurry to enjoy what remains of the season!
Closed to fishing after October 31st (Halloween) this year. So to enjoy Firehole River BWO and white miller hatches and Gardner, Lewis, Madison and Snake Rivers brown trout runs you had best hurry! Good, but cold weather is predicted for the remainder of the season.
Recent cool, wet weather has made many back country roads a challenge to drive, and traveling on them can damage their surfaces. There are streams that can be reached by paved or well maintained gravel roads. Among these are lower Warm River around the campground, Teton River in the Basin, the Hog Hollow area, and at the dam site, Buffalo River, Palisades, Big Elk and lower Robinson Creeks. Few, if anyone, will be fishing these, so they offer tranquility.
Flow continues to drop: now 2200 cfs at Irwin, 2000 cfs at Heise, 1200 cfs at Lorenzo. Great for walk-in-wade fishing, tough on hard sided boats. Let’s hope further drops are very small with winter, the toughest time for fish, not far away.