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Fishing Reports

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Fishing Reports (Page 55)

South Fork, October 23rd, 2021

What applies to the Henry’s Fork applies with respect to fishing strategy applies here. Palisades Reservoir is at only 5% of capacity, and with winter snowfall quantity ahead uncertain, further reductions in flow could happen.

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Yellowstone Park, October 23rd, 2021

Only eight days remain in the park 2021 fishing season, and most of it will be wrapped around encountering migrating brown trout (and rainbow trout in the Madison River). Especially visited will be the Gardner, Gibbon, Madison, and Lewis (and to a lesser extent the Snake and lower Firehole) Rivers. Ethics comes into play here perhaps more than in any other season. Crowds, much denser than in the past, will be present on all waters, so courtesy comes into play, especially when encountering less experienced or thoughtless anglers.

Caution and ethics play a big role where spawning redds are observed. These are concentrated in water usually less than three feet deep and of almost a walking speed current. They appear as light colored round or oval area with a central depression compared to a darker general substrate. It does not matter if redds or occupied or not; all should not be disturbed physically or fished over if occupied.by spawning or fighting fish. What is going here is formation of the next generation of brown trout, any fly fisher of forward hinking wants the next generation

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Henry’s Fork, October 23rd, 2021

With the stormy weekend and first of next week predicted, brown trout will be active on the lower river, so break out those streamer patterns. Other than that BWO activity will be plentiful anywhere on the river. For the river in Island Park, the best news is that Highway 20 repaving between the Sheep Falls Road and Riverside Campground is complete, so no more flaggers and long lines of vehicles to slow down traffic.

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South Fork, October 19th, 2021

Other than flow out of Palisades Dam being reduced slightly to 1750 cfs ( now 2350 cfs at Heise, 910 cfs at Lorenzo), there is no significant change on the river. So use the fishing strategies we offered in our Saturday, October 15th fishing report.

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Main Stem Snake River, October 19th, 2021

Dropping the flow out of Palisades Dam really impacts the flow in the river down to American Falls reservoir. This part of the river holds a good brown trout population, and they ar5e now migrating to spawning ares. While doing so, they are more aggressive, and presenting streamer is the best way to encounter them. There are a nuber of walk-in location along the river, and we can help in identifying which may be

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Henry’s Fork, October 19th, 2021

Aquatic weeds are breaking up everywhere giving better chances for landing larger fish especially on using finer tippets when presenting BWO, mahogany dun or midge life cycle patterns. Wherever you try the river, streamer patterns are a must. Brown trout are moving in the lower river, and locations in the upper river such as Box Canyon, Cardiac Canyon holes and runs, and The Tubs now host large foraging trout.

Below are excerpts from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s summary of water conditions up to this morning in the Henry’s Fork drainage.

REPORT NOTE: I will be presenting a brief summary of water year 2021 at the Henry’s Fork Watershed Council meeting tomorrow, following a presentation on upper Snake River reservoir operations by the US Bureau of Reclamation. The meeting starts at 9:00 a.m., and you can join via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81474786741

Headlines:  

  • Last week was cool and wet, putting us in a good position to receive above-average precipitation for the first month of water year 2022.  
  • Natural flow has dropped a little from the effects of last week’s precipitation and is 75% of average.
  • At a mean outflow of 110 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained 592 ac-ft/day last week and is 51% full, compared with 50% on average.

Details:

Mean temperature last week was 7 degrees F below average, and precipitation totaled over 1 inch for the watershed. All stations received precipitation over the week, ranging from 0.02 inch at Ashton to 2.6 inches at Lewis Lake Divide. Total watershed precipitation for the water year to date is 2.10 inches, and with more on the way, the first month of water year 2022 will very likely receive above-average precipitation. That happened in only four months during water year 2021. Precipitation this evening is now forecast to be lighter than anticipated a few days ago, with most areas receiving 0.1-0.2 inch. However, very heavy precipitation is expected next weekend and into the beginning of next week. Totals over the next week are expected to range from 0.75 inch at the western edge of the watershed to as much as 2.5 inches along the Teton crest. Temperatures will generally remain near to slightly above average over that time period, but snow will continue to accumulate at elevations above 7,500 feet.   

Natural flow has dropped a little from the effects of precipitation early last week and is 75% of average across the watershed and within a few percentage points of that in each of the three subwatersheds. Accumulated natural flow for the water year to date is 74% of average. Diversion is still on a generally downward trajectory with two weeks remaining in the administrative irrigation year. 

At a mean outflow of 110 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained an average of 592 ac-ft/day last week and is 51% full, compared with 50% full on average. The upper Snake River reservoir system is at 14% of average and filling slowly.  

Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Henry’s Fork Foundation

P.O. Box 550

Ashton, ID 83420

208-652-3567 OFFICE

208-881-3407 CELL

208-652-3568 FAX

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Yellowstone Park, October 16th, 2021

Lot’s of anglers are present on the Madison River from Baker’s Hole upstream to the Gibbon-Firehole Rivers confluence. The Firehole River continues to offer good fishing (BWOs, PM caddis, and diminishing white millers are active and soft hackled patterns are a “must have ” item), but cold weather gear is in order. So is watching road conditions as unsettled weather is coming. This really applies if you plan to fish the Lewis River brown trout run which is a lot tougher to approach than the runs up the Madison and Gardiner Rivers.

Only a few weeks remain in the 2021 fishing season.

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Henry’s Lake, October 16th, 2021

The recent foul weather has jump-started good fishing because the water has cooled significantly, aquatic weeds are breaking up, and fish are tending toward shallower water. Traditional Henry’s Lake patterns are producing especially through the use of Intermediate lines. The State Park and Fromm’s are crowed, winds can be brutal, and cold weather gear is in order. Consider trying wind-sheltered areas during these days of colder than normal weather and let’s hope that freeze-up does not happen as early as it did last year!

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South Fork, October 16th, 2021

With Palisades Reservoir down to 5% of capacity it is no wonder that flows are being reduced (now 1820 cfs at Irwin, 2430 cfs at Heise, 960 cfs at Lorenzo). This makes the river a ” fly fishing heaven” for walk-in wade anglers but creates some tough places for the boating angler. Nevertheless the BWO and mahogany dun and PM caddis activity continues. Presenting streamers becomes increasingly effective. Crowds are down, but fall colors are all but gone, Good fishing with better tranquility reigns.

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Main Stem Snake River, October 12th, 2021

With irrigation demands diminishing and water clearing, it is time to consider presenting streamer patterns for migrating brown trout. Private land predominates along the river making float fishing the best way to cover much of the water. Several boat launch sites are present on this stretch of river, and from the Henry’s Fork confluence to below American Falls Reservoir many walk-in locations exist. We can help in choosing which ones of each may be best at any given time.

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