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Small Streams

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Small Streams (Page 3)

Small Streams, June 17th, 2023

Nearly all Caribou-Targhee National forest roads are open. The Bear Creek road is the big exception. It could remain so for at least weeks. However most streams are high with run-off, meaning best fishing is ahead of us. Birch Creek is an exception and offers good fishing especially above Lone Pine where the Sorenson family has a public fishing area. It is an ideal place to take a youngster for introducing fly fishing. Small, but aggressive brook and rainbow trout inhabit the stream. Safe and easily approached, small wet flies work best, but when insect become active, top water fishing can be very good. Try dry and wet traditional patterns. All this applies also to Little Warm River, that reach above Warm River Spring where brook trout quickly respond to any small fly offered..

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Small Streams, May 20th, 2023

The road up Big Elk Creek Arm of Palisades Reservoir is open and in good shape. The creek is high with discolored water, but fish are staging in front of it just past the discolored water plume. Woolly bugger types presented on intermediate lines bring action. Best action comes through using a boat to venture to the edge of the discolored water although wading & casting from the shoreline brings some action.

.This is the only road open to access Palisades Reservoir tributaries, all of which are currently running high and discolored. The U. S. Forest Service asks that the public refrain from travel on these until they dry or are repaired. The Bear Creek Road, in particular, has significant damage that will take time and effort to repair.

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Small Streams, May 13th, 2023

Run-off from our much higher than normal snowfall last winter is beginning. Here is an example in almost the extreme. Snow pack in the Willow Creek-Blackfoot and Portneuf Rivers drainages was about 300% of normal. Today run-off measured by the USGS’s Willow Creek gage stationed just above Ririe Reservoir measured a flow of 1880 cfs and climbing. That is compared to a normal flow this time of around 250 cfs! All of our small streams will see unusually high run-off flows. These may delay good fishing on each, but will replenish depleted ground water levels which will keep good flows going, benefit resident trout and extend good fishing through the season.

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Small Streams, May 2nd, 2023

Our snow-water equivalents (SWEs) range from about 130% of normal in the Snake River drainage above Palisades Reservoir and Henry’s Fork drainage to 375% of normal in the Blackfoot River, Portneuf River, and Willow Creek drainages. These combined with what weather-wise looks like a fairly normal run-off season suggest that the upcoming fly fishing months will abound with cool stream flows that will benefit trout activity. It’s all great news! True, this means streams will be high with run-off a bit longer than many fly fishers would prefer, but getting to such waters may also be interesting. With so much snow yet to come off, back country roads that approach so many of these waters may not become passable until later than normal. So road maintenance agencies ranging from municipal to federal have issued closure statements cautioning the public on traveling such only after they are cleared of snow and dried enough not to be damaged by traffic.

We at Jimmy’s All Seasons Angler will watch both road and water situations and provide on this website information that will help fly-fishers decide which streams to visit and when roads to them are open.

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Small Streams, April 8th, 2023

Good Results from a Violent Winter

During the last few years winters have been near disasters with respect to providing snowfall to restore our reginal waters to normal amounts that are beneficial for resident salmonids. Consequently, those salmonid populations have dwindled a bit, and those remaining have been relatively inactive in responding to our fly fishing efforts.

 Although annoying, this winter has been the most generous in decades for providing replenishing amounts of snow. Here are some examples of regional drainages benefiting from the more than generous snowfall. Estimates earlier this week concluded the amounts in the Henry’s Fork and Snake River drainages above Palisades Reservoir are around 120% of normal, and the Big Lost River’s is about 140% of normal. Other sinks drainages are at similar amounts. But not to be outdone, that of the Bear River’s is about 170%. And leading the pack, those of the Blackfoot, and Portneuf Rivers and Willow Creek are about 185% of normal.   This abundance of snowfall in those four latter drainages could not be better news for the immediate future of endangered native cutthroat trout the major salmonid in each of these.

The effect of this abundance is that first ground water amounts will be restored to natural levels, then streams will be restored to the same, and still waters will move closer to natural volumes. Irrigation draw -downs will not have as negative an impact on hosted fisheries as in past years.  In particular, many of our depleted smaller waters, not influenced by storage reservoirs, will “come back to life” with respect to providing better conditions for hosting salmonids and therefore being fished.

Spring time weather will determine the length and intensity of the upcoming run-off season, and can even impact the first months of fishing season.  Even if a delayed fishing season occurs, the amount of water generated from the abundance of snow melt will benefit our salmonid populations in that it will begin a restoration to natural amounts. And the cooler waters will provide higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen which salmonids need to be active.

So anglers and our salmonids alike will benefit from the furious winter that is finally winding down. It may mean a delay in our best fishing conditions, but such is worth the wait when more active salmonids for a longer time are results of a winter that brought so many road closures, shoveling, and downright foul weather.

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Small Streams, October 25th, 2022

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.

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Small Streams, October 18th, 2022

Let’s take look at an Idaho Department of Fish and Game action that establishes more locations for fishing.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDF&G) ACCESS YES program reveals a tremendous effort to acquire legal trespass on private property for anglers and hunters alike. Several dozen properties around the state are in the program with many in eastern Idaho. There are several ACCESS YES properties allowing access to fishing waters in eastern Idaho. Some of these are “off the beaten path,” while others are on well-known waters.

Finding these is relatively easy. Go to the IDF&G’s ACCESS YES website section and open the Search Properties Guide.  Not only is the participating properties list in the Guide, but also locations, restrictions, travel directions, and, where permission to trespass is required, owner contact information. Also present for each is a map showing location and extent of each property.

You will see that currently there are properties on such area waters as the Blackfoot River, Camas Creek, Dan Creek, the Henry’s Fork, Teton River, Willow Creek and Henry’s Lake. If you visit any of these, accept restrictions given, livestock and structures. Help keeping these in a natural or undamaged state by minimizing your impact, and by picking up to remove any trash. The IDF&G is working to increase the number of participation properties and having a minimum impact on the already participating properties will help in bringing on new ones and in extending the tenure of those already on board.

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Small Streams, October 15th, 2022

Teton and Warm Rivers are the stars of the show here. Warm, sunny PMs may be “numbered” in both places, but during these times terrestrial insects as well as caddis life cycle patterns will be effective. Recreational floaters are diminishing on the Teton in the Basin and none exist on Warm River, especially just downstream of Warm River Spring where tranquility thrives. Cloudier days will bring out BWOs in good numbers on both rivers.

Warm River Spring

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Small Streams, September 24th, 2022

Most of our tributary streams are down to base levels meaning fish are moving to larger waters to seek better overhead cover. However, some of the larger streams, not impacted by irrigation draw down, are good choices to visit.

The Teton River remains in great condition, and recreational floater numbers on the river in the basin are down. BWO, caddis and mahogany duns are active especially during overcast conditions. Fish are responding to these, and this is taking place along the entire river. Terrestrial insect will be active during warm days until a killing frost takes place.

Lower Teton River

Warm River also offers good fishing from Warm River Spring down to the cascades and on through the lower river with BWO, caddis, and, on warm er days, terrestrial insect activity.

The Buffalo River offers excellent BWO activity and easy wading around the campground reach..

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Small Streams, September 10th, 2022

In most head water streams fish are now moving to larger water to find better overhead cover. Large beaver ponds that offer generous depth are also havens for fish, and even this time of the season can offer good fishing. Leach patterns are always effective in these ponds, and terrestrial insect patterns can be the same.

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