Top

South Fork

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / South Fork (Page 51)

South Fork 4-30

Flows on the South Fork have leveled off at 6,500 cfs for the last 2 days. We don’t know when flows will be increase but for now things have settled down enough to expect some decent fishing. With the rise in water flows the water temperature has decreased which means nymphing is going to be the best option for hooking fish. The rainbows are also spawning so egg patterns will be effective as well as the standard stonefly nymph and bead head. Don’t forget the San Juan worm that always seems to be a trout favorite in the spring. Fishing streamers will also produce fish however presentations need to be slow and concentrated in the deep pools and slowing moving water.

With the cold spring we have been experiencing the snow pack has not begun to melt at all. This is a good thing because we are now at 100% of our average snow pack for the year. I am still hoping for more rain and snow in the mountains this spring. This will slow down the need for irrigation demand and hopefully allow us to add some more snow in the mountains. This will help us in August with cold water and hopefully more PMD hatches. All in all the season is shaping up to be good with great water conditions. I have been told we will be having a flush on the river. Similar to past years I expect that to be during Memorial Day weekend, however I have not heard an official word from the Bureau of Reclamation to confirm my assumption. We will update this report with any information we hear as soon as we know.

Share

South Fork 4-25

Flows have been increased on the South Fork as of yesterday. The equipment at the Dam is malfunctioning so I don’t have a reading for the actual flows from the Dam. However I have been watching the flows at Heise. and the river flows down there have increase about 1,000 cfs. We will not know the Dam flow until the equipment is fixed, but I will get you all updated as soon as I find out. Wait a few days after the flows have been increased and the fishing will pick back up.

Share

South Fork

Most of us have been complaining about the terrible weather our region has been experiencing lately.  That weather includes rain and snow, all blown around by cold, strong winds.   But this cloud has a great silver lining in that snow pack in the Snake River drainage is now over 100% of normal.   Here’s why we discuss this good news in the fishing report.  If you are planning a visit from outside the immediate area to fish the South Fork, 100% of normal pack this late in the snow season greatly increases the chance that the river will have flows adequate through the summer to keep water cool  for good fishing.   Of course, this must be combined with a temperate springtime that keeps water in the reservoir system longer.  It is our practice to  keep on top of  flows in the river and report them here when significant changes occur.  But adding good snow pack news this time of year gives you even more information for making plans.

Share

South Fork 4-22

Flows have been increased to 3,700 cfs. Fishing should stabilize in a few days. Streamer fishing has been picking up and so have egg patterns. With the rainbow spawn almost ready to take off fishing glo bugs and various egg patterns this time of year is very productive. Remember to present those streamers in a slow motion for the best results.

Share

South Fork 4-18

It appears they have leveled out the flows on the South Fork for the last 24 hours. We can’t say weather or not this will stay at this level for long. The current flows are 3,000 cfs.

With the rise of the water levels the water temp in the river has most likely dropped. Nymphing is going to be your best tactic for catching fish. Lengthen those leaders to get down where the fish are, they haven’t moved the river just got deeper is all. Glo bugs, zebra midges, BWO nymphs and stonefly nymphs are sure to hook some trout. Unless the weather starts to warm up considerably the Blue Wing Olive hatches will be sparse and non existent.

Share

South Fork 4-16

Well everyone the time has come and the water flow has been increased. The increase from yesterday afternoon and this morning has brought the river up to 2,000 cfs. We don’t know how high they will increase the river at this point, but as soon as it levels off we will be updating this report. For the next few days I would look to go fishing on the Henry’s Fork.

Share

South Fork

All the boat ramps are open. Flows are still very low and short floats will still take you all day. I floated Irwin slide to Spring Creek on Monday. The fishing was good and we caught a lot of trout and whitefish on Zebra midges. We set the first Zebra midge at 4 feet from the indicator and the second Zebra midge 18 inches below that. I used a split shot about 6 inches above both flies. The best fishing was in the tailouts of riffles. Streamer action was somewhat slow but we did catch a few fish. The key to streamers is the slow strip.

The water looks great and we expect it to rise about mid April so get out right now why you can. If you have any questions call the shop or stop in.

Share

South Fork 3-26-13

Jimmy fished this weekend and did very well swinging small midge patterns and softhackles. Streamer fishing also produced in the deep, slow runs. Fishing should only get better with this nice weather we are having so get out there!

 

Share

South Fork 3-25

Fishing has really improved on the South Fork. Great midge hatches over the weekend with fish feeding on the surface. Other than the increase of midge activity all other tactics for catching fish have not changed from our previous reports.

All the boat ramps are open however the river is still at 900 cfs. This means that the river is a fraction of the flow we normally see. Short 3-4 mile floats will take you the majority of the day. We don’t advise going into the canyon. Cottonwood is still closed for wintering wildlife and it would be impossible to float the entire canyon in one day. Irwin slide to Spring Creek or Spring Creek to Conant and Wolf to Byington are good floats. Heise is inaccessible right now because the water is to low. Lorenzo to Menan is also a good float this time of year.

Share

South Fork 3-16-13

A couple of days ago we floated from Lorenzo to Menan and were happy to see that the new ramp being built below Lorenzo. It will be on the south side of the river and access will be from the Lorenzo/Menan highway.  We don’t know the exact date that it will open but we will let when it is. In the meantime there is a 3 foot ledge of ice sitting on the ramp at current launch site. In order to put in you have to push the boat down over the ice ledge. Getting a boat out will take some extra rope and a good push by two folks on the back end of the boat. Then ice hopefully will melt in a week or so.

Share