The flush is on with flows out of Palisades Dam up to 18000 cfs. Flow at Heise is about the same. So it may be best to try elsewhere this weekend! As the flows lower to around 12000-14-000 cfs, likely next week, the South Fork will be back to what we all like this time of year.
Flows have been increased to 14500crfs. I talked to the Bureau of Reclamation today and they have decided to do the flush this weekend while they are making room in Palisades Reservoir for flood control. It is expected that flows will drop to normal summer time irrigation flows by Wed. next week. Although this is the plan things can change depending on weather and precipitation. We will keep you updated as things change with the flow situation.
We also have an update on the boat ramps for the South Fork. The BLM will be closing Conant and Byington Boat Ramps for the week of May 24-28. No vehicles will be allowed to enter the parking area and ramps will be closed. If you have questions on the boat ramp closures please contact Monica Zimmerman 208-524-7543
I just got the water report form the Bureau of Reclamation today and it has some information that needs to be passed to you our customers in regards to flows on the South Fork
Here are the key points from the Letter.
So if you are planning on fishing tomorrow the river is going to be blown out! If you are planning on fishing this weekend you will have plenty of water to fish and all of the boat ramps will be accessible except Cottonwood because the road is closed. If the flows do not increase after tonight the fishing should be back to normal in a few days. Nymphing rubberlegs and bead head nymphs will be your best bet. Streamers should fish fairly good on the lower river where the water is warmer.
Stay tuned to the fishing report and we will keep you updated on the flows of the river. We are expecting the flush next weekend but we don’t know for sure. It very well might happen on Memorial Day weekend like it has in the past. For any up to the minute advice, suggestions call the shop or email us.
By the way we got about 140% above average precipitation in April this year which has been really good to make up for the lack of snowfall this past winter. And the cold weather has held run off water int he mountains and slowed irrigation demands. What does this mean to us as fisherman? In August we should have cold water and more water in the system,which translates to healthier fish and more insect hatches! So the next time you wake up in the morning cursing the crappy cold weather, just remind yourself it’s helping the PMD hatches in the heat of August!
Shop Talk
Rolling went Fishing last Sat and got blown off the water while he was looking for Carp. Jimmy went out on Wed. and had some fun fishing for Bass, but he also saw some major wind. I get to go fishing this afternoon and there is no wind! HA, don’t ask me how it worked out this way but I am happy it did!
New Merchandise
We have got some really neat stuff for tying nymphs its called Flash Back. Its a Hareline product and is mostly used for wing cases on bead head nymphs and stoneflies. We have 14 different colors to choose from which opens up tons of possibilities for this product.
We also have this new product that I am actually really excited about. The boys over at Flymen Fishing Company (they produce the tungsten nymph head beads) have a new product out called Fish Skulls. These are weighted heads for streamers. Works like a conehead or a beadhead for weighting your streamer but is attached differently.
Quick-and-simple to tie, this latest innovation in fly tying offers fly fishermen an exciting alternative to using old-style dumbbells or cones to weight their flies. The Fish-Skull™ has unique design features making it a very versatile platform for tying a wide variety of realistic, weighted streamer patterns using natural or synthetic fly tying materials.
Flows on the South Fork have continued to increase due to irrigation demand from Farmers. This hasn’t been effecting the fishing to much because we haven’t seen major run off water yet and the weather has been cold. So the increases have been small and it hasn’t blown out the river. Currently the river is flowing at 4700cfs, it was raised yesterday morning.
We have some updated news on the Freshet Flush that we typically see every spring when we have the water. They are going to do the flush the 3rd week in May, it will be a flush that will have increasing flows for the entire week. We have been told that if the weather stays cool the flush will be in the upper teens. I would expect around 18,000cfs at the peak. If the weather warms up and the run off come quickly expect the flows on the flush to increase over 20,000cfs. After the flush the flows will drop down to normal irrigation flows which is about 12,000 to 14,000cfs. This flush is really important for the Cutthroats because it triggers them to head up to the tributaries to spawn, also it is good for the Cottonwood trees. All of the water that is flushed will be caught in American Falls Reservoir and none of it will go to waste.
People have been finding success fishing nymphs under an indicator. No word of Caddis on the surface but I have heard of some Skwalla’s flying around the river this last week. Streamers have also been fishing well on the lower river. We just got refilled on Rubberlegs and we got a bunch of new bead head nymphs. The rubberlegs are out and ready to purchase and we should have the beadhead nymphs ready by tomorrow at the latest.
No; all the wind has not blown our reservoirs away. But the hi-speed winds have made getting out on them difficult. So there is not a lot of experience to talk about. The best fishing seems to be on Springfield and Hawkins reservoirs for now. Midging is the way to go on both, but small damselfly nymph imitations seem also to work on both. At Hawkins best fishing is near the dam.
Flow in the lower river has been mostly stable for many days. Normally this would mean great fishing, but that cotton pickin’ wind messes things up except for very early mornings and just before dark. We think the result is that caddis, BWOs, midges, and March browns emerging there end up in Yellowstone Park where the season is closed. Nevertheless, early and late in the day when the wind slows should be a great time to pitch streamers. Concentrate your casts on the shaded banks or near overhead cover.
Flows on the South Fork have been raised to 3500cfs. The water is off color but don’t let that keep you from fishing. The nymphing on the river is really good, and those rainbows are stacking up on the redds and eating egg patterns. With the chance to get a “money rainbow” fishing the redds is going to increase your chances of finding one. Streamer fishing is still kinda slow on the river right now and now major dry fly hatches to speak of. Call us at the shop for any other questions.
Shop Talk
We had a great class on Monday evening with Charles Jardine. He taught a class on Czech Nymphs and Soft Hackles. We stayed up late into the evening learning as much as we could from Charles. He showed us the “proper” way to tie a soft, and how to correctly put dubbing on a hook. Minus my strong thick coffee we had a great time.
Merchandise
We have a great sale going on with our Simms Fishing shirts right now. Buy one selected Simms Fishing shirt and receive a free Reddington shirt. We have also received all of our new Cloudveil and Columbia softgoods. Come check out all the new gear for the upcoming season.
Classes
I am teaching a streamer class tomorrow night that still has a few spots open in it. Also we are taking names and phone numbers for a beginning tying class. We would like to do one more session before the summer. Call the shop to get registered.
I have been fishing the Henry’s Fork a few times this last week and it has been really good. Great insect hatches on the lower river between the Warm River confluence and St. Anthony. The Mother’s Day Caddis are hatching, March Brown Mayflies, and Blue Wing Olives. I tried to find some stonefly nymphs towards the banks and nothing is developing as of right now. I would not expect to see anything like that develop for at least the next 3 weeks. This cold weather we have been having is keeping runoff to a minimum and just slowing everything down for the spring. The good thing about having this weather is we are continuing to put snow in the mountains, and with a bad snow year this will help the fishing in August.