Flows have remained steady at 9,000 cfs. Fishing has not changed much in way of hatches of dry fly action. I have had some success on flying ants and small stimi’s. Twitching Chernobyl ants in the morning have also bee producing fish. Side channels still seem to hold the most fish, look for fish to be holding in water that tucked away from the main channel.
The most important event likely on the whole river is construction ongoing at the Ashton Dam and impact on the river below. The best way to keep up to date on construction impact is to go the Henry’s Fork Foundation web site: www.henrysfork.org, and under the Latest News banner click on Ashton Dam Tunnel Tap in Progress.
It’s almost a blanket statement for all Park streams, but it is true: now is the time to fish terrestrial patterns. Be sure to have you favorite ant, beetle, and hopper patterns along. If you want action, especially on still waters, Beula Lake is the place. Gulpers (Yellowstone cutthroats, in this case) are going strong, and caddisflies coming down the inlet bring fish into shallow waters there in a mode similar to how PMD activity attracts fish to South Fork riffles. Trico activity is going on in many Park waters, so morning visits should include patterns for these. Then as mid day approaches, switch to those terrestrial patterns.
Speckled dun activity is making for gulpers on just about all waters. We visited Sand Creek Ponds (#4) yesterday, and fish were rising everywhere most of the time until mid afternoon. Reward for one deserving fly-fisher in our bunch was a big bow of nearly twenty-seven inches. This big guy was returned to the pond and will be a bit tougher to fool again. We caught a few on hopper patterns as breezes blow these in from surrounding grassy banks and near-by fields, but speckled dun nymphs and emergers were best producers. Amazingly, we had the pond to ourselves.
Best chances for success on nearly all is to use terrestrial patterns.
Here’s another great small stream to try. It requires a bit of walking , four or so miles minimum, and a Yellowstone Park fishing license, but the rewards of fishing Yellowstone Park’s Boundary Creek are great scenery, solitude, and the chance for large cutthroat-rainbow hybrids. Its another classic meadow stream in about the size of extreme upper Slough Creek, Duck Creek, and Flat Creek. Access it from Bechler River Ranger station from which well maintained trails will take you to either the lower (Bechler Meadows Trail) or the upper (Boundary Creek Trail) reaches of the creek in Bechler Meadows. As with any small stream, it is overshadowed in reputation by its larger neighbors, in this case Bechler and Fall rivers. But the size that fish range to here is comparable to the two rivers. To fool them requires more stealth and a near perfect presentation, whereas the numerous smaller trout here are aggressive and will take just about any pattern in small and medium sizes. During this time of year terrestrial patterns are by far the best way to encounter large trout here. Especially in the lower reaches, tricos will be numerous. So morning visits should include their life cycle patterns. As midday approaches begin switching to your favorite hopper and ant patterns. Take a camera, insect repellent and a water purifier, and in case of thundershowers, a raincoat.
We have reports of some silt entering the river below from construction activity on the Ashton Dam. It appears that the amount is within expected limits, and if so let’s hope that it stays that way. The Henry’s Fork Foundation is monitoring the river below the dam, and will have good information on effects of construction.
Fishing success on the lower river has slowed as is usual for the time of year. Best chance for action would be to present terrestrial patterns or fish during spinner falls. We also have reports of the same with respect to activity on the upper river during mid day hours. Mornings (try tricolife cycle patterns) and evenings (terrestrial, caddis life cycle, rusty spinner patterns) remain good fishing here.
Flow out of Mackay Dam is a bit higher (372 cfs) than normal 308 cfs), but not enough to make wading difficult or impact fishing. Look for flavs coming on during afternoons and tricos in the mornings.
Creek mouths remain the best places to try your luck., and the flies we recommended in recent reports continue to be the best.
Flows were increased today to 9,000 cfs. Not really sure why but I have a feeling it has something to do with farming and irrigation demand. That shouldn’t effect the fishing at all given the season were are having. Yesterday I didn’t have to put a strike indicator on all day! That’s twice this year! Fishing was good. We caught fish on PMD’s Chernobyl ants and bead head droppers below the dry flies. Hoppers are starting to fly so look for fish to be feeding on them as well. Mutant Stones have been hatching, making the morning Chernobyl fishing very good. The streamer fishing is picking up as well. Good luck and fish hard.
Hey everybody, just wanted to let you know of a couple new items/deals we have going on in the shop.
This last week we got the new Sage “ONE” rods in the shop. These are awesome rods that are really lightweight. We have these in a good selection from 4-7wts so come on in and have a look. Below is what Sage has to say about the rods-
“The ONE rod is our flagship offering that may redefine the “all around” rod category, where precision casting accuracy is needed over a wide range of conditions. Hand crafted from our Konnetic technology three long years in the making, the ONE rod is a game changer. Your Game. Its fast action incorporates a built in sweet spot, making the ONE rod the ideal choice for experienced and aspiring casters alike.”
Also we are offering all of our Z-Axis rods at a 30% discount, this is a great time to get a premium rod for a budget price.