Henry’s is fishing well right now and it should only get better as things continue to cool down. Shallows all around the lake are fishing good with leech and scud patterns on intermediate lines. The Howard Creek area, the Cliffs, and the west shore would all be great places to fish.
We are still receiving some great new gear for the colder temperatures ahead. Our whole beanie rack is loaded with all the new hats from Simms and Patagonia and we have some new colors in jackets that we have talked about in earlier posts. One of the coolest things we have now though is the Simms Cold Weather shirt. This shirt looks like any other plaid button up, but is heavily insulated to keep you warm. This will be an awesome shirt for fishing in the fall, but also a good run around shirt to use from now until spring. This really is a great new shirt so be sure to come check it out!
On another note, we FINALLY have some dyed grizzly Euro saddles from Whiting. We have thirty six saddles (twelve each of Burnt Orange, Burgundy, and Purple). With the hair extension craze over I would anticipate these to be around for a while. There are a lot of suppressed fly tiers out there though, so if you want some you probably want to come sooner rather then later!
Fishing has stayed pretty steady on the River. Streamer fishing is really starting to pick up especially on the lower river. There is a lot of moss in the river right from the reservoir and the lake so make sure to check your flies often and keep them clean. Hoppers and Chenobyls ants with droppers have been producing fish. Takes on the big dry flies are few and far between but it beats staring at an indicator. Also running a dropper off of the dry fly seems to produce less moss on your nymphs. Mahogany’s and Blue Wing Olive patterns presented into the bank have also been effective.
I took out at Lorenzo the other day and it was a nightmare. Remember that this is a 1 boat ramp right now. Please check out the boat ramp up stream before you decide to land and make sure you have a spot. I saw a boat completely miss the ramp because they were not paying attention and had no place to go. The river is still screaming by the ramp and that current makes it very difficult to launch and take out. Unless you want to really risk swamping your boat and potentially loosing it down the river DO NOT back your trailer tires all the way into the river when taking out. Back up to your boat and drag it onto the trailer. I didn’t even get my tires wet and the strong current still pulled my boat around while trying to trailer the boat.
We have a SWEET deal for you guys in the shop right now. We just received ten Redington “Torrent” packages in the shop today and they are awesome. The rod feels and looks just like a rod that costs twice as much. Combine that with the Surge reel and you have a great set up. The package comes with a Redington Torrent Rod (8’6 5Wt, 9′ 5Wt, and a 9′ 6Wt) Redington Surge Reel, and a travel carrying case. The whole package is valued at $365.00, but we are selling them for $249.95! If you are looking to add another rod to your arsenal, or already thinking about holiday season gift ideas, this is it!
Here is another fly tying material Steelhead fisherman are going to love. Senyos Articulated shanks made by fish skull. These are awesome new, colored shanks that will give your steelhead patterns a new look. We have all of the colors in the shop and in stock. Come check them out!
Flow out of Mackay Dam is about 100 cfs higher than normal, but this keeps fish from concentrating into deepest holes. Wading conditions remain good, and tricos emerge for early in the day fishing. Evening caddis activity also brings fish up.
Fishing around Grizzly Springs and other spring holes seems to be holding up fairly well on Island Park Reservoir. Water levels in the reservoir are low, so use caution when boating to these locations. When you get there, try blood worm patterns, and experiment to find the taking depth. With cooling weather here, look for action to pick up on Sand Creek Ponds. Evening should be best when caddis emerge. Soft hackled patterns fished near the surface should be effective, but don’t over look hopper patterns presented along vegetated shorelines.
Fishing in front of Howard Creek is picking up with cutts moving in and brookies beginning to show up. But the word is out, so crowds are forming in front of the creek most days.
Some cloudy weather sure would help increase the BWO emergence. It looks like the beginning of next week may bring some. The river has stabilized with respect to flow changes. The last drop was back on September 14th, and responses from fish are back to normal. However, the reservoir is less than twenty per cent of capacity, and storage for next year’s irrigation season must begin. So more decreases in flow out of Palisades Dam must be expected in the coming weeks. As we learn of these flow changes, we will post them here and advise how such should impact your South Fork fishing strategy.
Mayfly emergence events on the upper river are diminishing quickly with colder weather setting in. Soon that of BWOs will be the only one available. Almost on key flying ants are coming on to provide action from trout which seem to crave them. So add ant patterns to your terrestrial pattern roster when you venture to the Last Chance , the Harriman State Park reach, and the river around Hatchery Ford.