The choice of small streams offering good fishing now is almost overwhelming. Consider looking at the Articles section of our web site to help make a choice. Several small streams are described here. Then get in touch with us if any are of interest to you. We can provide up to date information on all of these.
Water levels in most of our irrigation reservoirs to the southeast are dropping as irrigation draw-down goes on. This means warming water temps and therefore slower fishing (early mornings may be best). Daniels Reservoir seems least impacted by this action and offers the best fishing of all these. Same as in our last report: fish the outer edges of the mud line when winds make for wave action. Look for the best fishing to be at the top end of the reservoir. Use your favorite damselfly nymph pattern, try midge pupa patterns under an indicator, or a damselfly adult pattern if you see mating and egg-laying flies in action. Both the Harriman Fish Pond and Springfield Reservoir are weeding up, but fishing the channels between weeds with such as dry damselfly or speckled dun patterns can be productive.
The giant stonefly event is pretty much over, but fish still know what they are, so keep a few patterns for them in your fly box. Golden stones, PMDs (3 tails on duns), pink alberts (2 tails on duns), afternoon caddis, and sallys are keeping fish active on most of the river. So be sure to have patterns for their life cycle in that box. Don’t overlook swinging one of Wes Newman’s Super-X patterns under, then away from overhead cover.
A good reason why South Fork fishing is stacking up better this year than last is that Palisades Reservoir at 75% of capacity. This means cooler water (currently around 54 deg. F just below Palisades Dam) going into the river. Last year with the reservoir at so much less of capacity, water going into the river was warmer making dry fly fishing frustratingly slow by this time of year. Are you a South Fork enthusiast? Count your blessings for 2014 because good water conditions should go on for quite some time here.
Mike Lawson offers that AM spinner fishing in the river from Last Chance to Pinehaven is productive in the morning with patterns for green drakes, PMDs, and Flavs working best. During afternoon hours PMDs and in overcast afternoons flavs bring about action. As expected, the fishing in the Henry’s Lake Outlet portion is slow. Increased water coming out of the lake did not happen until later when fish around the lake’s shoreline had moved to deeper water. Thus fewer fish were available to get into the Outlet via those increased flows.The river below Ashton Dam is beginning to warm because of irrigation water output. Look for action there to begin diminishing, but an early AM streamer can bring up some big trout.
All small streams not impacted by irrigation water are in good fishing shape. The lower Blackfoot River is an exception because of fluctuating flows of irrigation water. But the river above the reservoir, having opened on July 1st, is in good fishing shape. Try your favorite PMD life cycle patterns here, and for the meadow reach in the Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area look for a sparse evening brown drake emergence. And remember that adult damselfly patterns will work here as they will on any meadow stream.
With waters beginning to warm (around 67 deg. F at Daniels Reservoir), drop (Chesterfield, Hawkins, and 24-Mile Reservoirs) or moss up (Springfield, and Treasureton Reservoirs) fishing for warm water species might be an enjoyable alternative. Condie Reservoir offers good bass fishing. Twin Lakes offers bluegills, crappie, and bass action. Johnson and Lamont Reservoirs offer bluegill action. If you want to continue trout fishing, Daniels offers your best bet. Stick to the upper end with a boat and present damselfly nymph patterns. If you see damselfly adults mating and laying eggs and rises, switch to your favorite adult pattern. Also when wave action gets going walk the east side shore line and fish the outer edge of the mud slick with wooly bugger types.
It is amazing how much snow is left in the Park’s high country! Extensive areas on the Madison and Pitchstone Plateaus have snow cover remaining. Rangers who have traveled to these places say drifts up to three feet in depth remain.This bodes well for all drainages ( Bechler, Fall, Firehole, Lewis Rivers) from these places. Cool water from snow melt will keep dependent streams in the best fly-fishing shape well into this summer. This is now the case with Fall River Basin streams which are all running high for this time of year, but are clear and cool indicating a gradual run-off. The large PMDs that emerge this time of year are ongoing on all these streams with trout responding to them during PM hours. Look for a good afternoon green drake event followed by a great evening brown drake event on all these streams in the upcoming days.
Fly over Henry’s Lake, and you can tell from the boat clusters where the good fishing is. In front of Targhee and Duck creeks, in front of The Cliffs, and certain spots out in the lake where there are channels between weed beds are favored locations. Damselfly nymphs are what’s working in these places. So are midge pupa patterns if you can find the taking depth, and small woolly bugger patterns.
First off, the South Fork is fishing great all throughout the river. The salmon flies are now all the way up to the Palisades Dam, but they are still in the canyon. When fishing the big bugs, I would stop on a gravel bar and fish the structures like log jams, big boulders, and troughs. Along with the big bugs are PMDs, Yellow Sallies, and a big Caddis towards night. If there is an overcast day, I would not be afraid to try a streamer. Therefore the selection of flies I would have, goes as such:
Trout Flies:
Super Chernobyl Golden Yellow (size 8 & 10)
CFO Pink Ant (size 8)
Improved Sofa Pillow (size 4)
Rollin Stone (size 4)
Small Dries:
Pink Comparadun (size 16 & 18)
Pink Albert CDC Biot Emerger (size 16 & 18)
Kyle’s Yellow Sally (size 12 & 14)
Goddard Caddis (size 14)
Nymphs:
Bennet’s Seal Rubber Legs (size 6 & 8)
Beadhead Crystal Pheasant Tail (size 14 & 16)
Red Copper John (size 14 & 16)
Streamers:
Gallop’s Olive or White Sex Dungen (size 2)
Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow Sculpin (size 6)
Stenersen’s Lite Brite Minnow Rainbow (size 4)
PreviewJimmy’s will be open on the 4th! If you are looking to go fishing on the 4th, come on in for a great fly pattern choice and information on where ever you are going.