True to form this time of year, fishing on the lower river is slowing. Best approach is with nymphs and streamers. With hoppers coming on, and the always present ants and beetles some good surface action can be found fro time to time here. On the upper river PMDs are decreasing in size and their spinner falls offer some action. So do terrestrial patterns and soon hoppers will be in the mix to bring fish to the surface.
Reports come in almost every day about the great fishing on such as Robinson Creek, Teton River, the upper Blackfoot River, Tincup Creek, the upper Portneuf River. Golden stones, PMDs, sallys, caddis, beetles and ants, even craneflies are food forms, so patterns for each as well as traditional attractors are making for action. Even smallest streams such as Sawmill, Beaver, Medicine Lodge, Conant, Jackknife, Birch and other creeks are producing. All this, and the hopper season has not really started. So many places to try, and so much information is available. Get in touch with us to help make a choice from the many small streams we have in the region.
So far it has been one of those spotty years. Damselflies are where you find them. The east side creek mouths offer the best fishing, but become a bit crowded. Cheer up: August can be a good month, then with cooler weather Henry’s Lake for sure will turn on and live up to its name as a terrific destination for big trout.
Chesterfield Reservoir is the star of the show here. That’s because damselflies are emerging big time, with fish readily taking the nymphs and the dries. Be sure to have your dry and intermediate lines along. Concentrate your efforts on shallower waters, especially with submerged vegetation. Bays, coves and shorelines with willows, cat tails and such are good locations. Watch for rising fish, and be assured that more are likely feeding on nymphs. Wind can impact the dry fly fishing somewhat, but not nymphing as much. Word about Chesterfield and its damselflies is out meaning some crowding on best spots, so here are other locations where damselflies are active: The upper end and east shoreline at Daniels Reservoir, the upper end of Hawkins Reservoir, Twenty-Four Mile Reservoir, Paul Reservoir (great place to take youngsters), shoreline coves and bays on Treasureton Reservoir and Springfield Reservoir.
All the Reservoirs in the southeast corner are featuring damselfly hatches and eager fish. Want a bit of a change and a shorter travel distance if you live in the upper Snake River Plain? Try Ririe Reservoir where perch and small bass are very active right now. Come in the shop for information and ideas on how to enjoy these on Ririe Reservoir.
One of the less advertised features about fishing the Park is the abundance of small streams. Every drainage has them, and they tend to be less crowded than the well advertised big waters like the Madison, Yellowstone, Gallatin, Lamar rivers and Slough Creek. On the Gardner river drainage, such a Obsidian, Indian, and Panther creeks provide day long action, have easy access and are relatively safe. All these feature scrappy , but small brook trout. Bring your lightweight equipment. Along the Gibbon River drainage, the upper river and Solfatara Creek near Norris feature small brook trout and browns that can reach decent sizes. The river also has rainbows and a few grayling. Boundary and Mountain Ash creeks in Fall River Basin would be destinations worthy of media attention but for the fact that walks of a few miles are needed to enjoy them. On the Lewis River side Polecat Creek features brookies, browns and cutts. Some browns reach very respectable sizes. A few miles north of West Yellowstone Duck, Cougar and Grayling creek feature brookies, browns, ‘bows and a few and cutts. All host trout of sizes that do justice to those in the nearby Madison River. All these are just a few of what the Park offers. Get in touch with us for more information on these and how to approach them.
The damselfly emergence has been spotty so far. Some locations along the west and east shoreline have produced, but the peak of the hatch has gone by for the year. Best fishing is around east side creek mouths with Targhee Creek leading the way. It gets crowded in front of the creek, so get there early and expect that you will accumulate company if you catch fish. Mighty mite, Henry’s Lake renegade, and small California leeches are amongst the taking patterns. Howard Creek mouth is not as crowded, but there are not as many fish.
Again, with all these currently in top conditions, it is tough to pass on details for each. Suffice it to say that traditional attractor patterns in sizes like #12 -#18 will catch fish in all places. Where flows are slower it becomes more important to simulate the insects that are available. For most of these waters at this time of year that means PMD, yellow sally and caddis life cycle patterns. Many of these waters also have a few golden stoneflies around, and terrestrials such as ants and beetles. Streams with slower reaches also have damselflies. Flavs are showing up on a few streams. The hopper season is just around the corner, so begin adding small hopper patterns to your fly box, and be sure that the color of these matches that of the vegetation where you will use them. Fishing particularly good right now are the Blackfoot River above the reservoir, Robinson Creek, Teton River in the Basin and around the Hog Hollow Bridge, Sinks streams (Beaver, Medicine Lodge, Sawmill Creek-Little Lost River), Warm River below the spring, Tincup Creek, Jackknife Creek, and Stump Creek. For specific information on these and other streams, get in touch with us.
Except for the Firehole River, all streams are in best fishing shape. Fall River Basin streams feature afternoon PMD and sally hatches and evening brown drakes. Green drakes are pretty much finished on these. The Lamar River has cleared and is a good choice with caddis, PMDs, golden stones, and sallys attracting fish. The Gibbon River around Norris Jct. is a small stream but the browns, ‘bows, rainbows and a very few grayling are quite active there. Try PMD and sally life cycle patterns. Speaking of small streams: Obsidian, Indian and Panther creeks are loaded with small but aggressive brookies. Do you have an entry level person or one that must stay away from challenging terrain? Take very light weight equipment, PMD life cycle, caddis, sally and attractor patterns (all in sizes 12-18), and try one of these easily approached streams. You might experience some of the fastest fishing in the Park. On all these waters and others in the Park, be sure to have beetle and ant patterns. Good hopper fishing is soon in the future. And remember, for fast still water fishing in the Park, nothing beats Beula Lake.
Chesterfield Res. great on damselflies, mainly nymphs, but try dries on the surface are working on bays and coves. Twenty-Four Mile Reservoir described as “sweet water” with dry damsel patterns producing along with specked dun nymphs. Springfield is finally coming around, too. Try dry damselfly patterns. On all of these, midge pupa under a strike indicator will also produce.