The comments we made on the impact of shorter daylight hours and cooler nights applying to the South Fork and the Henry’s Fork with respect to improving fishing conditions also apply to our irrigation reservoirs. Diversion for irrigation purposes will decrease meaning more impounded water which will cool enough to move fish away from depths to seek food forms being more abundant in shallower water.. .
Teton River in the basin offers some good fishing because of ongoing PMD, caddis fly and terrestrial insect activities. Recreational traffic is decreasing as summer transitions to fall.
Warm River Spring
With respect to the insect activity mentioned above for the Teton River, the same is ongoing in the Warm River below Warm River Spring downstream to the top of the cascades. There will be no recreational boaters here and fewer anglers. Thus this part of the river offers a better chance of solitude than present on the Teton River in the basin.
Upper Meadow Slough Creek
The Northeast Entrance Road remains close to vehicular traffic from the Slough Creek campground turn-off to the northeast entrance. This means fishing Soda Butte Creek and Lamar River in its meadow reach and Trout Lake can be approached only through hiking and bicycling. Slough Creek’s upper meadows offer excellent fly fishing because of terrestrial insect activity, but great alternatives are the Fall River Basin streams which have very similar meadow reaches offering the same terrestrial insect activity and AM trico activity.
This guy deserves his share of the fish
Increases in flow of out of Palisades Dam have slowed fishing a bit. Although lower flow remains on the lower river because of diversion for agriculture, shorter daylight hours and lower night time air temps will soon cool this part of the river to help bring on the fall mayfly season there. Mutant golden stone activity is decreasing, and when cooler and cloudier weather begins, our fall mayfly activity will start up and down the river. Meanwhile, terrestrial insect activity provides action up and down the river. Hopper-dropper combos remain a good choice when such are presented toward well vegetated banks.
Visits to the upper river are decreasing significantly, and presenting terrestrial insect patterns is the best way to find daytime fishing success. Speckled dun and caddis activity provide lesser daytime action while tricos bring on early in the day action before increasing air temps awaken terrestrial insects. With shorter daylight hours and colder nights, water in the lower river will begin to cool to the point that fall may lfy activity will begin.
Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork drainage status report of yesterday follow. :
Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
P.O. Box 550
Ashton, ID 83420
208-881-3407 CELL
208-652-3568 FAX
Gulpers are still chasing speckled dun and tricos in the Madison Arm and along the south shore of Hebgen Lake during AMs. Consider that other lakes in this part of Montana also have gulper action this time of the season.
As with so many steams this time of year, terrestrial insect patterns are best bets for action on the Gallatin and Madison Rivers. Include spruce moth patterns in that fly box..
Slough Creek, Second Meadow Above the Campground
Here is a suggestion that applies to fishing all Park streams: presenting terrestrial insect patters is a must. Only exception is the Firehole River whose waters have yet to cool to the point where fish caught an released have a great chance of surviving this ordeal.
Those recent small increases in flow out of Palisades Reservoir are meant to add water to the relatively depleted American Falls Reservoir. This action should not impact fishing. When weather begins to cool, look for BWOs and mahogany duns to become active.
No significant change with respect to fishing strategy since our last report. Mutant golden stones provide the best early-in-the-day fishing. Later in the day, PMDs, caddis and terrestrial insect activities provide the action. Be aware that as diversions remove water from the lower river, fish there become less active than above.
Best fishing remains reduced to creek mouths and around submerged springs. Be at such locations as in front of Duck, Hope, Howard and Targhee Creeks at first light, and expect company. Same with in front of Staley Springs. Decreasing daylight hours and the sun tracking lower in the sky means the lake will begin to cool and fish will soon begin distributing around it.
Be ready with terrestrial insect patterns anywhere on the river. Honey, also called cinnamon, ants are showing up along the upper river, and the trout love them.
Below are Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s status report headlines for the Henry’s Fork drainage.as of yesterday.
Headlines:
Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
P.O. Box 550
Ashton, ID 83420
208-881-3407 CELL
208-652-3568 FAX