Big news here is that gulpers are going good during mornings on the Madison Arm with some on the South Fork Arm of Hebgen Lake. The trout will be working on these until around noon or until the wind comes up. So get ready with your callibaetis life cycle patterns, then switch to leech patterns of choice later or when wind gets going.
Summer doldrums are impacting the lower river, while cooler AMs and thunder shower potential help in keeping fishing success reasonable on the upper river. Also helping are growing stream side terrestrial insect populations (especially ants!). Algae is beginning to show in Island Park Reservoir and could impact water quality in the out flow. Water temps are generally such that dissolved oxygen concentrations are above the five mg per liter stress level for trout. Nevertheless consider minimizing fishing after three or four PM because this threshold could be approached and recovery of a caught and played trout impacted.
Although flow is lower than average for this date, water conditions could not be better. Top water fishing is due mostly to PMD and caddis activity in and around riffles up & down the river. No significant pink albert or mutant golden stone numbers yet.
Palisades Dam boat ramp and Palisades Creek boat ramp and campground are undergoing a pavement project meant to improve access and visitor experience. Palisades Dam site will be closed starting Monday, July 29, until approximately Friday, Aug 9, while that portion is completed and the pavement cures. Palisades Creek boat ramp and campsite will remain open during this time to allow continued boat access to the upper section of river. Once the Palisades Dam site is completed and usable, construction will begin at the Palisades Creek boat ramp and campground, and it will be closed for public access until completed. Closure dates for the Palisades Creek site have not yet been finalized. This story will be updated when more information is available on the opening and closing of both locations.
Fishing on Henry’s Lake may be relatively slow, but trout population and status research conducted by IDF&G has been great. The studies headed by biologist Nate Tillotson have been published and are available to the public on the IDF&G’s News Release web site. This is an extensive study and results of it are overall good with a few not so good findings (i e. Utah chub population). If you are a Henry’s Lake fishing fan, take time to read it!
There has been a fish kill on American Falls Reservoir where about 250 dead rainbow trout have been found along the shoreline between the boat dock and the dam. Low dissolved oxygen content appears to be the reason. IDF&G personnel are searching the reservoir to determine if further kills are present. Only rainbow trout appear to be impacted to date.
The major mayfly hatching period is coming to an end but will resume in a smaller form later this summer. AM spinner falls could bring some fishing action. Summer weather is bringing on the terrestrial insect season along the entire river. Good water quality reigns supreme, but daytime water temperatures are getting high. Plan to fish the lower river early and late in the day for quite some time now. Thunder storm threatening days are predicted for later this week. These could improve what is left of mayfly activity. If you can tolerate the recreationists in Box Canyon, two nymph rigs and rubber leg patterns fished deep can bring action. So can ant patterns presented along shorelines.
Flies to fish:
Water flow out of Palisades Dam has been dropped step-wise from 12000 cfs on July 19th to about 9600 cfs. This is around 10-15 per cent below normal for this time of the season. This brings more wading opportunities along the river. Still there is plenty of quality water for fish. Fishing success can be a bit spotty, so it is a bit of a challenge to find where fish are foraging on such as caddis flies, golden stones, PMDs and other forms. That is the advantage of float-fishing compared to wading.
Flies to fish:
It is time to use terrestrial insect patterns on any meadow reach of park streams. The Yellowstone River below and above Hayden Valley is a real good choice for large Yellowstone Cutthroat trout. But consider that with this super warm summer, those above LeHardy Rapids may soon begin heading back to the lake. Anywhere the river is open above the falls, green drake and PMD life cycle patterns still work. Terrestrial insect patterns, especially those for ants are becoming good for top water fishing. Try these around Nez Perce Ford. Low light conditions, like evenings? Try streamer patterns of choice
Flies to fish:
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has extended hoot owl restrictions on the Madison River to include the section from the Yellowstone Park boundary downstream to Hebgen Lake. Centennial Valley streams are at flows below base level. Deep, cool Elk and Hidden lake offer good fishing for westslope cutts (Elk Lake) and rainbow trout (Hidden Lake). A few gulpers are appearing on Hebgen’s Madison Arm.
Thoughtful anglers are leaving those impoundments and lakes with high water temperatures alone until summer cools. Temperatures in shallow areas of so many of these are now nearing or slightly higher than seventy Deg. F. Waiting for cooler water helps minimize the stress of being caught then played on the hosted trout population. The higher the water temperature the less the chances of surviving this activity.