With unsettled weather coming up, streamer fishing for migrating browns is becoming very attractive whether from Warm River to Ashton or Ashton Dam on downstream past St. Anthony. Early or late in the day will be best regardless of weather.
Thanks to colder than normal weather including some snow and killing frosts, hopper season is about to end on just about every park stream. So if you pursue big fish, streamers or big nymphs will get best results. This applies to Lower Gibbon, Madison, Lewis, Bechler, Fall, Snake, Lamar, and upper Gardner Rivers. Other than that, good top water fishing is reduced to the Firehole River where BWO and white millers make for good daytime fishing especially during unsettled weather.
For still waters, action on Beulah Lake is slowing because of cooling water. Wait a few weeks before trying Trout Lake. Some of the best lake fishing will be along Lewis Lake shoreline where wading to pitch streamer patterns (especially below the campground) can interest migrating browns and an occasional juvenile lake trout. Weather and physical condition permitting, carrying a flotation device with all accoutrements down the DeLacey Creek Trail to Shoshone Lake will get you into juvenile lake trout foraging around sunken weed beds. Use a full sink line, black or olive leech patterns, and dress for the weather.
Flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped from just under 5000 cfs to 3940 cfs ( down to 4930 cfs at Heise, to 2070 cfs at Lorenzo) last night. This drop opens up even more wading opportunities along the river. With unsettled weather coming in a few days, there are more walk-in wade locations to enjoy fish responding to the current BWO activity.
We have not heard much about fishing here. But what we have heard indicates that fishing success seems fair at best. Cooler weather with stormy periods should help.
Goings on along the lower river are very similar to happenings on the South Fork. No significant mutant stones but plenty of BWOs, some mahogany duns and a recommendation to try streamer flies especially under the current weather conditions.
As predicted; it is “blue wing olive weather” along the river. Flow has been steady for about five days now making for good fishing if you do not mind the cool weather. It appears from the information we receive at the shop the lower river seems to offer the best in consistent fishing.
With less irrigation water in demand meaning reduced flow in the Snake River, it is time to have streamer patterns ready for migrating browns as well as big resident rainbows. Drift boating is the best way to encounter these, but there are walk-in wade locations along the river. Get in touch because we can pinpoint these for you.
Don’t rely on very small streams for the rest of the season as they most likely are at base level meaning cold and having reduced overhead cover. Exceptions could be upper Birch, Big Elk, Bitch, and Palisades Creeks. Such as the Blackfoot, Teton, Warm, and Buffalo Rivers will remain good for quite a while thanks to streamers, caddis and late season (BWO) mayfly activity and terrestrial insect presence until a killing frost happens.
If you intend to fish the lower river, now is the time to have streamers in that fly box. Add low light conditions like predicted for day times the rest of this week to early AM and sunset as the best times to present these.
Firehole River is as good as it gets for this time of year. BWOs and white millers are the reasons. Really big fish are quite rare here, but the nearby Madison River hosts an increasing number of trophy size browns and ‘bows coming up from Hebgen. They are in the river from Madison Junction on down to Baker’s Hole, and they are best encountered when the weather is stormy or at dawn or at twilight. The Lewis River, anywhere above the canyon, also hosts migrating browns. Either place, Madison or Lewis, streamer patterns are the best for meeting up with them. In a few weeks there are more park waters we can recommend for migrating browns.