All water properties are holding steady for the last five days. Weather looks like it will be about the same for next several days. So look for continuation of current fishing success.
Derrick (208-529-8676) lost a brown and white pack pack at Fullmer this weekend. It contained tackle and a cell phone. Please get in touch with him at number above if you found it or have info on it.
Sand Creek Pond #4 produces early and late in the day if you try soft hackled flies not far below the surface. Partridge and orange or partridge and olive are good candidates. Chesterfield Reservoir, even with low water, is producing some fish responding to damselfly nymph patterns. Springfield Reservoir was planted not long ago, so expect it to be tough to get to big hold-overs. Midge pupa patterns under an indicator work if you find the taking depth. The same technique works well at Daniels Reservoir, but wading the discolored water line under breezy conditions is as good a technique as float fishing.
Looks like fishing success now depends on the weather. These bright, cloudless skies do not result in the best conditions for fish to be active. Nevertheless the lake is cooling as nights get colder. A recent day with fog and some wind produced some excellent fishing around the lake for some local enthusiasts, even during daytime hours. A variety of fly patterns presented on intermediate lines worked for them, and wading was as effective as boating. For now it looks like watching the weather to find overcast conditions may be the secret to success.
Almost anywhere along the river below the Warm River confluence will be a good location for encountering migrating brown trout. One location with excellent potential and plenty of room is along the river above the Wendell Bridge ( Highway 20). This puts one in position to intercept browns moving out of Ashton Reservoir which produced the current state record brown a few years ago. Early mornings and evenings will be best times, especially during these bright clear days. Oh, for some stormy weather!
Again the discharge graph for flow out of Palisades Dam looks like a step function. It is down to 5250 cfs (5620 cfs at Heise) as of yesterday. With Palisades Reservoir down to 29% of capacity, more flow reduction is coming up to begin the storage season. Therefore look for more wading opportunities along the river. The bright weather forecast for the next several days will diminish the BWO and Mahogany dun activities, but presenting streamers during early and late times could bring larger fish to strike. Also, we have heard of some success for folks casting rubber leg patterns on the downstream side of riffles.
Flow out of Island Park Dam was increased yesterday from around 200 cfs to nearly 300 cfs. Doesn’t sound like much, but at such a low flow it impacts best locations for wading. It is still a tough flow for drift boating, but remains good for wading. Big rubber legs and streamer patterns are the way to go this time of year. BWO activity is providing action almost everywhere on the river, upper and lower. Good streamer fishing on the lower river continues because browns are migrating. Locations to try are numerous in the river above Ashton Reservoir to Warm River. Others include from the Vernon Bridge upstream to Ashton Dam, below Chester Dam to St. Anthony, and in the river below St. Anthony (Sounds like the whole lower river!).
Flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped to 6770 cfs early this AM. That means more walk-in wade opportunities. Come in and talk to us about best locations to try. BWOs are going strongest during cloudy PMs and are accompanied by mahoganys. If you try the river during low light conditions such as those BWOs favor for emerging, consider that browns will begin moving big time as we cool off. That means streamer patterns should be in your fly box anywhere on the river.
Fly-Fishing the north shore has definitely slowed (voice of experience) even though fish are in shallow water. Likely this is the same around the lake. One reason is warm water for the time of year. We measured water temperature at middle 50s in Deg. F. yesterday. For sure cooler water will improve fishing success.
It’s the time of year when certain small streams become difficult to fish with success. This is because (amongst other things) through dropping to base level water and cooling off, they lose overhead cover and foodforms become less available. When better conditions are available, residents of these streams will move to more hospitable waters. Local examples include such as the Warm River drainage tribs including Robinson, Rock, and Wyoming Creeks, and some of the Teton Basin tribs to the river. Other small streams maintain good living conditions for salmonids year round. Fall,Teton, and Warm Rivers are examples. So are such as Big Elk and Bitch Creeks. There are a lot more small streams around here that you can enjoy until the roads close or the snow flies. Come in and talk to us. We can suggest candidates.
Flow out Palisades Dam has been about stable for several days at around 7400 cfs. This is about 3000 cfs higher than normal for the present, but low enough to offer some wading. Flow will soon come down as Palisades Reservoir is just under 30% of capacity with storage season just around the corner. With uncertain weather continuing, look for good BWO activity and trout responses and the same for mahogany duns. Although Henry’s Fork browns are on the move in the lower river, it is early for the same to be significant in the colder South Fork, but having streamer patterns in that fly box is a good idea.