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Fishing Reports

Fly Fish Food Jimmy's / Fishing Reports (Page 17)

Henry’s Lake, June 26th, 2024

Same story: Creek mouths and west side springs are best places. Be there early in the day before wind picks up or in the evening after wind dies down.  This will be much the same strategy through the summer. See Bill Schiess’s book Fishing Henry’s Lake for best fly patterns at any given time.  Damsel fly hatch should begin soon, but not with the peak intensity of past years.

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Yellowstone National Park, June 26th, 2024

Run-off has dropped enough to make Fall River Basin streams worthy of a fishing trip. For a bit longer, any pattern that imitates an earthworm is the most effective. Next comes streamer patterns of choice.   Placing these at the top of holes and deep runs to drift to depth, then a slow retrieve is the best strategy. Make sure you have plenty of DEET for the walk through the timber.  Also be “bear aware.”  Wind still inhibits fishing on the big lakes.  Streams in the northeast corner of the Park (Lamar River, Slough, Soda Butte and Pebble Creeks) are still high with run-off but are receding.

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South Fork, June 26th, 2024

Outflow from Palisades Reservoir is normal (now about 12000 cfs at Irwin, 13000 at cfs at Heise, 5700 cfs at Lorenzo) as inflow-outflow and flooding are no longer issues. With warm weather here, the river below Palisades Dam offers more attractive fishing with big stoneflies and afternoon caddis soon to lead the parade of hatching aquatic insects. Expect boat launch facilities to become increasingly crowded from now through summer.

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Henry’s Fork, June 26th, 2024


Here is some great info from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Watershed SWE report filed June 25th. Hatch timing is accelerating again after slowing down for a few days early last week and is near average at most locations. Green Drakes are slowing down on the lower river (downstream of Warm River) but are hatching upstream. A few flavs have been seen on the lower river. Small numbers of Gray Drakes are still hatching in the lower watershed. Brown Drakes have been reported in the Osborne Bridge area. Unfortunately, hot sunny weather has not produced the best conditions for mayfly dun emergence recently, while strong winds have not produced the best conditions for spinner falls either. Pro tip for avid readers who have stuck with the report this far: clouds, cooler temperatures and maybe a few showers are in the forecast for tomorrow, with slightly lighter winds than we have seen recently. That should produce near-optimal conditions for emergence of mayfly duns of several different species tomorrow on all river reaches. 

The upper river is hosting its usual month of June fly fishing crowds, so your “on the water diplomacy” will be tested whether you wade or fish from a boat.   Water quality is good with near or a bit below normal flows but these can vary throughout the irrigation season.

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South Fork, June 22, 2024

The South Fork will now come alive for fly fishers! Flow at Irwin was about 20000 cfs on June 3rd but it has been reduced stepwise to about 13000 cfs  (14000 cfs, 7200 cfs at Lorenzo) which is normal for the date. Any day now the giant stonefly hatch will work its way up the river. The South Fork big stonefly hatch is not as consistent as the on the Henry’s Fork or the Madison River. It tends to skip some locations up and down the river. This makes boating to find it almost a must. Expect thick caddis emergences almost anywhere on the river. Let the water warm some more before big mayfly hatches begin. 

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Henry’s Lake, June 19th, 2024

Wind continues to mess up fishing and research to determine any changes in water quality and chemistry. Fish have moved mostly to deep water making fishing from banks less successful. Spring holes and creek mouths at sunrise and evenings are best times for action.

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Yellowstone National Park, June 19th 2024

The last few days of cool weather helps the Firehole River stay hospitable for trout, but warming weather soon will change this. Cold, windy weather will make fishing on major lakes (Lewis, Shoshone, and Yellowstone) dangerous. Streams in the northeast corner of the Park (Lamar River, Slough, Soda Butte and Pebble Creeks) are high with run-off. Trout Lake opened for fishing a few days ago. It hosts some of the largest cut-bow hybrids in the Park outside of Fall River Basin. Run-off is receding in Fall River Basin streams.

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Small Streams, June 14th, 2024

Brook trout are now in demand for family fish fries throughout the Snake River Plain. With a daily creel limit of 25 per licensed angler, IDF&G helps in making enough of these superb eating salmonids creeled for a plentiful fish fry. Where does the fly fisher go with young family fly fishers? There are plenty of streams in which these exotic salmonids dwell in good numbers. Combine a camping and fishing trip at such as Elk Creek at the far end of Buffalo River Campground. Try the Little Warm River at Pole Bridge Campground. Day trips to such as Beaver, Birch, Sawmill, Sheridan, and West Camas Creeks can be very productive. And for sure, Grandma has a great recipe tucked away that will render the catch into some superb eating!

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Stillwaters, June 14th, 2024

Most of our still waters are now approachable and rounding into good fishing. Damsel fly and speckled dun mayfly emergences are ramping up, and the best time to enjoy fish responding to them are during low wind periods. Right now IDF&G is managing Daniels, Springfield, Treasureton and Twenty-Four Mile as trophy fisheries.

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Yellowstone National Park, June 14th 2024

No change here: the Firehole River is the place to fish. Swinging soft hackle types, offering BWO, PMD and caddis life cycle patterns but as we move into warmer weather the river will do the same meaning lower levels of dissolved oxygen. So we should soon treat this river as a sanctuary for resident trout, and fish elsewhere. Here are a few candidates that have opened up: the relatively sparse green drake hatch on the Lewis River above and below Lewis Lake. Lewis. Shoshone and Yellowstone Lakes are now ice-free. From West Yellowstone, Shoshone lake is the easiest to reach if the fly fisher does not mind packing a flotation device and relevant gear three miles down the Delacey Creek trail to the lake. Get out on the lake, look for submerged weed beds. Pitch any fly that simulates a leech or a streamer using a full sink line and stout leader. You will enjoy catching many juvenile lake trout ranging from 17 to just over twenty inches and perhaps a trophy sized brown trout.

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