Flows have stayed steady on the South Fork at 3,300 cfs. The Blue Wing Olives have finally started to hatch on the river. Earlier this week Jimmy had a epic day fishing dry BWO’s to rising fish. The hatch came on a cloudy rainy day. Look for the weather to bring those fish to the surface when there is a hatch. Streamers are also very good this time of year especially with the weather changing and becoming colder and colder. Stop by the shop or call if you have any questions.
Once again weather becomes important in your plans to fish Park waters. Little of the Park is under six thousand feet in elevation, thus a nice day at four thousand feet in elevation doesn’t mean the same at six or seven thousand feet. So go prepared with warm clothing including a shell to protect from precipitation and rest assured that will be no more wet wading this year! Streamer fishing for migrating browns and rainbows and foraging cutthroat will get you into the biggest fish, but BWOs emerging from the Firehole River will make a visit for the top water enthusiast worth considering.
What makes the Snake River so attractive this time of year is the short drive to reach it at almost any location. So many of these are located off well-maintained roads, driving a relatively easy effort. With browns migrating and streamer patterns being most effective for encountering them all that remains is finding a location along their migration routes. Come in and talk to us about where to find these.
Fishing remains very good, and with a week of not so good weather crowds will be down. Same strategies we discussed in recent fishing reports applies, but now come prepared for foul weather and questionable road conditions.
Big concerns this time of year is the impact of weather on the roads and colder weather. Getting back in such as Willow Creek and Blackfoot River countries almost requires preparation for bad roads and cold weather. So pack foul weather gear along with making your vehicle “bad road ready” in case you venture to places such as given above. What would be the best fly selection for smaller streams this time of year? Small streamer patterns, small nymphs, with and without a bead head, and for closer to the surface fishing depend on BWO dun and emerger patterns.
Flows out of the dam are at 3,300 cfs and have remained steady for about a week now. There has been a Blue Wing Olive hatch but it has been very sparse and marginal at best. Fish a #12-#16 Parachute Adams and a BWO size #18 about 2-3 feet behind it. This set up against the banks will produce fish on the surface. Streamers have still remained the ticket for catching the bigger fish right now. With the flows at this level wade fishing is very assessable right now. The Heise area and above Wolf Flats has some great spots for wade fishing right now. Look for fish concentrated in the foam lines and structure along the bank.
With flow out of Mackay Dam down to 100 cfs fish will concentrate in deeper water in river below. Expect easy wading.
Browns are migrating in the entire river, and flows are near base level. That means it is time to consider fishing this river that haswith many convenient access points for walk-in wading. Come to the shop and get information on where and how to fish this river which hosts a great and under-utilized brown trout population. Late afternoons and mornings will be best times for fishing.
Hawkins Reservoir, even with low water, is offering good fishing. Try mini-zonkers and small leech patterns. Mohair leeches are bringing responses in Chesterfield Reservoir. All reservoirs, including those mentioned, Twenty-Four Mile, Daniels, and Treasureton are at very low water levels. We will need good snow higher up this winter to get them back to levels that will sustain good fishing into next year.
Brown trout migration is the major Park fishing attraction this time of year, and there are several choice for enjoying this event. My long-time favorites are the Beaver Meadows of the Madison River and the Lewis River above and below Lewis Lake. On both of these large streamers are the key, with some in bright and some in somber colors. Low light conditions are usually best in both places. Fish in the smaller Lewis River can be stressed more easily, so the best time to fish it is mainly from first light until mid morning when visiting anglers begin to accumulate. The number of brown trout migrating in this system is the largest in the Park. In the larger Beaver Meadows reach of the Madison River, I have had days where good luck lasts the entire day, so long as I fish deep. But do not restrict your visits to these locations. The run of Yellowstone River browns into the Gardner River and that of browns into the Snake River above the South Entrance, are now in progress. So are runs in Duck Creek, Grayling Creek and into the Gibbon River. So you don’t like pitching streamer patterns this tome of year? Try presenting BWO life cycle patterns during afternoon visits to the Firehole River.