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Fishing Reports

Jimmy's All Seasons Angler / Fishing Reports (Page 28)

Southwest Montana, May 20th, 2023

Montana general fishing season opens today. Expect streams to be high and discolored with run-off. Hebgen Lake is ice free but discolored in places with run-off from tributaries. If you are a nonresident of Montana, go to the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks website and follow the fishing prompts to obtain a license.

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Henry’s Fork, May 20th, 2023

Any day now the giant then golden stone flies will be out along the lower river from Cardiac Canyon downstream to the Chester backwaters. Until these emerge, then fly and begin egg-laying activity, presenting nymph patterns of these will be effective. Caddis activity also abounds along this stretch of river. Discolored water persists from Warm River to Ashton Reservoir.

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Small Streams, May 20th, 2023

The road up Big Elk Creek Arm of Palisades Reservoir is open and in good shape. The creek is high with discolored water, but fish are staging in front of it just past the discolored water plume. Woolly bugger types presented on intermediate lines bring action. Best action comes through using a boat to venture to the edge of the discolored water although wading & casting from the shoreline brings some action.

.This is the only road open to access Palisades Reservoir tributaries, all of which are currently running high and discolored. The U. S. Forest Service asks that the public refrain from travel on these until they dry or are repaired. The Bear Creek Road, in particular, has significant damage that will take time and effort to repair.

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Henry’s Lake, May 16th, 2023

Ice is off the lake, but very cold water has slowed fishing success during this catch and release season. Lots of folks fishing from boats or wading where the lake is accessible near the hatchery, county boat dock, cliffs, state park and other points. Best to try shallow water which is first to warm and encourage aquatic food forms to become active.

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Henry’s Fork, May 16th, 2023

Forget about fishing the Warm River to Ashton section for a while. Robinson Creek and even Warm River (right now a run-off stream thanks to Island Park snow pack) are putting in cold, discolored water. Nevertheless, big stonefly nymphs are moving, and as we close in on the end of the month will be out and hatching along the lower river. Mother’s Day caddis remain along the lower river and best to encounter fish feeding on them is below Ashton Dam. Avoid using the Ora Bridge boat launch to minimize road damage until water level in the gravel pit drops.

Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Water Supply Report filed yesterday for the Henry’s Fork Drainage.

  • Temperatures and snowmelt were well above average yesterday; 71% of this year’s peak snowpack remains, compared with 66% on average.
  • Natural streamflow is 140% of average.
  • At an average outflow of 1195 cfs, Island Park Reservoir gained 2000 ac-ft yesterday and is 94% full, compared with 96% full on average.
  • Although 95% full physically, the three reservoirs in the Henry’s Fork watershed are 57% full on paper, as the American Falls 1921 right is still being filled.
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Henry’s Fork, May 13th, 2023

Flow is up with colder water throughout the river ( especially below Fall River and Warm River-Robinson Creek confluences) making for slower top water fishing even though BWO and Midge activity is good. Mother’s Day caddis are active in places. Streamer fishing can be productive when concentrated during low light periods and at out-of-direct-sunlight areas. Pattern choice is less important than understanding these conditions.

Stonefly nymphs are beginning to migrate and therefore becoming more available as a food form for trout. That’s another reason for slower top water fishing. Fish use less energy to feed along the river bed than rising to the surface. So as we move later in May, stonefly nymph patterns become more important in your fly box until adults appear.

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Small Streams, May 13th, 2023

Run-off from our much higher than normal snowfall last winter is beginning. Here is an example in almost the extreme. Snow pack in the Willow Creek-Blackfoot and Portneuf Rivers drainages was about 300% of normal. Today run-off measured by the USGS’s Willow Creek gage stationed just above Ririe Reservoir measured a flow of 1880 cfs and climbing. That is compared to a normal flow this time of around 250 cfs! All of our small streams will see unusually high run-off flows. These may delay good fishing on each, but will replenish depleted ground water levels which will keep good flows going, benefit resident trout and extend good fishing through the season.

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South Fork, May 13th, 2023

Flow out of Palisades Dam was upped to about 8900 cfs ( now 11240 cfs at Heise, 6250 cfs at Lorenzo) yesterday. Tributaries such as Palisades, Fall, Rainey, Pine and Burns below the dam are closed to fishing during June but now are putting cold, discolored water into the river helping to reduced fishing success to presenting nymph or streamer patterns. The lower flow at Lorenzo is because canals are opened to provide irrigation water.

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Still Waters, May 13th, 2023

No word yet on 24-mile Reservoir fishing. Road going in likely needs to improve. Chesterfield Reservoir is ice-fee with slow fishing. Look for improvement around end of the month after it turns over. Roads are open to Treasureton Reservoir which is high and discolored. Daniels and Hawkins Reservoirs have improving fishing with midge pupa providing action until fish become gorged on such. Give streamers and woolly bugger types a try.

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