A. J. Jorgensen treated us to a great and informative fly tying demo last Saturday. On doing so, his tenure as a South Fork guide shown through with respect to designing fly patterns. He offered his creations; Scooba Steve, Zole Bug, and Slammin’ Fly. Note taking was the frequent throughout attendees, and on request, A. J.repeated tying steps, explained why he used certain materials, and how to present each pattern.
A.J.’s Demo will be the last offered at the shop in November because the next two Saturdays are adjacent to the Thanksgiving holiday. Our demos will resume on the first Saturday in December. More later on who will be the demonstrating fly tiers.
No real changes since our last report with respect to flow, water conditions or best time of day to be on the river. However if you enjoy fishing in pleasant weather, do so in the next few days because next week normal November weather (Brrr!) will prevail.
This great weather will not last much longer, so get out and enjoy. Daytime hours are not only pleasant, but hold the best BWO and midge activity making their life cycle patterns a must for the fly box. Next week looks like normal November conditions will prevail.
One of the best happenings on the river is that aquatic vegetation has broken away giving more “fishable” water and a better chance for landing that big fish ( no weeds to bury into). Fly rod jigs are a good bet for streamer action with fish now concentrated in deeper water up and down the river. Plunk one into the top of any deep waters, let it sink and drift a bit, then retrieve with a “jigging motion” to make it rise and fall in the water column.
Headlines From Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s Henry’s Fork Drainage Water Status Report Filed Yesterday.
Last week was warm and dry, dropping water-year precipitation to 134% of average.
Generally dry conditions are expected to continue this week.
Natural flow continues to drop from its November 3 peak, but rate of recession has dropped to around 2% per day.
At an average outflow of 226 cfs yesterday, Island Park Reservoir gained 448 ac-ft and is 81% full, compared to 58% full on average.
What applies to the South Fork with respect to fishing strategy much applies to the river below Ashton Dam. For the upper river streamers and double nymph rigs work best in such as Box Canyon and the Tubs. Flow is down ( about 200 cfs) in Box Canyon to the point that hard sided boats have a tough time avoiding its emerging structure. Day time is best for top water fishing and is comfortable as long as nice weather prevails. Remember that the fishing season in Harriman State Park closes on November 30th.
Winter flow rates continue and will do so until the 2024 irrigation season begins. This means fish are concentrated in deeper water, but will come to riffles and runs to feed on hatching BWOs and midges. Nice weather is predicted well into next week making mid day fishing comfortable. If top water presentation for BWOs and midges is your preference, be sure to have their life cycle patterns in the fly box.. Streamer fishing ( including fly rod jigs) remains most successful under low light conditions.
The Madison River downstream from Reynolds Junction offers good fishing that should continue until cold weather arrives. Nymphing and presenting streamers are effective for action. Daytime hours are best, so begin fishing around noon.
It is best to fish the river between Quake and Hebgen Lakes at the lower end. This minimizes interfering with spawning brown trout concentrating at the upper end. Streamer fishing is the name of the game, and you will plenty of company doing so.
No ice on the lake at this date. And on forming on isolated places the warm daytime air temperatures, are enough to melt what has formed. These daytime air temperatures are predicted for much of the upcoming week. So consider a visit because the lake will eventually ice over. Fishing remains somewhat spotty. A good strategy is to present a variety of fly patterns using an intermediate line until an effective one is found.
Because of being adjacent to the Thanksgiving holiday, we will not offer fly tying demos on Saturday, November 18th and Saturday, November 25th. Our Saturday fly tying demos will resume on Saturday, December 1st and continue into December.
Looks like we will see winter maintenance flows until the next irrigation season. Right now, water and weather conditions make BWO activity good enough for active top water fishing and for successful streamer fishing.
Ever notice the flow is greater at the Heise gage than that at the Irwin gage? That is not just from tributary water ( ie Palisades, Fall, Pine Creeks, etc.) but also from an up-welling of ground water into the river.
A.J. Jorgensen is featured for the Saturday, November 11th Fly Fish Food-Jimmy’s fly tying demo. He is another Colorado transplant, although his roots are in eastern Idaho thanks to grandparents. A.J. got into the fly fishing world in a backwards kind of way. That is, he began as a youngster tying flies for his dad and his buddies while living in Colorado and yet to fly fish. On becoming of age to buy a truck, he began scoping out nearby streams. It was success while doing so that fly fishing became love at first sight. Seeing that east Idaho offered much more for an outdoor life, A.J. moved there and became acquainted with our wonderful array of waters. He entered the angling industry though employment at Rio about eight years ago, but soon graduated the guiding for The Lodge at Palisades Creek. In doing so, products from his fly tying vise became sought after, especially those patterns for the South Fork, the Henry’s Fork and their tributaries. He will tie these patterns as well as offer usage information on each during his demo
About five years ago A. J. demonstrated his tying skills during Jimmy’s Saturday demos, and more recently, he did the same during the 2023 EIFTE fly tying demos held in the Mountain America Events Center. A. J. is now the Fly Fish Food-Jimmy’s assistant manager as well as a sought-after commercial fly tier. A. J. and his Mrs., Claire, live in Lewisville with children Flint and Zola, all of whom can look forward to a great outdoor life in this area.
