It is brown trout time on the river above American Falls Reservoir, and the current weather is ideal for stalking them with big streamer patterns. Below the reservoir out flow is down to about 260 cfs as USBR is going all out to fill the reservoir. All this means that fish are concentrated in what water there is for miles below the dam. This situation will bring in a lot of anglers, wading and boating, hoping for the fish of the year and using all sorts of tackle. For fly fishers, pitching big streamers and woolly bugger types for trout and bass seems best for success.
It is great weather and sky conditions for BWO activity and fish responding during mid-day hours. These conditions also have a good impact on streamer fishing anywhere on the river.
It featured Clark ( Cheech ) Pierce, and what a great demo it was! Cheech is a streamer pattern enthusiast, and he applied natural but mostly synthetic material that Fly Fish Food offers. Not only were his instructions thorough, but his presentation information for each was complete. With humor and and skill he began our tying demo season in a upbeat manner. Look for more of our Saturday demos to be great, but this one is certainly is going to be hard to beat!.
Because of the drop in water flow coming out of Palisades Dam look for main stem flows Above American Falls Reservoir to do the same. Below American Falls out-flow is down to about 250 cfs making for many walk-in wade locations. concentration of fish into deep water . Presenting streamer patterns is he name of the game.
Speaking of streamer patterns, The Fly Fish Food You Tube Web site features an array of streamer patterns second to none. These are tied using a variety of synthetic and natural materials and, combinations of each as well as tying instructions for each. Fly Fish Food’s web site also offers traditional streamer patterns if you prefer using them.
For the sake of the fish population, let’s hope this is the last drop in flow (now about 900 cfs at Irwin, 1800 cfs at Heise, and 1300 cfs at Lorenzo). out of Palisades Reservoir. However it is likely that about 900 cfs in flow out of the reservoir will be what is called the ” winter maintenance flow.” So enjoy the walk-in wade abundance from the dam on down to the Henry’s Fork confluence.
Except for midge and BWO activity, say goodbye to reasons for top water fly fishing, but use their life cycle patterns. Concentrate on offering nymph and streamer patterns anywhere on the river for the next several months. Daytime fishing will improve with minimal ice in the guides compared to during frosty early AMs and evenings. As snow accumulates, expect diminishing access throughout the river. Happy Halloween!
Flow out of Palisades Dam has been reduced again. Now is about 1170 cfs at Irwin, 2100 cfs at Heise, and 1000 cfs at Lorenzo and makes for a greater number of walk-in wade locations, but even rougher conditions for hard sided boats. Unsettled weather predicted for later this week will increase BWO activity and enhance streamer fishing success.
Clark (Cheech) is a creative fly tier and angler and a Fly Fish Food partner operating out of Orem, Utah. Cheech conducts the first of our Saturday winter time fly tying demos, free to the public.
Cheech ties custom flies to target all species and has contracted tiers line up to help with demand for his patterns. His patterns are offered commercially through Fullingmill.
His fly fishing passion is throwing big meaty streamers for trout, as well as chasing large and smallmouth bass. Having grown up in a household where art was strongly encouraged, Cheech first focused on feathers and fur as a primary medium beginning in 2001.
Clark is an innovator and has created popular patterns such as the Cheech Leech, the Grumpy Frumpy, and the Unsinkabeetle. Grumpy Frumpy is featured in “Flies for the Greater Yellowstone Area” by Bruce Staples and published through Stackpole Books. Cheech has been featured in This Is Fly magazine and has been published in Southwest Flyfishing. His flies have also been featured in Fly Tyer Magazine and American Angler magazine.
Co-founding Fly Fish Food with like-minded fly tier and creator Curtis Fry, they have introduced an array of synthetic materials to the fly fishing world. Doing so, has created a fly tying following second to none. Together they create video fly tutorials, review materials and tools and generally “rant” about fly tying and fishing.
When Cheech isn’t tying or fishing, he is usually pestering his wife and three kids and inadvertently booby-trapping the house with stray hooks, as well as a thin layer of marabou scraps, tinsel, and FOAM.
He has demonstrated his fly tying abilities at Jimmy’s All Seasons Angler twice in recent years. These events were not only informative and generous in all respects, but fun. Rest assured that this demo, beginning at 10:30 AM, will be the same.
