Flow out of Mackay Dam has been reduced to about 170 cfs. This makes for safe wading in the river below. Early AM tricos will be of major interest to trout until about noon. After that time, be ready switch to terrestrial insect and caddis fly life cycle patterns.
Flow has been near historic levels ( 9350 cfs at Irwin, 9280 cfs at Heise, and 4880 cfs at Lorenzo) and steady. No real change since our last fishing report except that thunder shower increase relative humidity in air giving aquatic insect a more suitable atmosphere for emerging. So keep presenting such as PMD and caddis fly life cycle and mutant golden stonefly patterns along with those for hoppers, beetles and ants.
Some of the best small stream action is during afternoons on Big Elk Creek when western green drakes emerge. You will see other fly fishers there, but no plastic canoes! Palisades Creek also offers good fly fishing. Nowhere as many PM western green drakes are present, but terrestrial insects and caddis flies abound. A renegade pattern in sizes 12-14 is very reliable for action here.
No significant changes since our last report. Even flow and water quality remain the same.
Terrestrial insect patterns are the best bet for action almost everywhere on the river during daytime hours.
Headlines from Dr. Rob Van Kirk’s water report submitted yesterday for the Henry’s Fork drainage follow.
Headlines:
Rob Van Kirk, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
P.O. Box 550
Ashton, ID 83420
208-881-3407 CELL
208-652-3568 FAX
AM tricos are beginning to appear on Fall River Basin streams. So a good strategy is to break out those size 18-22 emerger patterns for use until late morning. At that time trico activity winds down rather quickly, so switch to presenting terrestrial insect patterns of choice. Include traditional humpies in these; they make excellent horse fly and deer fly imitations.
Berry season remains in Fall River Basin forested areas, and the scent of huckleberries and low bush blue berries is in many locations. It is a strong signal to be “bear aware!”
Looking for some very good still water fishing in the park or anywhere else in the region? Beula Lake offers the best, and Riddle Lake is also a good choice. Both lakes host nothing but Yellowstone cutthroat trout and a few species of small forage fish. Beula requires a walk of 2.5 miles from the Ashton-Flagg Ranch Road, while Riddle is reached just south of Thumb Junction by a walk of a bit more than a mile. Both have sections good for being fished from shore, and flotation devices allow fishing the entire lake in both cases.
Some of the best fishing on the upper river is in Box Canyon where golden stone flies and terrestrial insects are providing good activity. Visit the river here during daytime hours, and expect recreational boaters to be present especially during weekends. With respect to recreational boaters expect the same on the lower river where terrestrial insects provide some early and late in the day decent fishing success.
With respect to fishing, the South Fork is now in its seasonal “glory days.” Bank side terrestrial insects are abundant up and down the rive. Emerging mutant golden stone flies produce good early in the day fishing. PMD, pink albert, and caddis activity in or adjacent to riffles is making their life cycle patterns effective especially when cloud cover predominates, and presenting streamer patterns in the evening gives a chance of encountering perhaps a fish of the year from the river. Certainly, many anglers are visiting to enjoy this part of the season, and the recreational public is using the river and its facilities increasingly especially during weekend daytime hours. So expect company during your fishing outing.
We are in the throes of the summer dog days and so the water in so many of our streams is as warm as it will get. So being caught and released under this condition is extremely stressful for salmonids. Only in winter are conditions more stressful for them So consider such as using stronger leaders through which a hooked fish can be played more quickly. After one is landed, try not to remove it from the water at all. Revive it best by facing it totally immersed upstream to get a good flow of water over its gills. Continue this as long as required for increasing it chances of being revived to be enjoyed at a later date.