Whether you fish the upper or lower river, hopper patterns are now the ” bread and butter.” Spinner patterns come in next with PM caddis fly patterns following. So wherever you fish, consider that the higher the water temperatures, the tougher it is on fish to be caught, fought, then be released. Consider using heavier leaders, barbless hooks, keeping fish in the water for “hero” shots and keeping their heads pointed upstream until they appear to recover on their own. Considering the pleasure we gain from encountering them, we owe them as much gentleness as possible during these days of stressful conditions.
With Palisades Reservoir a bit more than half full (54%) and no real knowledge of what kind of winter is coming up, flow has been scaled back in the river below Palisades Dam ( now about 14600 cfs at Irwin, 14900 cfs at Heise,10400 cfs at Lorenzo). More reductions will come as we move away from the irrigation season. These actions have no big impact on fishing, but a few strategy changes may help success. For example, spend more time fishing seams,.ie. where channels converge or just below islands. Use such as rubber leg, super renegade or super-X patterns at these places. For sure mayflies are active and will offer good fishing for weeks to come. Terrestrial insect populations are near their peaks and trout know it. So good things are happening on the river.
Our recent rains have helped bring a number of our small streams up to being more hospitable for resident trout. This could be temporary depending on upcoming weather, so let’s keep hoping for more rain!
Good News from The Nature Conservancy
Greetings from Silver Creek.
We are excited to announce that effective August 11, access to fishing will be allowed daily from 9am – sunset at the Silver Creek Preserve. Morning access closures will remain in place.
Due to sustained improvements in stream conditions at the Preserve, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is reopening access to fishing on our property during limited hours. Partial access restrictions remain in place to protect the health of the fishery during times of day when natural stressors are greatest. As always, TNC appreciates anglers’ cooperation in limiting handling and minimizing stress when fishing at Silver Creek Preserve. Whenever possible, please release fish quickly and limit your fishing activity when air temperatures get hot.
We also want to remind everyone of our new designated fishing access points implemented in May 2021. The map of access points at the Preserve and a list of FAQs is attached. If you have questions about this policy or need more info, please email us [email protected] or call the Preserve Office (208) 788-7910.
Best fishing is on Hebgen’s Madison Arm for gulpers. Fish during AM when lake surface is calm. Speckled dun spinner, dun, and emerger patterns, size 14-16) Be careful because blue-green algae ( toxic to pets and many domestic animals) bloom is becoming dense along shallows especially in the Grayling Arm. Hoot owl closure still applies to entire Madison River.
Flow is down a bit to 15800 cfs at Irwin and should drop more. Streamers have been producing, moving away from big dries throughout the river. Nymphing drop-offs is good strategy. Look for hoppers and other terrestrial insect patterns to become increasingly effective
Hoot owl restrictions are present indefinitely on all park streams. You can fish only these from sunrise to 2 PM MST. Lakes are exempt from this restriction. Expect crowded fishing on all roadside streams, full campgrounds and lodging, and heavy traffic conditions.
Sand Creek Ponds are open to fishing from water craft. Pond are stocked and those fish are active. Speckled dun and damsel fly life cycle, small leech, small fly rod jig, and soft hackle patterns are effective. It is best for fish well being to begin a visit as early as possible or fish during evenings. Leave mid-day for lunches, etc.
No significant change in any way since our last report. Flows are about constant at higher than normal amounts to meet irrigation demands and to place a useful amount of water in downstream reservoirs. Stream-side terrestrial insects are increasing making “hopper-dropper” combos increasingly effective. Rubber leg patterns are good droppers, best hopper patterns are numerous. Proper presentation is more important than pattern selection.
Same story: fish creek mouths and spring holes. Get there at sunrise, fish till mid-day and expect company especially if you are catching fish. Opportunistic anglers will use binoculars to glass the lake and join your success. Again refer to Bill Schiess’s “Fishing Henry’s Lake” to find the best mid-summer patterns. .
Here are excerpts from Ron Van Kirk’s July 27th analysis of the Henry’s Fork drainage water status. We offer these for those interested in the drainage water situation and its impact on fishing during this dry summer and for those planning a visit to any of the drainage’s major waters. Henry’s Fork fishing conditions have changed little since our Saturday, July 24th fishing report. Anywhere you fish the river, be sure to have terrestrial insect patterns in your fly box!
At 7 degrees F above average, yesterday was the warmest day in a week.
Forecasts are becoming more certain of substantial rain over the next week, with widespread totals of 1-2 inches.
Diversion has dropped to 77% of average, while natural flow is 68% of average, putting the difference between supply and demand right at average.
Outflow from Island Park Dam was reduced to 915 cfs yesterday. The reservoir is 51% full, compared with 73% on average and 42% in 2016.
Details:
Mean temperature yesterday was 7 degrees F above average and the warmest since last Monday. The daily maximum was the warmest since Sunday the 18th. Water-year precipitation to date is still 75% of average. Forecasts are becoming more confident in widespread, wetting rain beginning tomorrow and continuing for at least a week. The current seven-day forecast calls for widespread rainfall totals of at least 1 inch, with up to 3 inches possible on the Yellowstone Plateau. Temperatures will gradually cool to average—something we have not seen since late May. Outlooks at the time frame of 7-14 days give greater-than-even odds of above-average precipitation, something we have also not seen since late May. Overnight low temperatures will increase with the increase in moisture, but daytime highs will cool substantially, reaching 8-10 degrees F BELOW average by early next week.
If the forecast rainfall totals materialize, streamflow will increase substantially by this time next week, especially in Fall River and Teton River. Precipitation of 1-3 inches in headwater areas could increase natural flow by 50% or so, at least briefly bringing natural flow up to average. That much rain would also directly add 500-1000 ac-ft to the surface of Island Park Reservoir, on top of any increases in stream inflow. In addition, an extended period of rain in valley areas would decrease irrigation demand, although that may come at the cost of damage to cut hay and to ripening grain. The duration of precipitation is a critical determinant of the latter—if valley rain is concentrated in a narrow window of a day or two followed by a return to dry weather, grain will dry without sprouting on the stalk. An extended period of rain, such as we experienced in August of 2014, could result in widespread loss of grain crops. The best scenario for both water supply and crop quality is 1-2 days of rain in the valleys, with daily showers in the mountains over an extended period. Right now, that scenario is essentially what is forecast.
For now, natural flow remains very stable at 68% of average: 76% in upper Henry’s Fork, 68% in Fall River, and 57% in Teton River. Diversion continued to drop yesterday and is 77% of average: 81% on Henry’s Fork, 64% on Fall River, and 79% on Teton River. The difference between irrigation demand and natural flow has dropped to only 100 cfs, about average for this time of year.
As expected, natural flow water-rights priority has continued to drop and was at 7/10/1889 yesterday, which reduced available natural flow on several canals in the watershed, prompting further reductions in diversion. However, the upcoming rain will increase natural flow enough that some of the natural-flow rights cut over the past week or so will at least briefly come back into priority next week, allowing more diversion without storage charges to those water users.
As I mentioned yesterday, water management over the next few weeks will be determined by a complex combination of water-rights availability, hay prices (very high right now), and effects of rain on streamflow, crop development and harvest. After two months of very stable albeit hot and dry conditions, August is promising to start off with a little more excitement for us water-data geeks. That said, no long-term changes to drought conditions are expected. Keep in mind that while the heavy rain we received at the end of May temporarily helped fill reservoirs and lowered irrigation demand, it had essentially no effect on drought conditions, which are worse now than they were in May.
Continued decreases in diversion have allowed continued cuts in Crosscut Canal delivery to the Teton River and resulted in increased streamflow in the lower Henry’s Fork. As a result, outflow from Island Park Reservoir was decreased to 915 cfs yesterday, and that decrease is just making its way to the lower watershed this morning. For the 47 days of Island Park Reservoir draft so far this season, streamflow in the Henry’s Fork downstream of all diversions has averaged 342 cfs, compared with the target flow of 350 cfs. The coefficient of variation in daily flow is 30%, meaning that the typical daily departure from the average is around 100 cfs. Outflow from Grassy Lake will be cut to zero this week, further reducing reservoir draft. If the rain materializes as forecast, it is possible that we may even have a few days next week when total reservoir storage in Grassy Lake, Henry’s Lake, and Island Park combined stays constant.
Island Park Reservoir is 51% full, compared with 73% full on average and 42% full in 2016. Total storage in the three reservoirs in the Henry’s Fork watershed is 68% of capacity, compared with 81% full on average and 64% in 2016. The three reservoirs currently contain over 9,000 ac-ft more than on this date in 2016.
