Many of these are at base level and therefore offer slow fishing. Some exceptions include Warm River below Warm River Spring, Big Elk, Birch, and Palisades Creeks, Terrestrial insect, yellow sally, caddis fly and traditional attractor patterns will produce on each of these,
Drought conditions are beginning to impact most of our small streams. In fact, the Nature Conservancy has closed fishing on its Silver Creek property. Along with the low water conditions in the Big Wood River, this action is sure to increase fishing pressure on the Big Lost River drainage especially in the Copper Basin where Sun Valley-Hailey area anglers will seek better fishing.
A similar thing is happening on these waters as is happening on our still waters. Many small streams have dropped to near base flow. For example, run-off water has pretty much left the Teton River drainage and flow (356 cfs near Leigh Creek in the basin) is at mid-summer amounts throughout the river. Consider that now is a dangerous time in the canyon because of the rattlesnake populatarion being active.
Streams with near seasonal water flows are become rare. Warm River below the springs is an exception and is worth a try. Caddis flies make up the bulk of aquatic insect available to trout.here PMDs, sallys, and a few golden stones are also present.
You’d Better Hurry! This suggestion applies to fishing nearly all small streams in our area and will soon include Teton River drainage waters as run-off there recedes. Because of lower snow accumulation in nearly all water sheds, small streams will soon drop to base level and trout will begin to move to deeper, cooler water or out to bigger waters. Flow in Fall River remains low because of diversion for irrigation. Exceptions will be such as Palisades Creek where underground flow from lakes keeps water level up and in spring-fed streams such as Big Elk and Birch Creeks and Teton River..
This is the time to fish small streams that are open in the general season fishing. Some that are not open in this area include South Fork tributaries below Palisades Dam,Willow Creek tributaries and the Blackfoot River drainage above the Blackfoot River Reservoir. Consult with IDF&G’s regulations for other closures. Nearly all forest service and BLM roads are open( the Ashton-Flagg Road opens July 1st). Wet flies will likely bring the most successful fishing for a while on most, however our hot and dry weather means many streams will soon be dropping which will signal a switch to presenting more top water patterns. We will offer information on specific waters as this report goes into the future. Currently the Palisades Reservoir and Salt River tributaries, Buffalo River and tributaries, Birch and Robinson Creeks and Warm River are good candidates for visits. Teton River drainage has a run-off component which should begin decreasing.
Flow out of Blackfoot River Reservoir was essentially doubled to 193 cfs a few days ago. Look for more increases in flow here as we get further into the irrigation season. This month run-off will begin in our small streams draining high country, and back country roads will begin to open. We will get information on these events and place such in our fishing report to help with decisions on where to fish such waters.
Any stream with a reservoir is seeing flows cut back to begin storage for the next agricultural season. For example, the flow out of Blackfoot River Reservoir is reduced to 73 cfs, out of Henry’s Lake reduced to 3 cfs, out of Mackay Reservoir reduced to 57 cfs. Of course the problem with fishing many small waters now is getting there. Maintenance on many back country roads has or will soon cease, and there will be times when highways will offer difficult passage. All this means less information coming into the shop with respect to fishing, so look for our fishing reports being reduced accordingly.
The Blackfoot River below the reservoir is fishing well. Low flows mean that fish are concentrated in deep holes and runs. You will have a good chance for fishing success by presenting streamer patterns anywhere you can find deep water. If you are a top water enthusiast, the Warm River offers good BWO and midge activity from the spring on downstream. The Teton River also offers some top water fishing with BWOs and midges being active anywhere you approach it. Where it flows on the Snake River Plain grasshopper populations have diminished, so streamer fishing might be the best way to encounter larger fish.
We are yet to have a killing frost, so grasshoppers are abundant in the valley. The lower Teton River offers good hopper fishing as well as active BWO and caddis. Hoppers also remain in higher elevation meadows on the Teton and Blackfoot Rivers, and will be present until a killing frost wipes them out. Warm River, just below its spring, is not visited much this time of year, so offers solitude as well as AM tricos, BWO and caddis activity with a few hoppers and other terrestrial insects thrown in for resident brook, brown and rainbow trout.
Reservoir administrators are capturing water for the next irrigation season. This means downstream flows will decrease thus driving resident salmonids to deeper water where they find more overhead cover. Several of our smaller streams with reservoirs are effective by these water collection actions. For the fly-fisher this means concentrating on deeper water. Streamer, weighted nymph, and woolly bugger patterns should be in the fly box. Such as stripping these through the deep water or suspending such patterns underneath an indicator to drift through that water are effective presentation techniques.