South Fork

South Fork 11-5-19

Because of the nice weather predicted for the rest of the week and low flow, currently 1000 cfs out of Palisades Dam, think about taking advantage of these for an outing before bad weather sets in!

South Fork 11-2-19

Flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped to 990 cfs (1420 cfs at Heise) yesterday.  This action will make boating tougher, but makes walk-in wade fishing a more attractive alternative. Hopefully this will be the last flow reduction this year.

South Fork 10-26-19

Flow out of Palisades Dam has been steady at around 2100 cfs for  week.  Further reductions in flow are coming as the Palisades Reservoir water storage season is upon us.   Look for winter to increasingly impede your comfort as you fish on the surface for fish attracted to BWO activity or pitch streamers to those aggressive migrating browns.

South Fork 10-19-19

Flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped from 2300 cfs to 1750 cfs last night. In our last South Fork fishing report (10-15-19) we reported on a dangerous lower river sweeper, which has since been removed.   With this drop of near 500 cfs at this low flow, look for more boating hazards to emerge, fish to be more concentrated in deeper water and further opportunities for walk-in wade fishing.

South Fork 10-15-19

Scott Meikrantz took some very informative pictures of an obstruction dangerous to boating anglers on the lower South Fork. These were taken on October 12th this year.  He gives the following explanations on the location of each pic.

Pic 1                                                                          Pic 2                                                                      Pic 3

Pic 4                                                                         Pic 5

“Pic 1 is on the approach with the sweeper mid-frame; the channel on the bank of river left and the one splitting off the main will run you right into it. Pics 2,3 and 4 are as you drift by staying river right. Pic 5 is your view of river right as you drift by.  The sweeper is about 1/2 mile down from the big rock wall on river right where there are some big homes a ways from the bank.”

Thank you, Scott!  This is solid safety information for anyone float-fishing this part of the lower river.

Streamer fishing on the river is becoming more productive because of aggressive brown trout. Flows had been stable for several days but were dropped to 2300 cfs out of Palisades Dam yesterday.  This action is sure to concentrate fish into deeper water, make float-fishing a bit more hazardous but increase walk-in wade  opportunities.

South Fork 10-12-19

Flow out of Palisades Dam has been steady at around 3240 cfs for about a week, and the weather is predicted to warm up.  Streamer fishing is picking up, and some BWO  action remains in the numerous riffles many of which are ideal for walk-in wade fishing.  See the above pic of river bottom colors in Swan Valley. They make for a bonus when visiting the South Fork, but won’t be around much longer.

South Fork 10-8-19

Low water flow ( 3250 cfs at Irwin, 1660 cfs at Lorenzo) may be a “god send” for walk-in wade fishing, but it makes for perilous boat fishing in certain locations on the river.  From Heise on downstream there are dangers where trees once underwater are now above and channels once passable are no longer that way. For example the river left in the Archer area has both these dangers. See our Facebook page for more details on dangers in this area, or get in touch at the shop.   Nevertheless, hatches are holding up, and streamer fishing is improving.  The upcoming weather may bring on  “ice in your guides” periods, but better days will follow.

South Fork 10-5-19

Flow out of Palisades Reservoir was dropped from about 4000 cfs to 3250 cfs (now 4260 cfs at Heise, 1600 cfs at Lorenzo) on October 1st. Hatches are holding up and streamers are increasingly effective during low light conditions.  Walk-in wade locations are numerous, and we can suggest some of the best to try.  So get in touch if you are considering trying some.

South Fork 10-1-19

Flow out of Palisades Reservoir  has been steady at about 4000 cfs for a week.  Good BWO activity and flow stability has kept fishing success up. Fall colors are  making for beautiful scenery.  October also brings notice that streamer fishing will be increasingly successful as brown trout migrate to spawning areas from Palisades Dam down through the length of the river.

South Fork 9-28-19

Trout responding to BWO activity on one end on fly fly type spectrum and that of larger trout hitting streamers on the other end is sure to provide good fishing on this cool and stormy day!