Flow out of Palisades Dam was increased each of the last three days making the South Fork water graph look like a step function. Now at 6530 cfs out of the dam, flow at Heise is a bit higher, and water temperature there is now in the low 40s in degrees Fahrenheit.
Another 500 cfs boost in flow out of Palisades Dam came about early on April 9th to 4500 cfs. This translates to about 4800 cfs at Heise. Water there remains around 40 deg. F.
Flow out of Palisades Dam was increased another 500 cfs early this morning to just under 4000 cfs. This increases the flow at Heise to just under 4300 cfs. Water temperature remains in the high 30s in degrees F. from the dam to Heise. In sum, these increases may make the river friendlier to drift boats, but leaves plenty of candidate locations for good walk-in-wade fishing.
Flow out of Palisades Dam was bumped up again yesterday early AM to about 3500 cfs. Water temp. still in high 30s in deg. F, there, but increases at Lorenzo to lo 40s same degrees.
Flow out of Palisades Dam was increased by 500 cfs early today. Flow coming into the reservoir from Grey’s, Salt, and Snake Rivers increased because of our recent warm weather, so flow out of the dam was adjusted upward to maintain reservoir fill rate.
This flow increase should not impact fishing. Temperature of water coming out of Palisades Dam is still in the high 30s in degrees F., but downstream at Lorenzo is in the mid 40s in same degrees. That means more active fish in the lower river which is good news for fishing.
With the great weather pattern we are in getting out on the river is a pleasure. Presenting midge life cycle patterns and streamers during low light conditions is the name of the game for the most part. Other than these, trying an occasional rubber leg or golden stonefly nymph might be effective. Flow out of Palisades Dam has been consistent at around 2200 cfs for weeks and around 2800 cfs at Heise. Water temperature has been in the high 30’s in degrees F. that long. So water conditions are stable but cold.
Flow out of Palisades Dam was reduced to 938 cfs from around 2400 cfs on November 4th. Flow at Heise is now 1290 cfs. This is great for wading, but makes boating a bit tougher. Fish will be concentrated. So it is time to get out and pitch your favorite streamer pattern or enjoy the BWO’s emerging and trout responding, especially in some of the predicted upcoming stormy weather.
The new Lorenzo boat ramp is now open! This will be a big improvement over the old ramp and will provide use for years to come. The old ramp is now demolished an unusable. The new ramp is located about 1/2 mile downstream from the old one on river left (opposite side from old ramp). Access to the new ramp is off the Menan/Roberts exit off Highway 20.
This could be a great day for BWOs emerging (if the wind does not blow ’em away) and fish responding. USBurRec dropped the flow out of Palisades Dam last night from 3000 cfs to 2750 cfs. That’s less than a 10 per cent drop so should not impact fishing success, but for sure increases wading possibilities. More drops in flow are coming up. Now is also the time to concentrate on presenting streamers. Browns will be looking for them big time wind or not!
Beautiful weather means spotty BWO activity. BWOs can be active under such, but not everywhere on the river. We have reports of some good fishing resulting from BWOs during our recent gorgeous weather, but this takes place unpredictably. Kinda like “gold is where you find it.” This inconsistency should change as some cooler cloudy weather is coming in for the next few days. Combine this with the recent constant flow out of Palisades Dam, and the immediate future looks good for responses to BWO activity. But with October advancing, streamer fishing will give better chances for big fish up and down the river. With sunrise closing in on 8AM, and sunset closing in on 7PM, this makes for more convenient times for presenting streamers. So will the upcoming change in weather. Remember that streamer pattern selection is not as important as presentation.