For weeks now the South Fork has seen constant flows (12800 cfs) coming out of Palisades Dam. That kind of stability helps make for the great fishing we are seeing now. Water temps at the dam are around 58 deg F. but will begin rising as we head through July. Right now big stoneflies are in the Swan Valley reach of the river (get to Huskey’s, Spring Creek, or Conant early if you want convenient parking!) . Golden stones are coming out just below. Yellows sallys are everywhere, and PMDs are emerging, so the river is doing what fly-fishers expect this time of year. There are many fly patterns that work for all of these, and we stock every one of them. None is particularly better than another given equal presentation. The best question to ask while deciding to purchase at dry pattern is: “Can I see this one on the broken surface that so much characterizes the South Fork? ” Here’s another tip for fishing this great river. In areas of broken surface, and most of this river has such, it is best to use a stout leader to present flies. This is especially true if you fish from a boat. Go to a 3X tippet in your favorite brand for presenting big stonefly patterns, especially from a boat. For PMD emergers and duns use 4X, or even 3X. In broken water the fish are a lot less leader shy than in the slower moving water that resembles that in the Harriman reach of the Henry’s Fork, or Bechler River. The results of using this stronger leader will be more fish brought to the net.
