The South Fork flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped to 900 cfs this morning. Personally I was not expecting it to go this low. I talked to Mike Beus at the Bureau of Reclamation and he informed me that flows will not change or go below this level for the entire winter. Fishing tactics have not changed and you should expect to see good Blue Wing Olive hatches this weekend with the cloudy weather.
Flows have been reduced to 1,100 cfs. I don’t know if they will be dropped again. We will let you all know if that happens. I personally don’t think it will because the inflow is now great than the outflow and the resevior is begining to slowly fill. Floating is still an option at these flows but it will take you a long time to float traditional stretches you are used to in the summer time. We recommend smaller shorter floats, like Wolf to Byington, Irwin to Spring Creek, Spring Creek to Conant, Dam to Huskies and Lorenzo to Menan. However now that the flows have dropped this much wade fishing is also very accessible throughout the entire river.
Blue Wing Olives and midges have been hatching. The BWO fishing is much better on the cloudy days. Streamers have began to slow down a little but has still been effective. Again the cloudy days will produce more active fish on streamers. Nymphing is always a good option for catching fish right now. The moss is still present on the bottom of the river and nymphing can become frustrating cleaning all the moss off your flies. If you do nymph I would only drop my flies 4 feet from my indicator. Rubberlegs and Zebra midges have been my choice for nymphs. Copper Johns, blue wing olive nymphs and pheasant tails.
Flows were dropped again this morning to 2,000 cfs. Fishing has been good with Blue Wing Olives and Streamers. There is still a lot of moss on the river. So nymphing deep is pretty ineffective unless you like cleaning moss off your flies. Nymphing can be accomplished by hanging a dropper from a Chernobyl ant or a Grasshopper. The Blue Wing Olive have been hatching in great numbers and fish are rising to them in the afternoons.
Flows were dropped to 2,500 cfs. Blue Wing Olive hatches have been going off fairly regularly. The moss is still heavy and getting in the way. Streamers still seem to be the ticket for the big fish.
Flows have stayed steady on the South Fork at 3,300 cfs. The Blue Wing Olives have finally started to hatch on the river. Earlier this week Jimmy had a epic day fishing dry BWO’s to rising fish. The hatch came on a cloudy rainy day. Look for the weather to bring those fish to the surface when there is a hatch. Streamers are also very good this time of year especially with the weather changing and becoming colder and colder. Stop by the shop or call if you have any questions.
Flows out of the dam are at 3,300 cfs and have remained steady for about a week now. There has been a Blue Wing Olive hatch but it has been very sparse and marginal at best. Fish a #12-#16 Parachute Adams and a BWO size #18 about 2-3 feet behind it. This set up against the banks will produce fish on the surface. Streamers have still remained the ticket for catching the bigger fish right now. With the flows at this level wade fishing is very assessable right now. The Heise area and above Wolf Flats has some great spots for wade fishing right now. Look for fish concentrated in the foam lines and structure along the bank.
Flows have been reduced on the South Fork to 3,300 cfs. They are slowly shutting the water down. Honestly I am surprised it is still this high. I expected it to be around 2,000 cfs by now. Streamer fishing has been the ticket for hooking into a big fish. The Blue Wing Olive hatches have been sparse and almost non existence. I would fish a Parachute Adams and trail a BWO behind it. Fish this setup on the riffles, foam lines and tight to the banks. You will find fish that will eat off the surface. Nymphing is effective as well, but I would make sure you fish only 5 feet deep to help stay out of the moss. Rubberlegs and zebra midges this time of year seem to work the best. BWO redemption nymphs and our tungsten BWO nymph have been effective.
We have been getting a lot of calls about Twin Bridges. You can not launch or take out at Twin Bridges. If you have a pontoon boat this doesn’t really apply to you cause you can walk it down the channel. Drift boats and Jet boats are out of luck. The Lorenzo boat ramp continues to be a major pain. Be careful use your head and wait for your turn. You can no eddy up next to the Handicap ramp but there is only room for 2 boats at the most.
Flows on the South Fork have stayed steady for about a week now at 3,700 cfs. Streamer fishing has been effective even on the sunny days. Nymphing with rubberlegs and Zebra midges and Blue Wing Olives on the surface have also been effective. If you are floating the lower river be cautious of a couple tight spots with trees and fast water. One spot is above Heise bridge and you need to stop the boat and walk it around on the right side of the tree jam. The other two are between Twin Bridges and Lorenzo and require you to pay attention while on the oars.
Flows were dropped earlier this week to 3,700 cfs. The moss is starting to clear up a little, which means you still gotta clean off your flies and check them regularly. The streamer fishing is still good and you don’t run into as much moss on the lower end of the river. I have still been throwing a Chubby Chernobyl with bead head droppers. This has been the most effective method for catching fish. Blue Wing Olives have been bringing fish to the surface. I have seen very small BWO’s on the surface during the day. These flies are so small that you would be hard pressed to find a fly to fish. However the #18 and #20 BWO patterns are working as well as a Purple Haze and an Adams.
One note on the Twin Bridges ramp. With the last two drops in the flows the ramp at Twin Bridges is now dry. If you are floating to Lorenzo you’ll have to put in at Byington.
Flow out of Palisades Dam has been around 4200 cfs for several days meaning stability, but expect more drops in flow out of the dam as we move through the fall season. We will keep you posted when these happen. All these drops in flow make for better and more wading opportunities, but make float fishing a bit tougher. The BWO activity will be suppressed during these bright days, but they will emerge in smaller numbers during afternoons when shadows lengthen. Streamers will be your best best for encountering big browns this time of year.