South Fork

South Fork 10-04-12

The flow dropped again this afternoon to 4,200 cfs from 5,087. Generally it takes a day for the fish to adjust so we usually wait a day to go fishing. Then there was a day a couple of years ago in October when we were on the the river when it dropped and we still did well so you never know.

A little overcast and rain would be nice to help the hatches out but that is not in the immediate forecast. In the meantime still fish mahogany duns and small parachutes in the riffles even if you don’t see any hatches or fish rising. I like to keep fishing chernobyls until the fall weather cools and the fish quite taking them. Streamers have been the best early in the morning and again when the shadows fall in the late afternoon till dark.

South Fork 10/2

Just want to give you all a heads up the flows dropped last night to 5,100 cfs. Check yesterdays report for fishing conditions. If we actually get the cold weather that has been forcasted this week we should see changes in the river conditions in terms of moss leaving the bottom of the river and clearing up.

South Fork 9/26

Fishing has stayed pretty steady on the River. Streamer fishing is really starting to pick up especially on the lower river. There is a lot of moss in the river right from the reservoir and the lake so make sure to check your flies often and keep them clean. Hoppers and Chenobyls ants with droppers have been producing fish. Takes on the big dry flies are few and far between but it beats staring at an indicator. Also running a dropper off of the dry fly seems to produce less moss on your nymphs. Mahogany’s and Blue Wing Olive patterns presented into the bank have also been effective.

I took out at Lorenzo the other day and it was a nightmare. Remember that this is a 1 boat ramp right now. Please check out the boat ramp up stream before you decide to land and make sure you have a spot. I saw a boat completely miss the ramp because they were not paying attention and had no place to go. The river is still screaming by the ramp and that current makes it very difficult to launch and take out. Unless you want to really risk swamping your boat and potentially loosing it down the river DO NOT back your trailer tires all the way into the river when taking out. Back up to your boat and drag it onto the trailer. I didn’t even get my tires wet and the strong current still pulled my boat around while trying to trailer the boat.

South Fork 9-14-12

The lower flows and dropping water temperatures have improved the fishing from what we experienced last weekend. The riffles have started to fish much better with better hatches of mahogany duns and blue wing olives. We had good success fishing the riffles even when there was no hatch with a two dry fly combo like #14  and #16 adams parachute trailed by a smaller blue wing or mahogany dry.

The flow is now down to 6710 cfs and with each drop the river becomes more accessible for  wading. As we get more information on Fall water levels we’ll pass it along.

South Fork 9-7-12

The flow has dropped to 9000 cfs from 9600 earlier in the week. We will continue to see these drops throughout the Fall. We are starting to see good hatches of Mahogany duns and some blue wings and the cooler nighttime temperatures we are experiencing now will make these hatches better. The cooler nights are actually making the water cooler downriver at Lorenzo where the water is 59.5 F versus the temp below Palisades Dam which is 62.4F.  Some years we have seen better hatches downstream due to the cooler water temps.

Fishing with Chernobyls should improve also with each water drop. Early Fall is also the time to start using streamers more.

Finally we received info from Idaho Dept of Fish and Game on the whitefish mortality. We’ve included their press release below.

  NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE USE

September 4, 2012

PARASITE IDENTIFIED AS LIKELY CAUSE OF RECENT WHITEFISH DEATHS IN UPPER SNAKE REGION

IDAHO FALLS – Recent sightings of dead mountain whitefish have been reported from across the Upper Snake Region, including the Henrys Fork, South Fork Snake River, Teton River and main Snake River as far south as Firth.  Exactly why these fish are dying has been a mystery until now.  Preliminary results obtained by IDFG’s Fish Health Laboratory in Eagle show that the parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (also called PKD or Proliferative Kidney Disease) may be behind the deaths.  This rare parasite has not been documented in Idaho’s wild fish before, although it has been reported in both wild and hatchery trout and salmon in North America and in Europe.  This may be the first time the parasite has been detected in any whitefish species.  The life cycle of the parasite is not well understood, but involves a freshwater sponge as well as a fish.  Transmission and disease signs are linked to elevated water temperatures, which have been common in area waters this summer.  There are no known health risks to humans or other warm-blooded animals.

Although a likely cause of fish mortalities has been identified, new questions are arising as a result of this information.  For instance, IDFG does not know the level of impact the current outbreak may have on mountain whitefish populations, or if the parasite will also affect other species, such as trout.  Currently it appears only mountain whitefish have been affected.  Also unknown is why only younger whitefish have been affected, if the kill occurs periodically, or if this is the first time an outbreak has occurred.  Scientific literature indicates fish that survive an initial infection develop strong immunity to the parasite.  Additional samples will be collected and analyzed to verify the preliminary test results, and to look for the presence of this parasite in trout.  Structured sampling this fall will provide an insight into how extensive the kill has been on the South Fork Snake River.

For more information concerning this matter contact Upper Snake Regional Fisheries Manager Dan Garren at 208-525-7290 or at [email protected].