South Fork

South Fork 7/22

The fishing is really good right now. Fish are eating Pale Morning Duns, Pink Alberts, and Stoneflies. The Canyon is fishing really good and the Salmon Flies are very active on the upper section in Swan Valley. Fish are eating the dry flies right on the bank, literally inches from the grass and bushes. Good numbers of fish have also been caught nymphing.

South Fork 7-21-10

The flow has gone up 900 cfs to 13,400. It could bother the fish for a day or so but I don’t think it will impact the hatches. There are heavy hatches of Pale Morning Duns and Yellow Sallies on all stretches of the river from Palisades Dam downstream to Lorenzo. There are some big stones in the upper stretches. Golden stones are out in good numbers through the canyon.

The water is still  cold so the hatches don’t start until late morning. Before that  fishing nymphs or throwing streamers has been very productive.

South Fork 07-15-10

The big stoneflies are in the upper canyon near Conant. The fishing is very good and should stay that way for quite awhile. Palisades Reservoir is still at 96% capacity which will keep the water cool for most of the Summer. Cool water means steady hatches of Pale Morning Duns long after the stones are gone.

While most anglers have switched to dries some of the bigger fish have been caught on a rubber leg/golden stone combination. This goes for all stretches of the river. If you start early (6 am) before the hatches start consider a big streamer on a sink tip line. River flow is 12,500 cfs and steady.

Hey guys over the weekend some guys lost some equipment on the South Fork.  A black Ross reel attached to a Sage Sp, along with a Winston Boron and green colored Galvan reel. If anyone has any information, please call us at the shop and we will return it to its owner. If you haven’t heard or seen anything, keep your eyes peeled for the before mentioned items.

South fork 07-12-10

The hatch continues to move up the river a few miles each day. There are a good number of the big stones flying around Wolf  downstream to Heise.  The big bugs will eventually move all the way through the canyon and through Swan Valley. This is the latest we have seen the hatch start. It is  normally around Wolf on the 4th of July and has progressed up through Swan Valley by the 15th. This year we may be fishing big stones 10-12 days from now in Swan Valley.

As the previous have mentioned there are a lot of Yellow Sallies and goldens from mid canyon downstream. By late morning there are PMD’s in the riffles. The upper canyon and Swan Valley are still slow with dries but rubber legs and golden stone nymphs have been doing well.

South Fork 7/10

Fishing on the South Fork is really picking up. The fish have been eating dry flies all the way up the Canyon. Nymphing on the upper section through Swan Valley has really picked up, I expect the fish to be eating dry flies by early next week. There are great Pale Morning Dun hatches in the canyon and the lower river. The Salmon flies have been seen in good numbers on the lower river. I have been catching fish on Salmon flies the last two days through the Canyon. Golden Stones, and Yellow Sallies have been producing fish in good numbers on the surface.

South Fork 7-8-10

The fishing has really improved over the last two days. There are a lot of yellow sallies and golden stones from Cottonwood down. We had a report of the big stones flying near Twin Bridges this afternoon.

If you float through the canyon fish nymphs on the drop offs and color  changes. The dry fishing isn’t productive until you get to Cotttonwood or a little lower. The dry action should improve in this stretch as the water warms over the next few days.

The river flow is 12,500 cfs and has been steady for the past two days and there are no changes planned for several days. 12,500 is the normal summer flow at this time of year.

South Fork 7/6/2010

The river has dropped to 13,500 cfs and will be lowered another 1,000  cfs tonight to 12,500.  12,500 is the normal summer flow and the river should hold at or near this level for quite awhile. A lot of Yellow Sallies and Golden Stones are out from Wolf downriver.  A few big bugs have been seen, but no real numbers yet. Nymph fishing in the canyon with a size 4 rubberleg or Golden Stone nymph has been really good. Overall nymph fishing on the river has been very good.

South Fork 7/5

Salmon Flies have not yet started to hatch. Yellow sallies, and some Caddis are working on the Lower river. People have found success with fishing dries below Byington boat ramp. Small Sitmulators and Elk Hair Caddis. I’m not a fortune teller but I would expect Salmon Flies to be out on the lower river by mid week. Cooler water, and air temps have pushed this hatch back and at this point it is late. The majority of hatches on the other streams and rivers in our area have been late this year. Nymphing is still producing fish in good numbers. Red San Juan worms have been really effective through the canyon.

Flows were decreased this morning to 14,600 cfs. This should help the fishing and the big bugs start hatching. We will keep you updated on the latest. I have guys fishing today who will report to me this evening on the current status of the river and whats going on.

South Fork 7-2-10

As of last night there were no bug stones on the lower river below Byington.  There are a few small yellow sallies flying around so we should see some big bugs and the rest of the hatches start any day now. In the meantime the best fishing has been with a rubber leg nymph with a san juan worm or golden stone nymph dropper.

The flow is 15,800 at Irwin and 9,000 at Lorenzo. The river has a slight green tint which is normal for this time of year. A word of caution about the river below Byington. The high flows remodeled the river so there are many new brush piles and obstacles to watch for. The North Twin Bridge has two strong back eddies. One on each side of the bridge directly below the bridge.

The stonefly hatch is always fun to predict. Its not unusual to see a light hatch in the lower river and then see it suddenly appear in the lower canyon around July 4th. That may be the case this year. We’ll keep posting updates in the meantime.

South Fork 6/29

Flows this morning on the South Fork out of Irwin is at 16,300 cfs. Inflow to Palisades Reservoir has dropped and we have been informed that flows on the South Fork will decrease to 13,000 cfs. by the weekend. With this drop in flows expect the water to really start to warm up and the bug activity to start increasing. The name of the game is still nymphing, a rubberleg with some sort of dropper. If you read this report often you will already know that I prefer some type bead head nymph dropped 18-24 inches below the rubberleg. The dropper really doesn’t mater but my favorites are Prince Nymph, Red Copper John, and the Redemption nymph. The distance from your indicator to your first fly is critical this time of year. A general rule is about 7-8 feet, but with the high water I have been fishing 9-10 feet. Fish will begin to move into the pour overs and riffles as the water drops. No word on the Stonefly hatch but we will keep you updated as soon as we hear something from a reliable source. Be careful from Byington to Lorenzo, the South Channel is not passable, there is not enough water to float it. Be sure to check out the side channels before you float so you don’t get stuck. Good luck and be safe.