South Fork

South Fork 07-06-09

The flows have dropped to 19,600 cfs and will continue to drop each day another 800 to 1000 cfs a day.

It was a quiet week on the South Fork as anglers choose to fish other waters and wait for the river to drop some more. We did get a couple of good reports however from folks that had good success on yellow sallies and pale morning duns. They reported seeing good numbers of the small stones and mayflies and the fish had moved into the calmer water at the tips of the islands and very close to the bank to feed. Some reported even seeing fish clear up in the grass of the submerged islands.

South Fork 7-04-09

The flow out of Palisades Dam is dropping, but at a slow rate up to now. This AM it is 21,100 cfs.  Nevertheless the big bugs are coming off on the lower river, Twin Bridges to Byington.  Some folks are seeing good action from there, but the best way to find fish remains with big nymphs such as rubberlegs and with streamers fished deep.  Also being seen on the river are sallys and some PMDs.  When the river flow drops further, floating and fishing will be easier and more productive.  Look for that to happen in the manner given in our July 2nd report.  We will keep on top of how the flows are dropping and pass on such info in this report.  So keep on watching here because better days on the South  Fork are not far away!

South Fork of Snake 07-02-09

The inflow into Palisades is beginning to drop and the outflow is now greater than than the inflow. The outflow dropped 800 cfs this morning to 22,800 cfs and we should see drops every day for several days. The Bureau of Reclamation feels the flow should be down to 15,000 cfs by next week and and then down to 12 or 13,000 cfs for the balance of the summer.

The big stones are hatching in the Twin Bridges to Byington stretch and will slowly move upstream for the next 10 days to two weeks. There are also good numbers of yellow sallies and pale morning duns. If the flows do drop as the Bureau predicts and everyone hopes  we will get some good dry action next week. In the meantime keep fishing rubber leg nymphs and streamers.

If you do venture below Byington before the water drops please be careful as there will be new obstacles and hazards to manuever around.

South Fork 6-30-09

Things are looking up.   Inflow to Palisades Reservoir is receding and is less than outflow.  Next week look for a significant drop in flows out of Palisades Dam.  A watch is on for big stone flies on the lower river.  We have reports of sallys and a few golden stones from Twin Bridges downstream.  Some hardy souls report that rubberlegs patterns sunk deep are producing in that part of the river. This is a clue that big stonefly nymphs are moving.  So with that and dropping flows, the stonefly event is not far from getting going!  We’ll update progress here.

South Fork 6-26-09

Not much change here. The reservoir is filled to capacity, but total inflow ( at least 22800 cfs counting Salt River, Grey’s River, Big Elk and Bear creek contributions) currently  is about equal  outflow (~22500 cfs).  So look for flows out of Palisades Dam to maybe dropping sooner than later.  We will keep up on this activity and pass info on right here.

South Fork 6-22-09

As of this morning the South Fork has jumped to 22,200 cfs below Palisades Dam. The reservoir is full and now outflow will have to match inflow so the flows will probably go higher as Jackson Lake is a day or so from filling. The big question is if we are finally near the runoff peak and how long the inflows into Palisades will stay this high. We will report what we hear and see.

South Fork 06-17-09

Due to very low irrigation demand increased flows into Palisades the South Fork is up to 14,000 cfs and will be raised to 17,000 plus by tomorrow. This is a much higher flow than was predicted last week by the Bureau of Rec. The reservoir is only 3 percent from filling so flows may go higher once the lake fills in 3 or 4 days from now.

Hopefully by late June when the big stoneflies start hatching the flows will have dropped back into the 15,000 range. We will keep an eye the conditions and report whatever news we get.  In the meantime if you fish the south fork concentrate again at the bottoms of the islands and slower water next to the current like we did earlier this year when the flows were up.

South Fork 6-15-09

The rain that we have been receiving is keeping the water at a steady temperature around 48 degrees. The streamer fishing has been outstanding! Nymphing with a rubberleg and a bead head dropper has been really effective as well. Fish can be found along the banks and the tailouts of riffles. Look for fish to continue to move into the riffles and the drop offs as we get closer to dry flies hatching. The water is still off color but very fishable.

Flows should stay steady at 10.700 cfs. If we see any increase in flows it will only be to answer the demands of irrigation, and that should only raise the flow around 12,700 cfs at the maximum. If this does happen the fishing will not be affected dramaticly. Give the river one day and it should settle out.

South Fork 6-12-09

Here are two great pieces of information for South Fork enthusiasts.  First, the log that crossed the south channel below Twin Bridges has been removed.  Now we are free to launch boats here without that particular danger. The USBurRec feels that with the current water-weather situation they can fill Palisades Res. in a bit more that a week (it’s about 87% filled right now), BUT because inflow is dropping to fill Jackson Lake it is likely that flow out of Palisades Dam will not rise above 12700 cfs through the summer barring a prolonged hot spell in downstream agricultural areas.   Other than that,  fishing suggestions in our 6-10-09 report still hold.   We will keep up on South Fork giant stonefly progress when it happens. You will see the best information on its progress, strategy and patterns for it right here.

South Fork 6-10-09

We continue to hear great things about the South Fork. No dry fly action to really speak of but the nymphing and streamer fishing is really picking up. As we get closer to the stonefly hatch at the end of June and the beginning of July, I would start fishing two rubberlegs below an indicator. Fish a #4 and drop a #6, or #8 about 18 inches below. San Juan worms, bead head nymphs are also producing fish. The fish have started moving to the banks and into the drop off of the riffles. As always with the change in the lower river because of the high water, if you are unsure about a side channel walk it before you float it. If you have any questions on the new regulations for camping in the canyon or on river character, please call us, or check an earlier post from the “Today at Jimmy’s” blog. You can reach that post by clicking here.