South Fork

South Fork 10/20

Flow out of Palisades Dam is at 3050 cfs. This makes for great walk-in fishing selection, and boating remains good but takes longer to go from point A to B. Streamers and BWO life cycle patterns with an occasional rubberlegs/dropper combo are the ways to find actio

South Fork 10/13

Flow out of Palisades Dam dropped to 3600 cfs last night. This makes for even more walk-in fishing along the river. On overcast days, day-long BWO emergences up and down the river make for great fishing, as well as for good streamer fishing. Look for more drops in flow coming out of Palisades Dam.

Did you lose a Canon digital camera in the river a bit below Cottonwood? One has been found, and the card within held pictures, still of good quality, taken back in July. That’s bad news for the camera with respect to being water logged, but if it is yours and you want it and/or the pictures, call 208-300-3030.

South Fork 10/11

Flow out of Palisades Dam has dropped to 4120 cfs. USBurRec is dropping flows stepwise which gives fish a good chance to adjust to resulting changes in the river below. This management goes a long way to preserving the South Fork fishery when compared to the old way of dropping flows all at once. So cheers for USBurRec! Look for more step-wise drops in flow out of the dam as water is stored for use next irrigation season. This weekend features cold, stormy weather up and down the river. The result is good day-long BWO emergences up and down the river and good streamer fishing. With dropping flows out of Palisades Dam there will be more safe locations for walk-in fishing. Come into the shop and talk with us to learn some great locations to do so.

South Fork 10/7

The Big news from the weekend is the water has dropped to 6100cfs. Expect the water to continue to drop as we continue to move into the fall season. As water flows drop, wading on the South Fork becomes more accessible. Fish are eating rubbelegs, beadhead droppers, Blue Wing Olives, and streamers. Look for fish in the riffles and the flats. Trout are anxious to eat this time of year as they prepare for winter. Cloudy days and rain will produce the best day to “catch” trout while fishing. Go out and enjoy the beautiful colors of the canyon and the river!

South Fork 10/2

Flow out of Palisades Dam is now at 7000 cfs, and it will go lower. Here’s why: about 2500 cfs is coming into the reservoir via the Snake River, and it is time to begin storing water for next year. For now, cloudy unsettled days will get you the best fishing on the South Fork. Mahogany duns, BWOs, and caddis, especially towards evening, will bring action to satisfy the dry fly fisher. If you prefer to present below the surface, big rubberlegs nymphs trailed by a smaller bead head nymph of your choice will bring action. But as we move further into autumn, streamer patterns will become more important, so get in touch with us to pick up some tips on where, when and how to present them.

South Fork 9/30

The flow last night dropped to 7600 with another drop scheduled for 1 am tonight which will bring the river down to 7100 cfs. Look for fish feeding in the foam in the deep holes. A zebra midge under an indicator is a good choice. The best hatches are late in the afternoon and into the evening. We are suppose to get another cool down with some rain and cloud cover this weekend. Then best hatches this Fall have been on overcast days and that should hold true for this weekend too.

South Fork 9/29

Flow out of Palisades Dam is just over 8000 cfs. This makes for more walk-in fishing as well as good float fishing conditions. Crowds are down, fall colors are spectacular, and fish are willing to take chernobyl, hopper and golden stone patterns on the surface. Golden stone rubber legs with copper john, prince or zebra nymph droppers work when they choose to take below the surface. During nice weather days BWO and mahogany dun emergences will be concentrated during late afternoon and evening hours. This also will be the time of day to enjoy caddis emergences. If you choose to fish this time of day, be sure to have streamer patterns along with a sink-tip line. As we advance into fall months streamer patterns will be increasingly effective all along the river. Get in touch with us to help you select the taking streamer patterns.

South Fork 9/25

Flows out of the South Fork have dropped to 8500 CFS. Don’t let this drop in water scare you from fishing the South Fork. With the drop in flows look to see the Mutant Stone flies to begin hatching again. Fish chernobyl ants into the bank and riffles, and give them a little twitch. Also look for fish eating mayflies. Mahogany Duns and Blue Wing Olives will be hatching as well. Overcast days will help bring those hatches along. As we get into the fall season it is time to start beefing up your streamer selection, the fish have started to key in on them. We have a great variety of streamers here at the shop. Come on in and we will be happy to help you stock up on your fly selection. This is a good time to fish, and go camping on the river. Small crowds and great fishing!

South Fork 9/22

First day of autumn, and flow out of Palisades is just above 9000 cfs. We’ve had a spell of cloudy weather which has brought out PMDs and mahogany duns during daytime as well as evenings. Cool, cloudy weather this time of year also triggers fish to forage for minnows. Chernobyl and hopper patterns are still producing up and down the river with best times being until mid day. On top of all this crowds are down. It’s a great time to be on the South Fork!

South Fork 9/11

Flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped to 10,000 cfs early on 9/09. That small amount will not impact fishing, but look for more flow decreases out of the dam coming up. We will pass them on in this fishing report to help you plan a South Fork trip and to help understand conditions on the river. For now stick to hopper types, foam or otherwise, close to banks. With cloudy or stormy conditions, be ready with BWO and mahogany dun life cycle patterns, and don’t forget those streamer patterns.