Springfield Reservoir provides the best access these days. Early AMs and evenings seem to offer best fishing. Present midge pupa patterns at the taking depth. Some success is possible through nymphing or by presenting black or olive leach patterns and fly rod jigs.
Currently Daniels Reservoir seems to be the ” star of the still water show” in our area. With cooling weather, fish are moving from depths to shallower water where midge activity is ongoing and leeches and scuds occupy vegetation. Thus there could be two strategies for success: indicator fishing with midge life cycle patterns to find the taking depth or intermediate line use to probe leech, scud and fly rod jig patterns around submerged vegetation.
Aldous Lake
Still waters, and irrigation reservoirs in particular, are at the top of the list of waters needing a change in the weather to cooler conditions. For example, when irrigation draw-down increases water temperature into the seventy degrees Fahrenheit range, fish caught and released have a diminished chance of survival. The same can happen in shallow natural still waters especially during unseasonably warm weather such as we have just experienced.
There are a few still waters that appear to escape this warming and they are mostly a higher elevations. Local examples include, Aldous Lake and Paul’s Reservoir, and each now offers good fishing. Aldous Lake is a mile and a quarter walk from its trail head and is best fished through using a packed in flotation device,. A decent gravel road goes to Paul’s Reservoir, and it an be fished from the shoreline. Yellowstone cutthroat trout inhabit both these still waters. .
The comments we made on the impact of shorter daylight hours and cooler nights applying to the South Fork and the Henry’s Fork with respect to improving fishing conditions also apply to our irrigation reservoirs. Diversion for irrigation purposes will decrease meaning more impounded water which will cool enough to move fish away from depths to seek food forms being more abundant in shallower water.. .
With near surface water temperatures in most irrigation reservoirs (i.e. Chesterfield, Daniels, Springfield, Treasureton, Twenty-Four Mile) above 70 0 degrees F. , it is no wonder fish are hanging deep. As daylight hours decrease and nights cool, near surface water surface temperatures will soon be on the rise and so will fish..
Reservoirs owned by irrigation companies are being drawn down to satisfy agricultural demands. Fish in such as such as Chesterfield, Twenty-Four Mile, Treasureton and Hawkins Reservoirs will move to cooler, deeper water. Fish in smaller, shallower still waters not subjected to irrigation draw down such as Horseshoe and Teardrop Lakes and the Sand Creek Ponds and the Harriman Fish Pond will become less active during daytime hours. For any of these still waters fishing is most successful early in the day after surfaces have cooled through radiating heat away during night time.
So the old saying “The Early Bird Gets The Worm ” applies to fishing still waters during the summer dog days!
The Sand Creek Ponds are now open to non-motorized boat fishing unless there are posted restrictions for protecting wildlife. As with all our still waters, the currently high air temps warm water enough to move fish to deepest areas. However, speckled dun and damselfly activity will bring fish to less deep water during mornings and evenings. Life cycle patterns for these insects, small leach, small streamer, and traditional nymph patterns will work. The ponds are not very deep, so presenting flies on a floating line works when there is surface activity or when fishing shallower water. Switch to an intermediate line if there are no rising fish, and concentrate on fishing deeper water.
We tend to gravitate to the larger still waters because of big fish lore, but many of the smaller waters have something to offer. Here are a few in our area. Springfield Reservoir, Twenty-Four Mile Reservoir, Teardrop Lake and the Harriman Fish Pond host some very large fish, Horseshoe Lake offers grayling, Aldous Lake, although requiring packing in a flotation device for best fishing, offers trophy sized cutthroat. Pauls Reservoir can be fished equally well through walking ( not necessarily wading) the shoreline or from a non-motorized boat or flotation device. It also is one of the best still waters for an entry level fly fisher to experience action.
Action on Daniels Reservoir is improving for midge pupa patterns under and indicator during wind free times. During windy times, switch to a sinking line to present leech patterns. We have some success reports coming from 24-Mile Reservoir where intermediate lines used to present damsel fly nymph and small leech patterns bring action. The road in has dried out, and we are awaiting the damsel fly and speckled dun activity. Action on Chesterfield Reservoir is slow and seems a spotty on Hawkins Reservoir. Expect Hawkins to have a lot of week-end visitors, angling and recreational. A fun experience is to go to Horseshoe Lake and try for grayling. Small emerger patterns presented in the surface film or just below will work. You will catch more moderately sized rainbow trout but the one in eight to ten chance for a grayling is worth the trip.
We need days of warm weather for most of our irrigation reservoirs to offer good fishing. The cool spring has placed a delay on such as damselfly and speckled dun activity. Daniels Reservoir might be a good choice to try, but not on windy days. Try dropping a midge pupa under an indicator, and on finding the taking depth some action will result especially during wind free periods. Otherwise fish leech and streamer patterns deep. The same may apply to Hawkins Reservoir which tends to get more crowded than Daniels Reservoir and likewise for Springfield Reservoir in these days of expensive gasoline.