Today at Jimmy’s
Incoming Phone Lines Are Down Until Monday, June 20th
Sorry for the inconvenience, folks. You can call us, but we cannot answer or call out. Sometime Monday we should have the outgoing line operating again. For today, email us with your fishing questions ([email protected]), and we will respond.
Today at Jimmy’s, August 10th, 2021
Copies of the newly released book “Fly Fishing West Yellowstone: A History and Guide” signed by the authors are available at Jimmy’s. The book documents how West Yellowstone, Montana became the prime trout fishing destination in the USA.
Today at Jimmy’s, June 8th, 2021
So many of us want escape the crowds currently present on our icon waters and to realize some tranquility on our vast array of quality back country waters. But to do so the roads there must be passable. Here is the latest info for some roads in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
In the Palisades District the Bear Creek, Elk Creek and McCoy Creek Roads are open. The Jensen Creek Road remains closed.
In the Island Park district, The Yale-Kilgore Road and the Fish Creek Roads are open. The Snow Creek road to Teardrop Lake should open soon but will be rough. The Horseshoe Lake Road is passable with rough spots. The Cave Falls Road is open and is in very good shape throughout because of improvements made last fall. The Ashton-Flagg Road opens on July 1st because of remaining snow at higher elevations and a rough surface.
In the Dubois District, The road to Aldous Lake is open and the road from I-15 to Kilgore is open.
Today at Jimmy’s, May 11th, 2021
Keeping a Fly Fishing Journal Pays Benefits
It took me half a dozen fly fishing years to consider keeping a journal to capture details of each outing. Finally, a fly fishing friend who kept a journal got my attention:
“With the number of times and the different waters you fish, you are losing information that would much help choosing where and when to go and what to use during any future trip.”
Dave was a detail guy, so every bit of information that impacted his fly fishing success during an outing went into his fly fishing journal. I watched him jot down thoughts in a little notebook even while fishing!
“ Yes,”‘he said,”It would mean that after each outing part of the evening or the next day would be devoted to compiling significant details.”
His suggestion seemed at first to me like an exercise in futility. But I dutifully began, and after the first year with about fifty outings described, the “light came on”, and I wished I had started earlier. That revelation came around about 1980 in the days before personal computers were available and notebooks or card files provided information storage. As the 1980s progressed, I could see trends in the captured information developing that provided detail gems that helped in deciding where to fish and what to use while doing so. Since then updating my journal after each outing has become the final part of any outing. Things became different with such as WORD or EXCELL providing convenient ways to capture and store information, so sometime in the early 1990’s I converted my journal electronically.
So what should be included in a fly fishing journal? That’s a great question, and for the first few years I added categories as I progressed through each season. But here are some basics that should be captured.
Name of Water Fished and Specific Location (include any USGS gage flow reading that influences water fished )
Date and Time of Day Fished
Weather Conditions
Water Conditions
Insect Activity and Other Food Items Present for Fish
Equipment and Flies Used
Catch for Each Fly
Comments ( I include travel conditions especially on back country roads and crowd conditions)
Here’s how the entry for each outing looks in my journal. Consider it just an example, so construct one to your preference, and add anything else that describes your experience and fishing success.
Blackfoot River
Date: 7/14/2019 Friday Allen Ranch gage 200 cfs Where: Blackfoot River Wildlife Management Area
Time of Day: 1100-1730
Weather: Bright, Building cumulus mainly to east, Nice, Increasing breeze, High Barometric Pressure, Air temp to low 80s
Water: Somewhat high, Some discolor, Weeds growing, 57 Deg. F. at 1200, 60 Deg. F. at 1600
Emergences: Hoppers, ants abundant, caddis activity increases with time, very few PMDs, some rises
Equipment and Flies Used: WF-5-F/S, 9 ft, 2X tippet, WF-7-F, 9ft, 3X tippet
Bead Head Peacock Leech #6: 7 cutts; one is 21.5 “, others 18″, 16” on down to small, some hits
Blond Humpy #12: 3 cutts one is 17” others small, few other hits
Comments: Patterns simulating drifting earthworms may be best when river is this high. Missed another big cutt using leech pattern. Small fish rising & LeRoy tries for them, but got nothing bigger than 14”. Two guys fishing behind us. Fish not keying on hoppers yet, may be full of worms. IDF&G fisheries biologist Arnie from Pocatello office present doing fish survey. He says cutts holding their own here. Roads are quite dusty and “washboardy” in places.
Catch: 10 Cutts
Today at Jimmy’s, May 8th, 2021
All Seasons Angler 2021 Casting Class
Class Location on Events Center Drive
We offer this class schedule each summer to help get you on the water with basic casting skills. We recommend that you have your own equipment for the class because having such provides becoming familiar with which you will be fishing. However, we can provide tackle if needed. Here is how the 2021 schedule unfolds.
2021 CLASS SCHEDULE:
May 12th Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
May 18th Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
May 20th Thursday 6:30-8:30 PM
May 26th Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
June 1st Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
June 9th Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
June 17th Thursday 6:30-8:30 PM
June 22nd Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
June 23rd Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
June 29th Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
July 2nd Thursday 6:30-8:30 PM
July 7th Wednesday 6:30-8:30 AM
July 13th Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
July 15th Thursday 6:30-8:30 PM
July 21st Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
July 27th Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
August 4th Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
August 10th Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
August 19th Thursday 6:30-8:30 PM
August 24th Tuesday 6:30-8:30 PM
August 24th Wednesday 6:30-8:30 PM
Here are particulars:
LOCATION: Pond (see above photo) on Events Center Drive off South Utah Avenue
FEE: $20 per student per session.
- FOUR STUDENTS PER CLASS
- TACKLE PROVIDED IF NEEDED, NO CHARGE
- BEGINNING INSTRUCTION
- OTHER CLASSES BY APPOINTMENT
Brief Intro/Refresher to Casting:
If you can’t attend one of our classes but need a brief introduction to casting or a refresher, give us a call to set up a time with one of our shop staff. These short 15 to 20 minute classes are here at the shop and are perfect for those who need some quick instruction for an upcoming trip or a quick refresher on the basics. There is no charge for this class.
Contact the shop (208-524-7160, [email protected]) to enroll and for more information.
Today at Jimmy’s, May 4th, 2021
We will soon offer our Fly Casting class schedule on this web site. For this year we have a location change. Rather holding these at Tautphaus Park, we will move to the Snake River Parkway ponds. We will give the exact location when we place our class schedule on this web site.
Today at Jimmy’s, May 1st, 2021
Thunder Ridge High School of Idaho School District 93 offers a Lifetime Sports program which introduces students to the outdoors and its wholesome activities. Fly fishing and its fly tying corollary is one of the activities. Lifetime Sports instructor and organizer Jody Webb, for a second year arranged with Jimmy’s All Seasons Angler to host the program’s fly tying seminar in the shop for a two to three-hour session each day (last Tuesday and Wednesday) in which to introduce students to fly tying. The seminar subject was construction of a woolly bugger and a renegade. Trout Unlimited, its local affiliate the Snake River Cutthroats, and the shop provided tools and materials to tie these flies. We recommended Buck Goodrich and Mike Miller, both much experienced in fly tying teaching, as instructors to Jody. Buck and Mike gladly offered their services to instruct students during both sessions, and most students were successful in tying these patterns. Jody offered that the day following the tying sessions participating students would go to a well-stocked public pond to test their luck at using flies they had tied. Hopefully some of the attendees will find through Jody’s efforts that fly fishing combined with fly tying can become a most enjoyable lifetime outdoor activity.
Today at Jimmy’s, April 20th, 2021
The high side of our fishing season is beginning. Already the South Fork is being visited by drift and jet boaters, the numbers of which are increasing every day with nearly all launch sites open and fishing success picking up. Drift boaters are floating the lower Henry’s Fork where launch sites are becoming more and more crowded, particularly those below Ashton Dam where the river offers excellent dry fly, streamer, and stone fly nymph fishing. Even the main stem Snake River has a drift boat-jet boat population pitching streamers. So we at Jimmy’s are seeing the beginning of floating fishing season.
Increasingly we get inquiries on “where to go”, “what is it like”, information from folks new to or outside of this area. We pass on as much information as we can, but in the interest of safety we have to stress that there are some basics that anyone should consider if not experienced with any water to be boated.
First, being a responsible boater requires thorough character knowledge of the river section to be floated. If unfamiliar with launch and take-out sites to be used, visit these beforehand, especially if they are of primitive nature to detect short falls or hazards. Consult with someone familiar (reputable fly shops and resorts should have character and hazards information on all these) with the physical nature of the section of interest.
Second, even after obtaining character information on the river section to be visited, it is prudent to stop while in the act of floating to observe its downstream character during an initial visit. It is also wise to do so during a first trip of the season because many places on the river change character. The lower South Fork is notorious for cutting new channels and abandoning old ones. Going down a channel that has been cut off from the main river and the necessary walk back out pulling a boat can ruin a visit, especially with little daylight left. Uprooted trees, brush piles, and barely submerged rock features can be unpleasant, even dangerous surprises. Irrigation diversions are particular dangers especially on lower reaches of the Henry’s Fork and South Fork and throughout the main stem Snake River. For example, there are four irrigation diversion on the lower Henry’s Fork from the Fun Farm Bridge down through St. Anthony.
Third, many of us rely on such as Google Earth or Maps software to observe a river’s character. We suggest not doing so. Here is why: changes in river channels occur almost annually. Uprooted trees can happen any time especially during the high flow of irrigation waters and even or run-off. Depending on irrigation demands flow particularly in the South Fork and main stem Snake River change considerably. Such changes can make new hazards and delete those in place. Detailed launch and take-out sites character and up to date hazard identification are not given. Electronic media is incapable of identifying these changes.
We offer these thoughts in the interest of having unforgettable positive experiences floating our rivers to enjoy some excellent fishing. We ask that you consider these in order to increase the chance that you will return to have another great experience.
Warmer Weather Coming
Last night was like a hurricane, and today was freezing cold; but there is warmer weather on the way, and the fishing is getting to be good. We have had some really solid reports come into the shop lately, and the fishing on the rivers seems to be picking up. I heave been hearing solid reports from both the Henry’s Fork and the South Fork. People seem to be catching nice fish in both places; so if you have some free-time this weekend, the Henry’s Fork and South Fork might be good bets for getting into some good fishing. If you are looking for a place to take the youngsters or family, Birch Creek is a safe bet. I have talked to several people recently who have fished the creek and had success. Wherever you find yourself out on the water this weekend, we hope you enjoy the warmer weather. There is much more of it coming and we are looking forward to the fishing it will usher in.
Chase Owen taking advantage of a sunny day to catch some crappie.