The past two weeks have been fantastic on our area waters. Gorgeous weather and gin clear water has made this an April to remember. A big low pressure system has moved in, bringing some snow and cold temperatures. The forecast is for the weather to be cold and wet for the next several days. So this is a great opportunity to reflect on what we have had -
Snake River
The dry fly action has been some of the best we have experienced in the month of April. Even on those few days when the water showed a little bit of sediment, we had cutthroat rising in riffles and along most pieces of structure. Blue-winged olives, skwalas, capnias, midges and little green stones made an appearance on the surface on most days, but what was surprising was the amount of activity we had on large attractors like Melon Bellies, Snake River Water Walkers, and SRA Chernobyls. We may not see this kind of activity for another seven weeks or so.
South Fork
The South Fork had a slow start but kicked into gear by the middle of the month. The upper reach in Swan Valley fished great on nymphs from the Dam down to the confluence with Palisades Creek. Nice sized cutthroats and rainbows - going up to 18 inches - could be taken in most riffles on that piece of the stream. The Canyon begin to fish well over the last 10 days of the month. This is where we had some of the best dry fly action on BWO and caddis imitations. Furimsky's BDE Olive (size 14-16) and rust Tent-Wing Caddis (size 12) were working like charms.
Henry's Fork
Caddis caddis everywhere! The past week has been incredible. Blizzards of caddis almost everyday. Everything from Warm River down has been fishing very, very well. Yes, nymphs have been what most of the action has been on, with the olive or gray Sparkle Caddis Pupa (size 12-14) and the RW Chamois Caddis (size 12). But the dry fly action has really been something. One friend of mine made an observation that as soon as a cloud passed over the sun, the rainbows would start to dimple the surface. Troth's Elk Hair Caddis (size 14-16) worked in a variety of colors. Really good stuff! And there was a consistent number of plump 14 to 16 inch rainbows.
Despite the cold and wet weather we have in here currently, this does not mean that the fishing has nose-dived. There can still be some very good activity out there. The only difference is that the surface activity will be squeezed into a tighter time period and you may have to hunker down when it gets chilly. And the nymph fishing can still be fantastic through it all.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April 21st Update - The Snake and the South Fork.
The Snake
The region is experiencing an extended system of high pressure that has brought warm, sunny days with water temps getting into the mid-40s. This is sparking a bit more by way of hatches. There are blue-winged olives sporadically, but we are seeing midges throughout the day and more and more skwalas and little green stones. This is creating terrific dry fly action with Lime Trudes (size 12), olive Snake River Water Walkers (size 12), Bear Back Riders (size 10-12), Parachute Adams (size 16-18), and Furimsky's BDE Black (size 18). As for holding water, riffles, seam lines, and low gradient confluence points are producing the best. Dry fly activity is best from approximately 12pm until the early evening hours of 5pm to 6pm. During the earlier hours of the day trout are being taken on Rainbow Warriors (size 16-18), Lightening Bugs (size 16-18), red Copper Johns (size 16), and black Copper Johns (size 14-18). But there are a lot of whitefish being caught below the surface, too.
Two factors might be throwing a kink into the good fishing we are experiencing on the Snake - first, the gauges on the tributaries are showing increased flows, some by almost 300%. So we may see an early runoff. Secondly, a new low pressure system is scheduled to move in late this week, which will drop air temps and, as a result, water temps. This may significantly slow the hatch activity and the fishing as well.
The South Fork
The South Fork continues to fish well from Spring Creek Bridge down through the Canyon. The nymphing has been top-notch on Prince Nymphs (size 16-18), Zug Bugs (size 16-18), Morrish Hare's Ear Nymphs (size 16), black Copper Johns (size 16-18), and black Stink Bugs (size 18). Riffles and inside seams are the pieces of holding water that are producing best. 12pm to 7pm has been the most productive part of the day. Dry fly action has been intermittent, but is happening on BWO imitations in the late afternoon hours.
The upper South Fork (from the dam down to Palisades Creek) has been hit or miss due to the cold water temps coming out of the Reservoir, but it is fishing well with nymphs - black of red Copper Johns (size 16-18), Tungsten Nymphicators (size 16-18), and olive or gray Sparkle Pupas (size 14-16). Dry fly action has been tough, but is happening in the late afternoon and early evening on Black Humpies (size 18-22) and Furimsky's BDE Black (size 18), particularly down stream towards Palisades Creek.
The low pressure system the is suppose to move in later this week may change the action a bit. Stay tuned for coming reports.
The region is experiencing an extended system of high pressure that has brought warm, sunny days with water temps getting into the mid-40s. This is sparking a bit more by way of hatches. There are blue-winged olives sporadically, but we are seeing midges throughout the day and more and more skwalas and little green stones. This is creating terrific dry fly action with Lime Trudes (size 12), olive Snake River Water Walkers (size 12), Bear Back Riders (size 10-12), Parachute Adams (size 16-18), and Furimsky's BDE Black (size 18). As for holding water, riffles, seam lines, and low gradient confluence points are producing the best. Dry fly activity is best from approximately 12pm until the early evening hours of 5pm to 6pm. During the earlier hours of the day trout are being taken on Rainbow Warriors (size 16-18), Lightening Bugs (size 16-18), red Copper Johns (size 16), and black Copper Johns (size 14-18). But there are a lot of whitefish being caught below the surface, too.
Two factors might be throwing a kink into the good fishing we are experiencing on the Snake - first, the gauges on the tributaries are showing increased flows, some by almost 300%. So we may see an early runoff. Secondly, a new low pressure system is scheduled to move in late this week, which will drop air temps and, as a result, water temps. This may significantly slow the hatch activity and the fishing as well.
The South Fork
The South Fork continues to fish well from Spring Creek Bridge down through the Canyon. The nymphing has been top-notch on Prince Nymphs (size 16-18), Zug Bugs (size 16-18), Morrish Hare's Ear Nymphs (size 16), black Copper Johns (size 16-18), and black Stink Bugs (size 18). Riffles and inside seams are the pieces of holding water that are producing best. 12pm to 7pm has been the most productive part of the day. Dry fly action has been intermittent, but is happening on BWO imitations in the late afternoon hours.
The upper South Fork (from the dam down to Palisades Creek) has been hit or miss due to the cold water temps coming out of the Reservoir, but it is fishing well with nymphs - black of red Copper Johns (size 16-18), Tungsten Nymphicators (size 16-18), and olive or gray Sparkle Pupas (size 14-16). Dry fly action has been tough, but is happening in the late afternoon and early evening on Black Humpies (size 18-22) and Furimsky's BDE Black (size 18), particularly down stream towards Palisades Creek.
The low pressure system the is suppose to move in later this week may change the action a bit. Stay tuned for coming reports.
Monday, April 12, 2010
April 12, 2010: Salmon River Still Fishing Well.
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The Salmon River continues to fish very well with floating line and mid-sized nymphs, egg patterns, and with small wet flies swung through riffles. The largest numbers are being caught on the upper river between Challis and Stanley, but the larger B-runs are being found below Challis and down river past Challis. Bart Taylor sent me these photos of the steelhead he caught will up there.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
April 12, 2010: New Bugs on the Water!
We are finally starting to see little green stoneflies on the Snake River in Wyoming. There are rarely a large number of them and this is true this year, but they are always fun to see because they ring in a new part of the season on th Snake River. I fished from Wilson to South Park a couple of days ago and saw about a dozen little greens on the bank and stream surface. In the afternoon we fished Lime Trudes and Jimmy Zs and caught two of the bigger fish of the day - one 18" cutthroat and another at 18 1/2". It was a pretty solid day with another 1/2 dozen that came in between 14" and 17". A classic early spring day on the Snake. The dry fly action is outstanding and the window of surface action is increasing as the daytime temps are growing increasingly warmer.
The South Fork continues to fish very well from Palisades Reservoir to Wolf Eddy. Good numbers of cutthroats and rainbows throughout these reaches and some very good sized browns on the lower end, some approaching 20 inches. The surface action is almost as good as the nymphing. But what is interesting is that we are experiencing a funny hatch of large caddis in late afternoon. I almost want to call them October caddis but their bodies are far narrower than your average Dicosmoecus. This is a strange insect that I really can't remember if I have seen before. What I can tell you is that I am fishing a narrow bodied version of Rob Water's Chamois Caddis Pupa and picking up a fair number of raibows and cutthroats (and yes, a good number of whitefish, also).
The South Fork continues to fish very well from Palisades Reservoir to Wolf Eddy. Good numbers of cutthroats and rainbows throughout these reaches and some very good sized browns on the lower end, some approaching 20 inches. The surface action is almost as good as the nymphing. But what is interesting is that we are experiencing a funny hatch of large caddis in late afternoon. I almost want to call them October caddis but their bodies are far narrower than your average Dicosmoecus. This is a strange insect that I really can't remember if I have seen before. What I can tell you is that I am fishing a narrow bodied version of Rob Water's Chamois Caddis Pupa and picking up a fair number of raibows and cutthroats (and yes, a good number of whitefish, also).
Thursday, April 8, 2010
April 8th, 2010 Update
The latest storm to roll through the area has bumped our snow pack up significantly. We have gone from 52% of average on March 25th to 63% as of this morning. While it is still doubtful that we will catch up to the 100% level in the next several weeks, we are still very encouraged by what we have received. Its a little more helpful for our trout.
With the passing of this storm, we are now experiencing warm and sunny weather and the return of some very good fishing on the Snake River and the South Fork. On the Snake, Blue-winged olives and midges are back on the water in force and bringing some top-notch early season dry fly activity. Much of the action has been in the afternoon from approximately 1pm to 5pm. This is a much bigger window of surface action than we have had over the past couple of weeks. The extended forecast calls for a mix of sun, clouds, and rain, but comparatively warm air temps (in the 40s and 50s), so the surface activity should continue for a while and might even get better.
Most encouraging of all is that the South Fork is beginning to come on in a much stronger fashion. The reach of the stream running from Palisades Dam to Palisades Creek has been the place to be for the last few weeks as trout feed on the mysis shrimp working their way out of the reservoir. But we are starting to see some better fishing in the Canyon, and especially the lower Canyon from Cottonwood Flats to Byington. We are picking up some decent browns and cutthroats on nymphs (red Copper Johns, Caddis Sparkle Pupa, and Zug Bugs) and trout in the 15 to 18 inch range on streamers (gold Aztec Warriors, tan and brown Jungle Sculpins). The surface activity is still a bit spotty, but some of the riffles have intense pods of cutthroats and whitefish coming to the surface for blue-winged olives. I am happy to say that the Canyon reach is moving in the right direction.
With the passing of this storm, we are now experiencing warm and sunny weather and the return of some very good fishing on the Snake River and the South Fork. On the Snake, Blue-winged olives and midges are back on the water in force and bringing some top-notch early season dry fly activity. Much of the action has been in the afternoon from approximately 1pm to 5pm. This is a much bigger window of surface action than we have had over the past couple of weeks. The extended forecast calls for a mix of sun, clouds, and rain, but comparatively warm air temps (in the 40s and 50s), so the surface activity should continue for a while and might even get better.
Most encouraging of all is that the South Fork is beginning to come on in a much stronger fashion. The reach of the stream running from Palisades Dam to Palisades Creek has been the place to be for the last few weeks as trout feed on the mysis shrimp working their way out of the reservoir. But we are starting to see some better fishing in the Canyon, and especially the lower Canyon from Cottonwood Flats to Byington. We are picking up some decent browns and cutthroats on nymphs (red Copper Johns, Caddis Sparkle Pupa, and Zug Bugs) and trout in the 15 to 18 inch range on streamers (gold Aztec Warriors, tan and brown Jungle Sculpins). The surface activity is still a bit spotty, but some of the riffles have intense pods of cutthroats and whitefish coming to the surface for blue-winged olives. I am happy to say that the Canyon reach is moving in the right direction.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
April 3rd 2010: Snake River Redd Counts Holding Close to Average
The Wyoming Department of Game and Fish have published their redd count findings for the Snake River complete last spring. The results show that the total number of spawning cutthroat and number of redds created were only slightly below the average at the two general measurement sites. On spring creeks below Wilson Bridge the total number of spawning trout was down by only 4.2% off the 10 year average, while on the creeks above Wilson Bridge, spawning trout were down by only 7.2%.
Spawning activity amongst native cutthoat is benefiting from an ample supply of water in the Snake River basin over the past two years, not to mention the work local wildlife management agencies and conservation groups have done on spawning creeks. Hopefully we will see this trend continue in the future. However, we are experiencing a weak winter this year, which will probably result in a lower number of spawning trout this year. We will find out if this is the case as the spawn starts up in May and June. Keep your fingers crossed.
Spawning activity amongst native cutthoat is benefiting from an ample supply of water in the Snake River basin over the past two years, not to mention the work local wildlife management agencies and conservation groups have done on spawning creeks. Hopefully we will see this trend continue in the future. However, we are experiencing a weak winter this year, which will probably result in a lower number of spawning trout this year. We will find out if this is the case as the spawn starts up in May and June. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April 3nd, 2010 - South Fork Snake River Trout Abundance Data - rainbow numbers show surprising increase over cutthroat
The latest electroshock data for the South Fork of the Snake River shows a surprising increase in the number of rainbow and cuttbow hybrids on the upper portion of the stream (in the vicinity of Conant Boat Ramp). The 2009 estimates show 2270 Age 1 and older rainbows and cuttbow hybrids per mile at Conant, a significant increase from the 925 recorded in 2008. The 2009 estimates for Conant also show 5363 yearling rainbows and hybrids per mile for Conant. This is the first year that we have seen rainbows and hybrids significantly outnumber native cutthroats at Conant since 2003 and the highest number of rainbow/hybrid trout recorded since monitoring began in 1982. Disturbing news for those of us concerned about native cutthroat preservation, and a bit of a downer when considering the good news with the lower number of rainbow/hybrid trout we have been experiencing over the past few years.
So why the sudden increase in rainbow/hybrid trout, and why such a large increase? I talked with Dan Garren at the Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife and he suggests that the artificially low winter flows we have been experiencing over the past few seasons have been to the detriment of cutthroat while benefiting exotics like rainbows. This is something that many area anglers have complained about for a couple decades. Detrimental flows are generally considered to be anything below 1000 cfs. In most years, we are lucky to see flows anywhere close to that. What is more, freshet releases (spikes in flows from reservoirs that are intended to mimic natural runoff) from Palisades have been occurring too late in the season to be of benefit to cutthroat (and to the detriment of rainbows). Ideally, these release should be occurring in mid to late May, but it is more common to see them occur a month or more later.
Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that regulates releases on the Snake River, have their hands tied because releases are dictated by the irrigation needs of the agricultural industry in Idaho. Until that changes we are going to see a lot more of this. We either need several big winters in a row, or some kind of change in policy that will give native trout better chances at survival. If the latter does occur, it will be at a glacial pace. There are no guarantees either way, but I would almost want to put my money on the weather.
There is some good news, however. Because of the two strong winters we had in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, which resulted in greater storage in the system, flows from Palisades Reservoir this year were at 1800 cfs through January and then gradually ramped down by 200 cfs every couples of weeks until the 925 cfs that we stand at right now. This is good news for the South Fork's native cutthroat. Idaho Fish and Wildlife believes that this will result in much better numbers for cutthoat this fall when they conduct their next survey. But with the sub-par winter we had this year, it is doubtful we will see this trend continue over a two year period.
In addition, the Bureau of Reclamation is planning on this years freshet to occur in May, which will hopefully help the matter.
The IFG Summary for the 2009 Survey is below -
South Fork Snake River 2009 fall population estimates
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game continued our annual fish population monitoring at the Conant and Lorenzo monitoring reaches of the South Fork Snake River in the fall of 2009. This is the initial summary of our 2009 data and may be subject to change with further review. In 2009, we observed high abundances of trout in the South Fork Snake River at Conant with an estimated 4,096 trout per mile. This estimate approaches our all-time high abundance of 4,857 trout per mile that was estimated in 1999. Unfortunately, over half of this abundance (55%) is rainbow trout (including rainbow x cutthroat trout hybrids. Results from our current survey show an estimated 2,270 age I and older rainbow trout per mile at the Conant monitoring reach, which is a significant increase over last year’s estimate of 925 rainbow trout per mile. Many of these rainbow trout are yearling fish which were affected by reservoir releases in 2008. Spring flows have been linked to trout abundances in the South Fork through several studies, all of which have indicated that the timing and duration of spring “freshets” that mimic a natural hydrograph can significantly affect both rainbow and cutthroat trout abundances. The 2009 estimate of yearling rainbow trout is 5,363 fish in the Conant reach, which is by far the greatest abundance of rainbow trout yearlings that we have observed to date. This is the first year ever where rainbow trout significantly outnumber native Yellowstone cutthroat trout since monitoring began in 1982.
Since 2004, flows out of Palisades Dam have been modified to enhance Yellowstone cutthroat trout spawning while concomitantly limiting rainbow trout recruitment. Spring freshets have been implemented to some degree every year since 2004, but the timing and magnitude of the freshet are important for limiting rainbow trout recruitment. Modeling combined with field observations suggests when the spring freshet occurs in mid to late May, rainbow trout recruitment is low, but this impact is lessened quickly the later in the year the freshet is released. The freshet released in 2008, which had the greatest chance of shaping the population of yearling fish observed in the current study was later in the year than desirable, and lower in magnitude than what was necessary to curtail this year class of fish. Of additional concern is the 2009 freshet, which cannot be evaluated until next fall. Although the freshet in 2009 was of sufficient magnitude, the release occurred well into June and even July, which we suspect will have a minimal impact to the rainbow trout fishery. Therefore, it is likely that there are two strong year classes of rainbow trout entering the South Fork Snake River population.
So why the sudden increase in rainbow/hybrid trout, and why such a large increase? I talked with Dan Garren at the Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife and he suggests that the artificially low winter flows we have been experiencing over the past few seasons have been to the detriment of cutthroat while benefiting exotics like rainbows. This is something that many area anglers have complained about for a couple decades. Detrimental flows are generally considered to be anything below 1000 cfs. In most years, we are lucky to see flows anywhere close to that. What is more, freshet releases (spikes in flows from reservoirs that are intended to mimic natural runoff) from Palisades have been occurring too late in the season to be of benefit to cutthroat (and to the detriment of rainbows). Ideally, these release should be occurring in mid to late May, but it is more common to see them occur a month or more later.
Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that regulates releases on the Snake River, have their hands tied because releases are dictated by the irrigation needs of the agricultural industry in Idaho. Until that changes we are going to see a lot more of this. We either need several big winters in a row, or some kind of change in policy that will give native trout better chances at survival. If the latter does occur, it will be at a glacial pace. There are no guarantees either way, but I would almost want to put my money on the weather.
There is some good news, however. Because of the two strong winters we had in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, which resulted in greater storage in the system, flows from Palisades Reservoir this year were at 1800 cfs through January and then gradually ramped down by 200 cfs every couples of weeks until the 925 cfs that we stand at right now. This is good news for the South Fork's native cutthroat. Idaho Fish and Wildlife believes that this will result in much better numbers for cutthoat this fall when they conduct their next survey. But with the sub-par winter we had this year, it is doubtful we will see this trend continue over a two year period.
In addition, the Bureau of Reclamation is planning on this years freshet to occur in May, which will hopefully help the matter.
The IFG Summary for the 2009 Survey is below -
South Fork Snake River 2009 fall population estimates
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game continued our annual fish population monitoring at the Conant and Lorenzo monitoring reaches of the South Fork Snake River in the fall of 2009. This is the initial summary of our 2009 data and may be subject to change with further review. In 2009, we observed high abundances of trout in the South Fork Snake River at Conant with an estimated 4,096 trout per mile. This estimate approaches our all-time high abundance of 4,857 trout per mile that was estimated in 1999. Unfortunately, over half of this abundance (55%) is rainbow trout (including rainbow x cutthroat trout hybrids. Results from our current survey show an estimated 2,270 age I and older rainbow trout per mile at the Conant monitoring reach, which is a significant increase over last year’s estimate of 925 rainbow trout per mile. Many of these rainbow trout are yearling fish which were affected by reservoir releases in 2008. Spring flows have been linked to trout abundances in the South Fork through several studies, all of which have indicated that the timing and duration of spring “freshets” that mimic a natural hydrograph can significantly affect both rainbow and cutthroat trout abundances. The 2009 estimate of yearling rainbow trout is 5,363 fish in the Conant reach, which is by far the greatest abundance of rainbow trout yearlings that we have observed to date. This is the first year ever where rainbow trout significantly outnumber native Yellowstone cutthroat trout since monitoring began in 1982.
Since 2004, flows out of Palisades Dam have been modified to enhance Yellowstone cutthroat trout spawning while concomitantly limiting rainbow trout recruitment. Spring freshets have been implemented to some degree every year since 2004, but the timing and magnitude of the freshet are important for limiting rainbow trout recruitment. Modeling combined with field observations suggests when the spring freshet occurs in mid to late May, rainbow trout recruitment is low, but this impact is lessened quickly the later in the year the freshet is released. The freshet released in 2008, which had the greatest chance of shaping the population of yearling fish observed in the current study was later in the year than desirable, and lower in magnitude than what was necessary to curtail this year class of fish. Of additional concern is the 2009 freshet, which cannot be evaluated until next fall. Although the freshet in 2009 was of sufficient magnitude, the release occurred well into June and even July, which we suspect will have a minimal impact to the rainbow trout fishery. Therefore, it is likely that there are two strong year classes of rainbow trout entering the South Fork Snake River population.
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