Great Dry Fishing Fishing Continues - Snake River Update for August 3rd, 2010

South Fork
The South Fork continues to offer terrific fly fishing throughout all of the reaches from Palisades Reservoir down to Lorenzo. Flows from Palisades are currently at just under 12,000 cfs. The primary hatch activity are yellow sallies, PMDs, and a variety of caddis in the early morning and the evening. The Canyon of the South Fork and the lower South Fork down to Lorenzo remain best for dry fly fishing with big browns and cutthroats coming in on Red Butt Sallies (size 10 to 12), Quigley Cripples (size 12), Pink Sulfur Emergers (size 14 to 16), gray Comparaduns (size 12), olive X-Caddis (size 12), and black Furimsky BDEs (size 10-14). Yes, big trout are coming up for larger attractor/hopper/stone fly patterns, but not near to the degree that they are taking the smaller, more imitative patterns. Target riffles, seams, and eddy lines with the patterns mentioned above.


The upper reach of the South Fork from the Dam down to Conant Valley continues to fish well with nymphs but dry fly fishing now much more consistent, especially from Power Line Riffle down to Spring Creek Bridges. Use the patterns listed above and target the same types of holding water.

Snake River
The Snake River is crystal clear and should be this way for the rest of the season except for the days following any torrential downpours. It is safe for us to say that the entire river is fishing solid from Jackson Lake Dam down to Sheep Gulch. The best action has been from roughly 11 am to 4 pm, a time period when water temperatures are relatively ideal (running from 53 degrees to 62 degrees). The warm weather we are experiencing is driving water temps up and making the fishing difficult from late afternoon until early evening (roughly 7:30 pm).

Dry fly fishing gets better by the day with lots of juvenile fish (11 inches and under) being taken in riffles and eddies on Quigley Cripples (size 12 to 14), Parachute Adams (size 12 to 16), Snowshoe Hair Wing Duns (size 12 to 14), and Elk Hair Caddis (size 12 to 16). These patterns are also picking up larger trout up to 19 inches in riffles, but also along structure and in side channels with defined riffles features.

Large attractors, particularly red or purple Chubby Chernobyls (size 8 to 10), gold or salmon Snake River Water Walkers (size 8-12), and red or purple Will's Winged Chernobyls (size 10), are bringing in big trout along banks and structure, but these are working primarily in the morning and shutdown before noon. We are continuing to fish these larger bugs in the afternoon, but doing so as part of a tandem rig with a smaller, more imitative pattern.

Flat Creek and Blacktail Ponds

Flat Creek and Blacktail Ponds opened up on August 1st and, while certainly crowded throughout the day, both are offering very good opportunities for hooking into large cutthroat, some in the 20 to 22 inch range. Olive, black or gray X-Caddis (size 14) and olive or gray Comparaduns (size 16-18), have been the most successful patterns coming out of our shop. The is no doubt that these flies are imitating emergent caddis and infrequen PMDs which are hatching on both pieces of water throughout much of the day in at least an intermittent fashion. It is hard to suggest a good time to be on Flat Creek and Blacktail. While we are focusing much of our attention at these waters in the morning (dawn until 10 am) and the evening (6 pm to sundown), the fact is that mid-day fishing has been fairly strong as well. If the dry fly action slows down, don't be afraid to go subsurface with a Pink Sulfur Emerger (size 16 to 20) or a lightly weighted Hare's Ear Nymph (size 16-18). These flies will be less than four inches under the surface and, frankly, the subsurface takes are easy to see and just as fun as anything that happens directly on the surface.

Green and New Fork Rivers

The Green and New Fork are dropping fast and currently stand at just under 400 cfs. Both are fishing well but the windows of opportunity have narrowed to just a couple of hours in the morning (roughly 8 am to 12 pm) and the evening (roughly 6 pm to sundown). It is large attractors and mayfly imitations that are bringing larger browns to the surface - Rubber Legged Double Humpies (size 8), Will's Red Ant (size 10 to 8), gold or purple Chubby Chernobyls (size 8 to 10), Tara Xs (size 8), Parachute Adams (size 10 to 14), and gray Quad Drakes (size 10 to 14).

When the windows of dry fly fishing closes in the afternoon, grabby fish can be picked up on double nymph rigs consisting on a Pat's Rubber Leg or a Perkins' Stone Nymph trailing a Zug Bug (size 12 to 16), 20-Incher (size 16), Lightening Bug (size 12 to 14), or Flashback Pheasant Tail (size 10 to 14). This rig fished close to banks and structure are doing the trick. Riffles, however, have been quite inconsistent with this nymph rig.

Salt River
Flows on the Salt River are at approximately 450 cfs and is producing solid hatches of PMDs and caddis. It is fishing well along deep banks, seams, and at the tail end of riffles with mayfly imitations and, to a lesser degree, large attractors. The most productive patterns have been Parachute Adams (size 12-16), Quigley Cripples (size 14), Pheasant Tail Emergers (size 12 to 14), Circus Peanuts (size 10 to 12), and Will's Red Ants (size 12). The lower sections of the Salt from Jackknife down to McCoy Creek are fishing best.

Fly Fishing Report for July 25th, 2010

South Fork
The South Fork continues to offer some of the best fishing in the region. Yes, the salmon fly hatch is a bust for the most part, but there are strong emergences of yellow sallies and PMDs. The lower section of the Canyon of the South Fork and the lower South Fork from Byington down to Lorenzo is as good as it gets with dry flies. Big attractors - Chubby Chernobyls (size 8 to 10), South Fork Chernobyls (size 8 to 10), and gold or olive Will's Winged Chernobyls (size 8) - are bringing up large trout along undercut banks and partially submerged structure. Patterns imitating PMDs and yellow sallies are working in riffles, eddies and on seam lines and confluence points. The most successful patterns have been Pheasant Tail Emergers (size 14), ILRs (size 12 to 14), Quigley Cripples (size 12-16), Parachute Cahills (size 12-14), Tailwater Humpies (size 12), Red Butt Sallies (size 10- to 12), and yellow Stimulators (size 10 to 12).


On the upper portion of the South Fork below Palisades Reservoir, big trout are being caught on double nymph rigs consisting of Pat's Rubber Legs trailing Rainbow Warriors (size 16), Prince Nymphs (size 12 to 14), and black or green Copper Johns (size 10 to 12). However, dry fly activity is picking up significantly with small flies imitating PMDs, prairie caddis, and yellow sallies - Pheasant Tail Emergers (size 12-14), CDC Caddis Emergers (size 12), Pink Sulfur Emergers (size 14-16), and Red Butt Sallies (size 12). Target these flies in the heads and tail end of riffles, in deep troughs and along shallow seams and eddy lines.



Green and New Fork Rivers
Both the Green and the New Fork are holding steady at around 600 cfs. Dry fly fishing is solid on each with yellow Stimulators (size 10 to 12) and Quad Quill Drakes (size 10) to match the impressive hatches of yellow sallies, gray drakes, and inermis PMDs. But the best action has been on big attractors fished close to banks and structure. Patterns such as the Melon Belly (size 8 to 10), red or purple Rubber Legged Double Humpies (size size 8), and gold or salmon colored Snake River Water Walkers (size 8 to 10) are producing browns clearing 20 inches when fished tight to banks and structure. The catch is that the windows of surface activity have tightened up considerably, somewhere between 2 and 3 hours in generally ending sometime by early afternoon.

If the trout on the Green and the New Fork are getting finicky, try fishing a Quigley Cripple (size 10 to 12) or a Halo Emerger (size 12) in slow riffles and along slow banks.



Snake River
The Snake is getting better by the day with large fish coming to the surface on every section. Large dries are doing well with Circus Peanuts (size 8 to 10) and Tara Xs (size 8 to 10)bringing trout to the surface along banks and on the downstream ends of structure. Yellow sallies and caddis dominate as hatches currently and are being matched with yellow Stimulators (size 10) and Elk Hair Caddis (size 10 to 12). These flies are bringing up bigger trout in riffles and along seams and confluence lines. Its a great start to a river that will no doubt take off in August and into September.

Its Dry Fly Time! - Fly Fishing Report for July 15, 2010

South Fork


Flows from Palisades Reservoir are holding steady at 12,500 cfs and fishing has been solid on most of the South Fork. Dry fly action is best from Cottonwood down to Menan. The green drake activity is beginning to wane but salmon flies are about, as are strong hatches of yellow sallies and PMDs. Banks, riffles, seams, and structure are producing good sizes of browns and cutthroats rising to tandem dry fly rigs. The most productive patterns have been Chubby Chernobyls (size 8), South Fork Chernobyls (size 8), Wills Twisted Stone (size 8-10), Tara X's (size 8), Melon Bellies (size 8-10), yellow Stimulators (size 10), Perkins PM Muskrat Emerger (size 12), gray Parawulffs (size 12), and Q's Loop Wing Cripple (size 12-14). Our tandem rig is consisting of the large attractor as the trailer and the smaller PMD/yellow sallie imitation as the lead fly. This allows us to place the large fly closer to banks and structure.

On the upper South Fork from the Dam down to Cottonwood, dry fly action is picking up but nymphing still reigns supreme. A standard South Fork double nymph rig consisting of a Pat's Rubber Leg or Perkins Stone Nymph leading a San Juan Worm, Prince Nymph (size 12), Lightening Bug (size 12), or Rainbow Warrior (size 14) is working best when fished in riffles, on confluence lines, and in eddies and seam lines.





Snake River

The Snake is dropping fast and has cleared significantly over the past week. It is safe to say that the entire river is fishing well, and fishing well with dry flies. Most of the trout are small cutthroat under 12 inches, but we are seeing more and more larger cutthroat coming to the surface over the past several days. The current hatches we are experiencing are as broad as ever. Yellow Sallies, caddis, PMDs, speckled-wing quills, gray drakes, and golden stones are everywhere. We are even seeing some yellow quills in the canyon section of the Snake. Riffles have been hot with Red Butt Sallies (size 12), Quigley Cripples (size 12), Pheasant Tail Emergers (size 12-14), Elk Hair Caddis (size 12-14), and yellow Humpies (size 10-12). Along banks and structure, larger attractors like Circus Peanuts (size 8-10), gold or yellow Snake River Water Walkers (size 8-10), red SRA Chernobyls (size 10), Tara X's (size 8-10), and Will's Red Ant (size 10) are working well and bringing up larger and larger fish everyday.





Green River

The Green has dropped significantly and is crystal clear. It is for the most part fishing well, but sizes and numbers vary depending on where one is fishing. The campground sections above Warren Bridge are fishing strong with dries from browns and rainbows from 12 inches to 17 inches. The middles sections from Warren Bridge to Daniel Bridge have been fishing spotty with dries and nymphs but there is a possibility for hooking into 20-plus inch browns along many of the undercut banks. The best fishing currently is from Daniel Bridge to Piney Cutoff. Hook up numbers are not through the roof, but multiple 20-plus inch trout can be caught in a day and expect a healthy number of 17 inch to 19 inch trout as well. The key is to fish VERY tight to banks with big attractors like Tara X's (size 8-10), Wills Red Ant (size 6-10), red Rubber Legged Double Humpies (size 8), Bearback Riders (size 8), Mega Beetles (size 6-8), gold or purple Wills Winged Chernobyls (size 8), and SRA Chernobyls (size 8). Riffles will work mid-day - 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - with Quigley Cripples (size 10 to 12), Paratrooper Drakes (size 10 to 12), and Rusty Spinners (size 10 to 12).

Streamer fishing is still working well , especially in the morning from approximately 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Like the large dry flies we are throwing, streamers will need to be in tight to banks and structure. Strip them back with a short, fast retieve. Most productive streamers: think white! - Stacked Blondes (size 6), Clouser Minnows (size 4), and Bow River Buggers (size 4 to 6).

Fly Fishing Report - July 7, 2010

Snake River

The Snake is clearing fast and with it is coming better dry fly action. Yellow sallies, PMDs, and speckled-winged quills are about on most stretches of water. The tailwater section from Jackson Lake Dam to approximately 2.5 miles below the Buffalo Fork remains clear and is fishing best of all in riffles and along banks with Pheasant Tail Emergers (size 14), black Airflo Tricos (size 16), and yellow Stimulators (size 12). Below the Buffalo Fork, the river is off color but cutthroat are being taken on large attractors like Rubber Legged Double Humpies (size 8), Will’s Red Ant (size 6-8), and Electric Banana Snake River Water Walkers (size 8). The surface action is by no means over the top, but it is enough to keep a fly fisher interested. Better dry fly action is just around the corner.

South Fork

Dry fly action is finally starting to happen on the lower South Fork from Wolf Flats down to Lorenzo. Salmon flies are appearing but they are over shadowed by heavy hatches of green drakes that are all over the river. Riffles, flats, and undercut banks are producing with Tilt-Wing Green Drakes (size 10), Green Drake Emergers (size 10), and green Hangdy Downdy Emergers (size 10). 18” to 19” cutthroat and browns are not out of the questions.

On the upper stretch of the South Fork from Palisades Reservoir down to Wolf Flats double nymphs rigs still rule the day. Pat’s Rubber Legs (size 6-10), San Juan Worms, 20-Inchers (size 12), Lightening Bugs (size 12-14) and Blue Tungstens (size 10-12) are doing the trick when fished tight to banks and deep in riffles and along seams.

Green River

The Green has dropped precipitously over the past few days and is beginning to fish very well. On the upper Green, large dry flies like the Circus Peanut (size 6-8), Will’s Purple Ant (size 8), and red Rubber Legged Double Humpies (size 8) are bringing up large browns, some clearing the 20” mark. This action is almost exclusively on banks with very little activity anywhere else. The lower Green – from Daniel down to Sommers – has very little by way of dry fly action but nymphs rigs are doing well along banks and seams. Pat’s Rubber Legs (size 6-10), San Juan Worms, long hackled Prince Nymphs (size 12), Zug Bugs (size 10-12) and red or black Copper Johns (size 10-12) have been producing best.