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).
No comments:
Post a Comment