Fishing Report for March 23, 2011

Snake River country is experiencing a typical March - warm days with temperatures getting up into the 40s with intermittent snow storms rolling through the region, some of which are bringing a lot of snow in the mountains. The last one to come through the area left 22" at the 9,500 ft. level. On those warmer, sunny days, fishing on the Snake, the South Fork, and the Henry's Fork has been good, and probably will be well into April.

On the Snake, bwo and midge imitations have been the most productive patterns for the surface. Krystal Midge Emergers (size 18), Day-2 Midge Emergers (size 18), Extended Body Parachute BWOs (size 16), and Furimsky BDEs in olive, gray, and black (sizes 16 to 20) are killing it in riffles, flats and over shallow, submerged structure. Below the surface, black Copper Johns (size 16), black or gray Zebra Midges (size 16 to 20), Lightening Bugs (size 16 to 18), and Rainbow Warriors (size 18 to 20) are working as double nymph rigs in riffles and when fished through confluence points and along structure.

The South Fork is fishing solid on the upper reach from Palisades Dam down to Conant Boat Launch and on the lower reaches in the vicinity of Kelly Island and Heise Bridge. The same flies we are using on the Snake are producing on the South Fork. But so too are Flashback Pheasant Tails (size 14 to 16), gray Quigley Cripples (size 14 to 16), and Callibaetis Comparaduns (size 14 to 18).

Don't forget about the success one can have on streamers this time of year. The warmer water temps mean that trout are less lethargic and ready to strike (whether out of hunger or annoyance) a baitfish if it happens to swim by. We're getting very impressive reports from the South Fork and the lower Henry's Fork. One of these included a 25-inch brown from the upper South Fork caught on a black Conehead Bow River Bugger. This time of year, many of us like to throw some of the larger streamers - Quad Bunnies, Sex Dungeons, Butt Monkeys, and Silvey's Sculpin Leech. These are all size 2 or larger and three of the four are articulated. Fishing them with a floating line is fine, but in some pool and along deeper banks, an intermediate or TYPE III tip can make all the difference in the world.