Snake River Angler Fly Fishing Report for October 2nd, 2011 by Boots Allen

Jackson Lake Dam Flow Schedule Update: Bureau of Reclamation will begin to decrease flows from Jackson Lake Dam starting the evening of Sunday, October 2^nd. Flows will be reduced from 2,800 cfs to winter flows of 650 cfs by October 7^th.

Snake River

The Snake is fishing very well as daytime temperatures cool while the weather remains mostly sunny and comfortable. We are beginning to see more of our important autumn hatches like hecubas and mahogany duns. PMDS and caddis remain active as well. Above Pacific Creek, there have been heavy hatches of olive and black tricos. Mornings are fishing well along banks and in deep riffle pools with dropper rigs consisting of gold Chubby Chernobyls (size 8 to 10), yellow Tara Xs (size 8 to 10), yellow or olive Stimulators (size 8 to 10), and yellow, olive, or royal PMXs (size 8 to 10). Dropper nymphs such as Lightening Bugs (size 12 to 14), Zug Bugs (size 10 to 14), or olive Soft Hackles (size 12 to 14) are working best when dropped between 20 inches and 30 inches below the surface fly.

Mid and late day fishing picks up on the surface with the best action being in riffles, deep seams, and slow confluence points. A variety of large attractors like those mentioned above are successful, but so too are smaller, more imitative flies like Quigley Cripples (size 10 to 12), Booty's Mahogany Emerger (size 12), Parachute Hares Ears (size 12 to 14), and gray Parawulffs (size 12 to 16). Fish these solo or as part of a tandem rig with a large attractor.

South Fork

Releases from Palisades Reservoir beginning to ramp down to their late autumn flows, going from 9,000 cfs last week to 7,000 cfs as of today. Inconsistent but good fishing can be found at the moment. There are still lots of PMDs as well as a few caddis, but we are now starting to see some mahogany duns and October caddis. Surface action has been best on large attractors like Melon Bellies (size 8 to 10), purple Chubby Chernobyls (size 8 to 10), orange Stimulators (size 8 to 10) and Orange Crushes (size 6 to 8) fished tight to banks and structure. Riffles have been fickle at best, but at times some large cutthroats have been coming up to Quigley Cripples (size 12) and Booty's Mahogany Emerger (size 12).

The best fishing has unquestionably been on nymphs either fished as droppers or as double nymph rigs. The most productive patterns have been Lightening Bugs (size 12 to 14), Zug Bugs (size 12 to 14), Prince Nymphs (size 12 to 14), Flashback Pheasant Tails (size 10 to 14), Sanchez Sparkle Stones (size 8) and Pat's Rubber Leg (size 8 to 10) in a variety of colors. There is acceptable activity on these nymphs in riffles, seams, and eddies, but the best action has been along banks and in flats. No double this is due to the fact that aquatic insects have been retreating from shallow water as flows have been dropping, which makes them accessible and vulnerable to feeding trout.

Salt River

The Salt River is flowing at about 770 cfs at McCoy Creek. This is about 15% above normal for this time of year. There is decent fishing on all reaches with best arguably being found in the vicinity of the Narrows and on the lower river from Freedom to McCoy Creek. Mid-sized attractors like Circus Peanuts (size 10), Pearl Bellies (size 10) and SRA Chernobyls (size10 to 12) are fishing well along the plethora of undercut banks and banks with heavy vegetation, but when fished with a dropper (Hares Ear Nymphs, olive or black Copper Johns, and Prince Nymphs), the dropper is being taken far more consistently. The best surface action have been on trico and PMD imitations like Air-Flo Tricos (size 16 to 18), olive or black Furimsky BDEs (size 16), PMD Sparkle Comparaduns (size 16), and Pheasant Tail emergers (size 16 to 18). These flies have been producing along the length of riffles, at the edge of flats, and along shallow banks.