SNAKE RIVER
Warm weather and warm rain has raised the flows on the Snake and the main culprit is the Buffalo Fork. At the time being the best fishing continues to be on the reach from Jackson Lake Dam down to the Osprey Channel approximately three miles below the Buffalo Fork, where the off color water finally takes hold. There are good hatches of PMDs, yellow sallies, caddis, gray drakes, and golden stones. Nymphs are the best way to go from the Dam down to just above Pacific Creek. Form there down to the Osprey Channel, the surface action has been fairly good.
Effective nymphs – Pats Rubber Legs (#8 to #10), Biot Bugs (#10 to #12), Copper Johns (# 10 to #16) in red or olive, Lightening Bugs (#10 to #16), Robins (#12 to #14), Zug Bugs (# 12 to #16), and Bubbleback Pheasant Tails (# 12 to #16).
Effective dry flies – Circus Peanuts (#8 to #10), Snake River Water Walkers (#8 to #10), Chubby Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Grape Magic (#8 to #10), Parachute Adams (#8 to #10), Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Cahills (#10 to #14), Booty’s PMD Emerger (# 12 to #14), Quigley Cripples (# 12 to #16), Stimulators (# 10 to #12), and Film Critics (#12 to #16).
[separator style_type=”single” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”20″ sep_color=”#000000″ icon=”” width=”” class=”” id=””]
SOUTH FORK
Nothing is fishing better in the region than the South Fork. Nymphing is good from Palisades Dam down to Gormer Canyon in the morning. In the afternoon there is solid action in the riffles and along slow banks with PMD and yellow sallie imitations. From Cottonwood down to Lorenzo the dry fly action is very good (although stonefly nymphs continue to produce). There are good hatches of PMDs, caddis, and yellow sallies on just about every reach. On the lower reaches from Wolf Eddy down to Lorenzo there are decent hatches of salmon flies and green drakes. Eddies and riffles have been good with PMD and drake imitations. Stonefly imitations, attractors, yellow sallies, caddis, and drake patterns are doing well along banks, structure, and on flats. Dry-dropper rigs are a good way to go on the lower reaches below Byington.
Effective nymphs – Pats Rubber Legs (#4 to #10), PR Muskrats (#6 to #10), BH Hares Ear Nymphs (#10), Biot Bugs (#10), Copper Johns (#10 to #14) in red, San Juan Worms, Lightening Bugs (#10 to #14), Rainbow Warriors (#14), Foxy Sallie Stones (#10 to #12), and Flashback Pheasant Tails (#10 to #12).
Effective dry flies – Chubby Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Circus Peanuts (#6 to #10), Wills Winged Chernobyls (#6 to #10), Rubber Legged Double Humpies (#8), Snake River Water Walkers (#6 to #10), Booty’s Green Drake Emerger (#10), Parachute Hares Ear (#10), Comparaduns (#12 to #14), Parachute Extended Body PMDs (#12 to #16), Booty’s PMD Emerger (#12 to #14), Snowshoe Dun (#12 to #16), Stimulators (#10 to #16), Elk Hair Caddis (#12 to #14), Film Critics (#14 to #180 and Quigley Cripples (#12 to #14).
Effective streamers – Clouser Minnows, Strung-out Leeches, Arums Lil’ Kim, SRA Double Bunnies, Swimmin’ Jimmies, J.J. Specials.
[separator style_type=”single” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”20″ sep_color=”#000000″ icon=”” width=”” class=”” id=””]
SALT RIVER
The Salt River is off-color but fishing well with both nymphs and dry flies on the lower reaches from Etna down to McCoy Creek. This is not to say that the fishing is off-the-charts and there is variability from day to day, but it is getting better with each passing week. The action is from late morning (around 11:30am) to mid-afternoon (around 3pm) when the heaviest hatches of caddis, PMDs, drakes, yellow sallies, and golden stone are at their best. Banks have been good but flies have to be razor tight in some situations. Riffles and eddies are producing with attractors, PMD and caddis imitations in the afternoon. Seams are producing sporadically but are still worth targeting.
Effective nymphs – Biot Bugs (#10 to #12), Copper Johns (#10 to #14) in red, or olive, Lightening Bugs (#10 to #14), Zug Bugs (#10 to #14), Psycho Princes (#10 to #14) and Bead Tail Caddis Nymphs (#12 to #14).
Effective dry flies – Wills Winged Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Chubby Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Circus Peanuts (#8 to #10), Snake River Water Walkers (#8 to #10), Booty’s Green Drake Emerger (#10 to #12), Booty’s Green Drake Emerger (#10 to #12), Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Cahills, Furimsky BDEs (#10 to #14), Booty’s PMD Emerger (#12 to #14), Quigley Cripples (#12), Split Wing Cripples (# 12 to #14), and Elk Hair Caddis (#14).
Effective Streamers – Bow River Buggers, Woolley Buggers, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Murphy’s Bling Minnows.
[separator style_type=”single” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”20″ sep_color=”#000000″ icon=”” width=”” class=”” id=””]
GREEN RIVER
Flows are at 2400cfs at Warren Bridge but there is decent fishing on the lower reaches from Daniel Bridge down to Piney Cutoff. Don’t count on big numbers but big browns, rainbows, and cutthroats are in the cards with hard fishing along banks and structure and, to a lesser degree, on seams. Streamers are your best bet. Good things can also happen with double nymph rigs in the same water.
Effective nymphs – Pats Rubber Legs (#4 to #8), Bitch Creek Nymphs (#4 to #8), 20-Inchers (#8), San Juan Worms, BH Hares Ear Nymphs (#8 to #10), Zug Bugs (#8), and Copper Johns (#10) in red.
Effective streamers – SRA Double Bunnies, Sex Dungeons, Swimmin’ Jimmies, Zoo Cougars, Quad Bunny Leeches, Bow River Buggers, Silvey Sculpins, Butt Monkeys, J.J. Specials, and Tequilleys.