Snake River

The tailwater reach from Jackson Lake Dam down to Pacific Creek remains the only reach to not be in runoff conditions. Releases from the dam have been steady at 4000 cfs for a few days and the fishing has improved greatly and are at the right level for good fishing. Clarity is excellent. The best action has been on double nymph rigs in seams, eddies, and riffles. Streamers have also been working good in the same water as well as banks and structure with at least moderate depths. Don’t go too big with your baitfish imitations. Midges, blue-winged olives, and callibaetis have been intermittently active on the surface, and this is allowing for a little dry fly fishing from about 11am until late afternoon. Get the right drift and presentation, and good things can happen.

Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs, Flashback Hares Ear Nymphs, Soft Hackle Princes, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Zug Bugs, Robins, Psycho Princes, and Copper Johns in red, black, or olive.

Effective streamers – Sculpzillas, Clouser Minnows, J.J. Specials, Kreelux, and Chickletts.

Effective dry flies – Pheasant Tail Emergers, Comparaduns, Furimsky BDEs, Film Critics, and Griffith Gnats.

South Fork

Steady at 10,000 cfs for over a week now, and this might be the best place to be. All reaches are fishing well with nymphs, dry flies, and streamers. The best action has been in riffles and seams, with eddies, banks, and structure also producing, particularly in the afternoon. Streamers are working best with hover and intermediate lines, although 3ips sinking tips are getting into larger trout. Caddis and baetis are on the water from about 11am on. Riffles and seams are the best place to target with adult or emerger imitations of these bugs. Trout are coming up to larger attractors in intermittent fashion throughout the day. Fishing these as part of a dry-dropper is the best way to go.

Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs, 20-Inchers, Bitch Creek Nymphs, San Juan Worms, Lightening Bugs, Copper Johns in red or olive, Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, Psycho Mays, Bruised Mays, and Bubbleback Pheasant Tail Nymphs,

Effective dry flies – X-Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Parachute Extended Body BWOs, Comparaduns, Quigley Cripples, Booty’s BWO Emerger, and Q’s Loop Wing Cripple.

Effective streamers – Silvey Sculpins, Marabou Muddlers, Booty’s Quad Bunny, Galloup’s Sex Dungeon, J.J. Specials, Bow River Buggers, and Beldar Buggers.

Green River

Flows at Warren Bridge have between 800 and 1,000 cfs for the past week but a serious upward surge has occurred over the past two days. Flows are currently at 1,400 cfs and the river is off-color with only a foot of visibility. Once flows level out, substantial clearing should occur. Caddis dominate the top water with some baetis making an appearance on cooler and wetter days. Surface action will probably start around 11am and then kick into gear around 1pm and lasts until mid-afternoon (and until dark on some days). There should be a little bit of action on #10 and #8 attractors when fished as part of a double dry rig or dry-dropper rig. Banks will be producing best with dry flies, with seams and eddies running a close second and third. Nymphs will produce in the same water as well as riffles. The streamer bit should be best along banks and seams, as well as troughs and at the tail of riffles. Floating and hover lines are all you will need.

Effective dry flies – X-Caddis, Tent-Wing Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Parachute Extended Body BWOs, Comparaduns, Quigley Cripples, Booty’s BWO Emerger, and Film Critics.

Effective streamers – Booty’s Quad Bunny Leech, J.J. Special, Tequilleys, Silvey Sculpin, Galloup’s Sex Dungeon, Galloup’s Peanut Envy, El Caminos, Kiwi Muddlers, and Butt Monkeys.

Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs, San Juan Worms, Lightening Bugs, Zug Bugs, Soft Hackles, Hickey’s Auto Nymph, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, Psycho Princes, Batmen, and Bloody Marys.

Yellowstone National Park

Lewis Lake – There has been some very good fishing on Lewis Lake over the past week with baitfish imitations and nymphs being taken by resident trout on flats and drop-offs. Brookie Bay and the Channel Mouth have been fishing exceptionally well. Your line and retrieve are dictated by the fly you are fishing. Go with as natural of the retrieve as possible. This means you should be using a floating or hover line with your nymphs and floating, hover, or intermediate lines with your streamers.

Lewis River/Snake River – Both are fishing well with nymphs and streamers, with the afternoon offering up the best action. Double nymph rigs and baitfish fished with sinking tips at 3ips to 6ips is the best way to go.

Yellowstone Lake – Good fishing in the West Thumb vicinity with streamers and nymphs (Zug Bugs, Lightening Bugs, Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymphs, and Robins, all in sizes from #10 to #14). Fish these with floating, hover and intermediate lines. Streamers can be fished with a moderate to rapid retrieves. Nymphs can be fished with slower and hand-twist retrieves with slight rod lifts intermittently. Drop-offs and flats with depths of eight to twelve feet is the most productive water currently.

Crayfish Creek – All of Crayfish is open after much of it being closed most of last season. Fishing is good above the Falls with #14 and smaller dry/emerger imitations and lightly weighted nymphs in the same sizes. Fishing below the Falls is not as productive, but slightly larger brown trout are being taken with the same imitations as above the Falls.