Snake River

Keeps sounding like a broken record over the past two weeks – there is variations in activity from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and reach-to-reach, but the surface and streamer action is in its typical autumn fashion, which is generally pretty damn good. Look for the fishing to get even better on those days with clouds, precipitation, and cool air temperatures. We are expecting a lot of that over the next couple of weeks. Hecubas, mahogany duns, and PMDs should come out in force.

Riffles, seams, bankside troughs, and side channels are the most productive types of holding water and really get good from about 11am until dusk. Banks and structure are also producing, but not to the same degree as other water types. They are best fished with streamers and moderately sized attractors.

Dry flies – Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Winged Peanuts, Snake River Water Walkers, Parachute Hare’s Ear, Parachute Adams, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Cahills, and Mahogany Duns, Booty’s Drake Emerger, Comparaduns, Mathew’s Sparkle Duns, Thorax PMDs, Purple Hazes, Copper Hazes, Snowshoe Duns, Quigley Cripples, Booty’s PMD and Mahogany Emerger, and Film Critics.

Streamers – Chicklett’s, Kreelux, Kiwi Muddlers, Sparkle Minnows, Murphy’s Bling Minnows, J.J. Specials, Bow River Buggers, and Gongas.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs, Nymph formally known as Prince, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, LOF Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns in red or black, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, Flashback Pheasant Tails, and Zug Bugs.

South Fork

A little inconsistent over the past two weeks, but the South Fork is still fishing good on most days. As on the Snake, the surface action increases greatly with clouds and precipitation, particularly in riffles, seams, and flats. Sunny days still produce good results, but it is concentrated in the afternoon for about four hours. Before and after that, the best strategy is to go with a dry-dropper rig or double nymph rig and targeting the same water mentioned above, as well as banks and eddies.

In terms of best reaches to fish, the Canyon from Conant to Byington has been the most productive section, with the lower reach below Byington and the upper reach from the Dam down to Spring Creek Bridge. When the right weather moves in, however, all bets are off. Everything will fish, and fish quite well.

Dry flies – J-Slams, Barrett’s Ant, Circus Peanuts, Snake River Water Walkers, Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Cahills, Purple Hazes, Copper Hazes, Rusty Spinners, Comparaduns, Snowshoe Duns, Booty’s PMD Emerger, Pink Sulfur Emergers, Film Critics, and Quigley Cripples.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Biot Bugs, Soft Hackle Flashback Princes, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Fuegos, Hickey’s Auto Nymph, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, and Pheasant Tail Nymphs.

Salt River

For many area fly fishers, this is the best time of the year to be on the Salt. Flows are a consistent 450 cfs and you can count on seeing PMDs, tricos, caddis, and mahogany duns at some point each day. Eddies, seams, and flats are fishing best throughout the day with the afternoon being primetime. Riffles and banks will fish best from about 11am until dusk. Nymphs will work throughout the day. They are most productive in eddies and seams.

Dry flies – Will’s Winged Chernobyls, Circus Peanuts, Fat Franks, Great Whites, Parachute Adams, Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Mahogany Duns, Snowshoe Duns, Comparaduns, Thorax PMDs, Rusty Spinners, Quigley Cripples, Film Critics, Q’s Loop Wing Cripple, and Booty’s PMD and Mahogany Emerger.