Snake River

We have had a mix of cold days and warm days over the past two weeks, and we should have these conditions for the next several days. Fishing on the Snake has been best on the middle and lower reaches from Moose Bridge down to Sheep Gulch. Nymphs are working throughout the day, but the afternoon – from 1pm until about 5pm – has been the sweet spot. This is also the time period that we have been getting rising fish on chironomid and blue-winged olive emerger/dun imitations. Inside turns of seams and riffles are where rising fish have been found with the most frequency. The tail of riffle pools and the tails of seams are producing in mid-afternoon on the surface, but these will fish best with nymphs and dry-dropper rigs.

Dry flies – Chubby Chernobyls, Will’s Winged Chernobyls, Parachute Extended Body BWOs and Mahogany Duns, Comparaduns, Quigley’s Split Flag BWO, Christian’s GT BWO, Booty’s BWO and Mahogany Emerger, Film Critics, Christian’s GT Trico, Pheasant Tail Emergers, Parachute Midges, Mating Midges, RS2s, and Renegades.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs, Biot Bugs, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Copper Johns in red or black, Psycho Princes, Yeagers’ Crack Back, Rojo Midges, Booty’s Day-2 Midge Pupa, Zebra Midges, and Ice Cream Cone Midges.

South Fork

Flows from Palisades Reservoir have been at approximately 900cfs for a while now. Fishing is fair in the morning unless you are fishing on the far upper reach from the dam down to Husky’s, where fishing can be good before noon with moderate to small nymph rigs. The afternoon is fishing well with nymphs on almost all reaches. Flats and riffle tailouts are producing best. Whitefish are on the spawn, so small egg patterns are working just as good as aquatic invertebrate imitations.

Dry fly action is occurring in the afternoon (two to four hours generally) in shallow riffles, at the head of seams, and in shallow side channels (of which there are not a lot of at the moment). Flats can also produce on certain days, but there is a lot of inconsistency in this water. Chironomid patterns are the name of the game on the surface. When you see fish coming up in a particular piece of holding water, stay on them until they are done.

Dry Flies – Comparaduns, Quigley Cripples, Film Critics, Christian’s GT Trico, Pheasant Tail Emergers, Parachute Midges, Mating Midges, Griffith Gnats, and Renegades.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs, Biot Bugs, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Copper Johns in red or black, Psycho Princes, Yeagers’ Crack Back, Rojo Midges, Idylwylde Tailwater Midges, Booty’s Day-2 Midge Pupa, Zebra Midges, Jujubee Midges, Brassies, yarn eggs, Glo Bugs, and Veiled Eggs.

Outlier Waters  

Jackson Lake – Not easy fishing, but some decent action is still being had on flats from Colter Bay running north to the mouth. The lake trout seem noticeably less spooky compared to the first couple of weeks since Jackson Lake reopened, so casts can be shorter. Days with cloud cover and some wind are offering better action than days with calm and clear conditions. Presentations still need to be somewhat precise however. The most productive retrieves for baitfish imitations have been slow to moderate speed strips that are one to two feet in length. More trout are taking nymphs now. Suspension has been inconsistent. It is better to do slow hand-twist, figure-8, and pinch retrieves.