Snake River

The Snake is dropping fast and clearing even fast.  It is safe to say that, by fishing standards, runoff ended around July 24th. It is definitely time to start fishing it, and all reaches are producing.  Expect to see PMDs, yellow sallies, drakes, small goldens, and some caddis on the surface.  It’s a smorgasbord, and trout are eating top water.

All reaches from Jackson Lake Dam down to the confluence with the Greys River are offering surface action for at least four to six hours a day (and even longer most days).  Side channels are probably the best water to target with dries.  The head of riffles, head of seams, bankside troughs, and banks with moderate depths and moderate drop-offs are also fishing well.  Larger attractors (#10 to #12) are producing, as are PMD, yellow sallie, drakes, and caddis.  With each passing day, more big fish are being caught.  This trend should continue for the rest of the year.

Nymphing is still producing well, and are working best below the confluence with Flat Creek.  Target the same water that you are with your dry flies.  Dry-droppers is a good way to go in all water types.  Double nymphs rigs are also hammering fish.

Streamers are working on intermediate sinking lines and 3ips to 6ips tips when fished along banks and structure, and in seams and the tail of riffles. Moderate sized streamers are working best.  Retrieves should be variable, with everything from slow, two-foot strips to faster, one-foot strips.  Not a lot of larger trout are being taken, but a good number of 14 inch to 15 inch specimens can be brought in throughout the day.

Dry flies – Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Winged Peanuts, Micro Cherbs, Chubby Chernobyls, Booty’s Green Drake Emerger, Parachute Extended Body Drakes, Lawson’s Sallie, Stimulators, Hackle Stacker Sallies, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Comparaduns, Copper Hazes, Rusty Spinners, Booty’s PMD Emerger, Quigley Cripples, Film Critics, X-Caddis, Sparkle Caddis, and Elk Hair Caddis.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Kaufmann’s Brown Stone, Lightening Bugs, Psycho Princes, Copper Johns in red or olive, and Batmen.

Streamers –  Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Galloup’s Butt Monkey, Beldar Buggers, Kreelux, and Chicklets.

South Fork

Rolling steady at approximately 14,000cfs as it has for the last couple of weeks .  The South Fork is one of the best pieces of water to be on in the region with all reaches fishing very good.  PMDs are emerging big time in the afternoon hours, primarily from 12pm until approximately 3pm.  These are being supplemented with good numbers of drakes and yellow sallies on the surface.  And, finally, salmon flies are starting to emerge in earnest on the lower reaches below Cottonwood.

PMD, drake , and yellow sallie imitations are fishing best in riffles, seams, and bankside troughs.  There can also be action in current margins and flats with moderate depths and slow currents. Large attractors and salmon fly imitations are producing along banks, structure, bankside troughs, and eddies.  You can fish these throughout the day, but expect the best action to happen after 12pm.

Double and triple nymph rigs are working well throughout the day on all reaches of the South Fork.  Mayfly larva patterns are taking a fair share of trout, but stonefly larva imitations are working just as well.  Fish these riggings in all water types – riffles, seams, eddies, bankside troughs, banks, and structure.  Mornings and afternoons are fishing in similar fashion with nymph rigs at the moment.

Streamers are working best on the upper reach in Swan Valley and the lower reach from Byington to Lorenzo.  Target banks, structure, seams, riffle pools, and the tail and margin of eddies with moderate to fast retrieves on floating and intermediate lines, and intermediate to 3ips sinking tips.

Dry flies – Chubby Chernobyls, Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Snake River Water Walkers, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Comparaduns, Quigley Cripple, Booty’s PMD Emerger, Parachute Extended Body Gray Drake, Booty’s Gray Drake Emerger, Lawson’s Sallie, Cole’s Sallie Emerger, Hackle Stacker Sallie, and Srtimulator Xs.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, San Juan Worms, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warrior, Copper Johns in red or olive, Foxy Sallies, Biot Bugs, Psycho Mays, Bruised Mays, Soft Hackles, and Green Hornets.

Streamers – Silvey Sculpins, Booty’s Quad Bunny, Keller’s Nightmare, Galloup’s Peanut Envy, Shaka Zulus, Bow River Buggers, B-Yotch Buggers, Galloup’s Stacked Blonde, Polar Minnows, and Strung=Out Leeches.

Green River

The Green is officially ON has been for the past two weeks as flows have been on a gradual but consistent drop.  We current stand at 950cfs at Warren Bridge.  Caddis are waning from the strong showing they have had over the past month, but yellow sallies, gray drakes, and PMDs have come on strong.  There are also a few of the small golden stones about.  All this is adding up to very good fishing with surface patterns, dry-droppers, and streamers.

The hatches we are seeing are occurring squarely in the morning from dawn until about noon.  All holding water types are fishing well, especially seams, eddies, riffles pools, and bankside troughs.  Larger drake and attractors are working best in faster current along banks and submerged structure.  Tandem rigs are the best way to go, with a larger drake or attractors fished with a PMD or yellow sallie.  But a dry-dropper rig is working just as well.

Afternoon, the action continues.  However, most of the production is happening on nymph droppers.  Fish such a rigging in the same water features that you are targeting earlier in the day.  And expect action on your dry fly during the afternoon hours.  It may not be happening with the same intensity that it is happening in the morning.  But it is enough to keep most fly fishers interested.

Dry flies – Chubby Chernobyls, Will’s Winged Chernobyls, Circus Peanuts, J-Slams, Rubber Legged Double Humpies, Quad Drakes, Parachute Hares Ears, Parachute Extended Body Gray Drakes, Booty’s Gray Drake Emerger, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Comparaduns, Film Critics, Lawson’s Sallie, and Stimulators.

Nymphs – Flashback Hares Ears, San Juan Worms, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Copper Johns in red or black, Psycho Princes, Robins, Psycho Mays, Bubbleback Pheasant Tails, Flashback Pheasant Tails, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, and Prince Nymphs.

Streamers – Booty’s Quad Bunny, Galloup’s Quad Bunny, Galloup’s Peanut Envy, El Caminos,

Silvey Sculpins, McCune Sculpins, Kreelux, Chicklets, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, J.J. Specials, and Beldar Buggers.

Salt River

Runoff is pretty much over on the Salt River.  Flows are down around 700cfs and clarity is almost ideal.  Lots of bugs are on the water, including PMDs, yellow sallies, caddis, and some smaller golden stones.  Fishing on the lower reaches – from Tin Cup down to the Lake – is best in eddies, riffles, and seams, with the 10am to 4pm time period being the sweetspot.  This is the case with both surface flies and nymphs.  Banks also have some action but this is primarily in the afternoon hours.  Trout are keying in on PMDs and yellow sallie imitations primarily.  However, there is plenty of action on #10 to #12 attractors.  Movement and swings of these patterns can entice strikes in the afternoon hours.

Dry flies – Winged Peanuts, Circus Peanuts, Micro Cherbs, Parachute Adams, Booty’s PMD Emerger, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Snowshoe Duns, Pheasant Tail Emergers, Film Critics, Stimulators, Hackle Stacker Sallies, Foam Tail Sallies, Elk Hair Caddis, and CDC Wing Caddis.

Nymphs – Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Copper Johns in red, black, or olive, Green Hornets, Soft Hackles, and Formerly Known as Princes.