Snake River
Caddis and flavs are still there although waning, but strong emergences of yellow sallies and golden stones remain. Green drakes and PMDs are also present. Hatches start around 11am and build in momentum until around 3pm. Although heavy thunderstorms can limit visibility from time to time, the surface action remains strong throughout the drainage. Riffles are the primary target, with seams, eddies, and troughs also with focusing on.
Deep nymph rigs are working best in ledge rock pools and eddies below South Park and shallower dry-dropper rigs are working on every reach when targeting riffles, troughs, seams, and backwater side channels. Fish are keying in heavily on caddis and stonefly imitations, although slower water is fishing well with midge and small-ish mayfly patterns.
Streamers are fishing solid one day and noticeably slower the next. When it is on, riffle drop-offs, the head of seams, and troughs are offering the best action. Larger (but sparse/tapered) patterns and moderately sized patterns are working equally well. Fish these on floating lines, hover lines, or sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range and go with even retrieves that are moderate in speed.
Dry flies – Mary Kays, Circus Peanuts, Snake River Water Walkers, Purple Bruces, Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Rubber Legged Double Humpies, Stimulators, Elk Hair Caddis, Mathews’ X-Caddis, Cole’s U-Con, Booty’s DL Cripple, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Parachute Adams, Comparaduns, and Film Critics.
Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, 20-Inchers, Bitch Creek Nymphs, Duracells, Rabid Squirrels, Mercer’s Woven Caddis Pupa, Glass Tail Caddis, Mathews’ Sparkle Caddis, Chez’s Biot Bug, Foxy Sallie Stones, Hares Ear Nymphs, Copper Johns in red, olive, or black, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, Zebra Midges, and Perdigons.
Streamers – Rustics, Geisha Girls, Booty Call Minnows, Lite Brite Zonkers, Chez’s Clump Dubbing Leech, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Craft Fur Clousers, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Slump Busters,
South Fork
Water temps remain cool and surface action has been occurring in bits-and-pieces on the lower river from Cottonwood down to Lorenzo but it is inconsistent and can’t be relied on just yet. Consistent action is occurring on BWOs with the right conditions in select spots along banks with slow currents, and at the head of riffles.
Double/triple nymph rigs have been the name of the game as riffles, submerged structure, eddies, and seams kick into action around 10am and can last until after 4pm. Changing up your leader length is key with some water and times of the day require six feet as opposed to seven to nine feet. One going trend is that shorter lengths are working better after 1pm while longer ones are doing the trick before noon.
Streamers have been inconsistent but can perform as well or better than nymphs when it’s on. Banks and structure are key targets. Parallel drop-offs, eddies, seams are secondary but worthwhile to focus on. Go with floating lines or sinking tips in the INT to 6ips range and vary up your retrieves (including hesitations and swimming tactics) as much as possible.
Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Kaufmann’s Brown Stonefly, 20-Inchers, San Juan Worms, Squirmy Wormies, Duracells, Brillion’s Lucent Jig, Flashback Pheasant Tails,
Streamers – Galloup’s Dungeon, Silvey Sculpins, Lynch Mobs, Galloup’s Peanut Envy, Craven’s Swim Coach, Rustics, Goldilocks, Geisha Girls, Mojo Minnows, and Krystal Buggers.
Green River
The Green continues to recede and visibility is the best we have seen this year so far. As on the Snake, there is a smorgasbord of bugs, including caddis, golden stones, yellow sallies, and gray drakes on the water with emergences beginning around 10am and continuing until around mid-afternoon. Most water types are fishing with dries, including banks, submerged structure, seams, confluences, troughs and riffles. Dry-fly action is not off-the-charts but it is worth doing throughout most of the day if your intention is to focus on surface eats.
Dry-dropper nymph rigs are fishing well in the same water as surface patterns and are producing both before and after the 10am to 3pm witching hour. Worm patterns, stonefly patterns, and yellow sallies nymphs are working best along banks and structure. Caddis and yellow sallie imitations are working in most waters, but not near as productive as the former patterns in their key water types.
Streamers continue to produce on all reaches when targeting banks and structure, the inside turn on deep riffles and eddy pools, and in confluences. Moderately sized patterns are outperforming larger ones although color does not appear to matter much at the moment. Go with floating lines or sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range and moderate retrieves with hesitations. Pausing before your initial retrieve can get into fish after the first few line strips.
Dry flies – Chubby Chernobyls, Snake River Water Walkers, Circus Peanuts, Parachutes Adams, Parachute Extended Body Drakes, Booty’s Drake Emerger, Stimulators, Lawson’s Hackle Stacker Sallie, Red Butt Sallies, Cole’s Sallie Emerger, Elk Hair Caddis, Goddard Caddis, and Peking Caddis.
Nymphs –Pat’s Rubber Leg, 20-Inchers, Squirmy Wormies, San Juan Worms, Duracells, Hustlers, Chez’s Biot Bug, Egan’s Iron Lotus, Copper Johns in red, copper, or olive, and Lightening Bugs.
Streamers – Booty’s Quad Bunny, Galloup’s Boogieman, Sundell’s Nightfire, Keller’s Nightmare, J.J. Specials, Booty Call Minnows, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Kreelux.
Yellowstone National Park
Lewis Lake – Still decent action on flats and drop-offs, although the later has been performing the best recently. callibaetis are emerging in strong number with the right conditions. Gray drakes are also around in decent number. Surface action is best on flats but is inconsistent much of the time. More consistent action is occurring below the surface with baitfish imitations and Booby patterns fished on hover, intermediate, and sinking lines in the 3ips to 5ips range. Swimming mayfly patterns can produce with the right retrieve. but is still inconsistent compared to the former.
Lewis River/Snake River – Green drakes, yellow sallies, PMDs, and alloperla golden stone continue to pop on the Lewis and Snake. Green drake and golden stone patterns are doing the trick on the upper Lewis below the Falls when there is cloudy and wet conditions. These, as well as PMDs and sallies, are working well on the Snake. Moderately sized streamers are also working well on the Snake throughout most of the day.