Snake River
Water temps are beginning to creep into voluntary “hoot owl” mode, so an early start is imperative. Fishing has waned a little since the solid four week period from June 16th to July 11th. Still, success can be had with precision, focused fishing. Caddis are prevalent in the morning until around 11am. PMDs and yellow sallies dominate the rest of the day. The canyon reaches from South Park down to Sheep Gulch are outperforming the rest of the river with everything, but especially dry flies and nymphs. Target ledge rock pools, banks (but especially three to six feet off), seams and eddies).
Streamer production has picked up in tempo with larger fish now being far more common, particularly on the lower Forest section and on the upper reaches in Grand Teton National Park. At the same time, don’t expect off-the-charts action, just more consistency than we have seen over the past several weeks. Moderately sized patterns are outperforming larger counterparts. Fish your streamers on floating lines or 7ft. sinking tips in the INT to 6ips and target banks, structure, troughs, seams, and riffle current margins. Focus on slow to moderate retrieves.
Dry flies – Mary Kays, Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Chubby Chernobyls, Purple Bruces, Stimulators, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Parachute Adams, Booty’s DL Cripples, and Film Critics.
Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Duracells, Rabid Squirrels, Copper Johns in red and olive, CN Super Flash, Panty Droppers, Lightening Bugs, and Perdigons.
Streamers – Rustics, Goldilocks, Mojo Minnows, Booty Call Minnows, Sparkle Yummies, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Kreelux,
South Fork
Salmon flies are in the Swan Valley reach, drakes and PMDs are dominant in the Canyon, and yellow sallies are making an intermittent appearance on all reaches. Surface action has been best from the Dam down to Byington with large bugs working best along banks, structure, eddies, and drop offs running parallel to currents. Mayfly and sallie imitations are producing best in riffles, seams, side channels, and along banks with slow to moderate currents. Nymphs will work in the same waters. but keep them at moderate depth unless using stonefly or CDC soft hackle patterns.
Streamers are working on all reaches but are not necessarily hammering it home. At the very least, they are bringing in solid sizes. Target banks, structure, troughs, drop-offs running parallel to main currents, seams, and eddy current margins. Go with moderately sized patterns primarily and retrieve slowly, going up in tempo if action isn’t there. Floating lines and sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range producing well, but sinking tips in the 6ips to 8 ips range can working even better when the retrieve producing best is identified.
Note – A decent amount of submerged vegetation is prevalent on the upper reaches from the Dam down to Heise Bridge. Keep an eye on your riggings after several casts and remove what you may have incidentally hooked. Its at least a month early for this to be happening. But it is happening.
Dry flies – Thing From Uranus, South Fork Secret, Snake River Water Walkers, Chubby Chernobyls, G’s Super Fly, Bean’s Orange Crush, Frankie’s Feinberg, Barrett’s Ant, Stimulators, Red Butt Sallies, Hackle Stacker Sallies, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, and Green Drakes, Booty’s Drake Emerger, Cole’s Split Wing Cripple, Parachute Adams, Comparaduns, Pink Alberts, Sulphur Emergers, Quigley Cripples, and Film Critics.
Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Kaufmann’s Black Stone, 20-Inchers, Duracell, Brillion’s Lucent Jig, Foxy Sallie Nymphs, Quill Sallies, Egan’s Iron Lotus, Olive Hares Ear Nymphs, Flashback Pheasant Tails, Psycho Princes, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Copper Johns in red, and Perdigons.
Streamers – Galloup’s Dungeon, Silvey Sculpins, Rustics, Goldilocks, Geisha Girls, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Jake’s Double Money, Craven’s Swim Coach, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Kreelux.
Green River
Like just about everywhere, water temps on the Green are on the rise. The fishing action is matching the daily fluctuations, with early morning (7am or earlier) hours until 11am being the most active part of the day. Action slows noticeably from 11am to 2pm, after which fishing becomes quite challenging. Most have been ending their day around 3pm. Tanden dry and dry-dropper rigs have been working equally well when targeting banks, submerged structure, seams, and eddies.
Streamers are producing until around noon, at which time action slows quite a bit. If fishing streamers in the afternoon hours, larger patterns are working best. Target banks, structure, confluences, and seams. Floating lines and sink tips in the INT to 3ips range with slow to moderate retrieves is the best way to go.
Dry flies – Circus Peanuts, Mary Kays, Chubby Chernobyls, G’s Super Fly, Turck’s Tarantula, Stimulator X, Parachute Hoppers, Dave’s Hopper, Parachute Adams, Quad Wing Drakes, Foam Beetles, and Sparkle Ants.
Nymphs – San Juan Worms, Duracells, Keller’s Peach Fuzz, Copper Johns in red, olive, or copper, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, Hickey’s Auto Nymph, Lightening Bugs, and Psycho Princes.
Streamers – Galloup’s Boogieman, Strolis’ Headbanger Sculpin, Sundell’s Night Fire and Moss Fire, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Beldar Buggers, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Booty Call Minnows, and Marabou Muddlers.