Snake River
Still running at 4,500 cfs from Jackson Lake Dam. This is a great level for the tailwater reach from a fly fishing standpoint and it has just started to come into shape this past week. Good action on double nymph rigs in seams and eddies. Dry fly action is starting to come on strong with the best activity occurring from Cattlemans down to Pacific Creek. Trout are rising primarily to chironomid and callibaetis patterns. Larger attractor patterns can produce, but not enough to stick with it all day.
Streamers have come on strong in the past several days. They are hammering lake trout and cutthroats from just below the dam down to Christian Creek, and are the only thing getting into fish on a consistent basis from Oxbow Bend down to Pacific Creek. Floating, hover, and intermediate lines are the way to go. A variety of retrieves are producing. Go with streamers if you can.
Effective streamers – Clouser Minnows, Kreelux, Strung-Out Leeches, Lite Brite Zonkers, Murphy’s Bling Minnow, Bow River Buggers, and Beldar Buggers.
Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Soft Hackle Princes, Lightening Bugs, Copper Johns in olive or black, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, and Psycho Princes.
Effective dry flies – Sanchez’s Parachute Krystal Midge Emerger, Air-Flo Tricos, Furimsky BDE’s, Parachute Extended Body Cahills, Comparaduns, Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Snake River Water Walker, and Rainey’s Grand Hopper.
South Fork
A great place to be at the moment. Flows are steady at 10,300 cfs from Palisades Reservoir and clarity is more than sufficient. The entire length of the river is fishing well, with the upper reaches from the Dam down to Wolf Eddy producing best. It is still a nymph and streamer game, but we are getting some pretty good action on dry flies in specific water throughout the day.
Nymphs are working best at the extreme head of riffles and seams. Smaller patterns with “moving parts” are producing best. There is also action at the head of eddies, but not to the same degree.
Caddis and PMDs are the primary fare on the water, but it is larger attractor patterns that are producing best when fished along banks, structure throughout the day and in riffles, seams, and troughs in the mid and late day hours. Fishing these patterns as part of a dry-dropper combo for full effect.
Streamer action is good just about everywhere. Floating and intermediate lines, as well as 3ips to 6ips tips will produce. Target banks, structure, and the tail of riffles, seams and eddies.
Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, 20-Inchers, Kaufmann Black Stones, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Biot Bugs, Psycho Mays, Bruised Mays, Bubbleback Pheasant Tails, San Juan Worms, Copper Johns in red, black, or olive, Flashback Princes, and Soft Hackles.
Effective dry flies – J-Slams, Tara-Xs, Wills Winged Chernobyls, Chubby Chernobyls, Circus Peanuts, and Rubber Legged Double Humpies.
Effective streamers – Bendbacks, J.J. Specials, Tequilleys, Kreelux, Cheech’s Leech, Marabou Muddlers, SRA Double Bunnies, Booty’s Quad Bunny Leech, Galloups’ Peanut Envy, and Galloup’s Sex Dungeon.
Green River
A recent surge in runoff took the Green River at Warren Bridge to 2,400cfs, but crested a few days ago and is now receding. Fishing has improved quite a bit and will soon be in prime form. Clarity is at about two and a half feet. Streamers are working best along banks, structure, and seams. Nymphs are producing in riffles and bankside troughs. Dry fly action is intermittent despite a good number of caddis on the water, but brown trout are rising to large (#6 to #10) surface attractors. Fish these with a dropper nymph.
Effective streamers – Silvey Sculpins, Kreelux, J.J. Specials, Beldar Buggers, Booty’s Quad Bunny, and Galloup’s Sex Dungeon.
Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, 20-Inchers, San Juan Worms, Zug Bugs, Lightening Bugs, and Copper Johns in red, black, or olive.
Effective dry flies – Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Circus Peanuts, Rubber Legged Double Humpies, Turck’s Tarantulas, Fat Alberts, and J-Slams.
Yellowstone National Park
Lewis Lake – So very good right now, especially from the dawn until around 2pm. And it still pretty good after that. Flats and drop-offs continue to produce with hover and intermediate lines retrieved with slow to moderate strips. Baitfish imitations are hammering home the numbers, but damsel, gray drake, and callibaetis larva imitations are bringing in noticeably larger patterns. Slow retrieves are required. After 2pm, callibaetis and drakes are making an appearance on the surface, and this is a good time to fish their imitations.
Yellowstone Lake – West Thumb and the west bank running down to Plover Point are alive with cutthroats and lake trout at the moment. Flats are producing, but it is deep troughs and deep-slope drop-offs that are the key types of target water, particularly in the mid-day hours. Intermediate to 4ips sink lines are working best. Go with baitfish, scud, and chironomid larva imitations. And match your retrieve with the movement of the natural.
Crawfish Creek – same as always this time of year – perfect clarity and water temperatures. Lightely weighted nymphs and small dry flies will get you into good numbers of fish.