Henry's Fork Salmonflies!!!!

Henry's Fork Salmonfly

Fishing Report:

The Henry's Fork proves to shine in it's traditional spring fashion.  Caddis and Baetis hatches are diminishing as well as the March Browns; however, Salmonflies are all over the Warm River to Ashton stretch as well as Vernon to Chester.  Golden stones will soon follow.  The Fall River is off color and causing muddy flows below the Chester backwater.  Salmonflies should continue to creep up the river towards Lower Mesa and the Box as warmer weather progresses this week.   The Teton, Snake, Green and Salt are all high and muddy.  The South Fork flow are being dropped as we speak and should be around 13,000 cfs by this weekend.  Nymphing by the dam proves to be productive; however, expect some crowds.  Mud flow from Palisades Creek, Rainey Creek, Fall Creek and Pine Creek make fishing below Spring Creek bridge not the best option.

A Big Brown below Ora Bridge in 2012

Ora Bridge opens this coming weekend and you can bet we are excited as everyone to get up on this piece of water.  Technical nymphing will prevail as the preferred method; however, there is something about his section that everyone really enjoys.  Maybe it is just that we can't fish it all the time!  Days are getting longer and the fishing on the Henry's Fork just keeps getting better.  The Yellowstone National Park Fishing Season opens this Saturday and it looks like the Firehole will be in prime shape.  Look for Caddis, Baetis and Midges if the cooler weather persists.  If the sun pops out, there should be some PMDs to be had.  Also, Salmonflies love the Firehole Canyon, just saying!

Now to gaze into the crystal ball of the summer flows:

The Bureau of Land Reclamation managers have decided to implement the following flow schedule for our local rivers this summer:

-South Fork was raised to 18,000 cfs last week and will be dropping in flow this week to a projected 13,000 cfs by Memorial Day weekend.  While large natural spikes in the hydro-graph are needed and wanted, this is a good compromise and will allow us to get on the South Fork soon than later.  Also, this is prime conditions for the Salmonflies this summer.  Consistent flows from Palisades provide the best opportunities for consistent dry fly fishing opportunities.

-The Snake rivers flows will stay at 4,000 cfs discharge from Jackson Lake Dam all summer.  Cutthroats like water and need plenty of it and they will enjoy the larger than average flows coming out of Jackson Lake Dam all summer.

The Bad News:

"The agency projects to draw down Jackson Lake reservoir to about 18 percent of capacity. At best, the bureau will fill Palisades Reservoir to about 50 percent of capacity before draining it nearly dry to meet irrigation needs in Idaho." - Full Story Here


We have all seen what happens to flows coming out of Palisades Reservoir when it is drained into the single digits capacity level.  Mud and silt are pulled off the lake and river bottom and clarity diminishes.

Teton Dam Update - May 14th - Be There!!!

Nothing to say here!  Be there May 14th and learn about how the State of Idaho wants to build new dams in our area!  Help the Teton River by spreading the word!

Skwalas and Caddis-Spring Fishing is Awesome!

In our last blog post, we celebrated the Jackson Hole/Teton Valley snow pack conditions.  Well, little has changed.  We received some warmer weather over the past weekend where we lost around 5% of our snow pack.  Don't despair as we received plenty of the new white cold snow last night.  Reports of six new inches in the town of Jackson and 1 to 2 feet above 9,000 feet are documented.  This leaves our snow pack around the 97% mark for the Snake River Basin and the 93% for the Henry's Fork/Teton Basin.  Not bad.  

Skwala consuming Snake River Cutty

After things warm back up from the recent winter storm that pushed through the area, fishing should hit it's pre runoff peak again.  The Snake River has been fishing in its true spring form fashion.  Cutthroats, hungry from a long winter, are looking to eat.  Skwala stoneflies, Caddis and Baetis have been getting those fish to look up and eat dries, including smaller foam patterns!  Get some before it blows out!

The Box Canyon

The Henry's Fork is also gaining the attention of many local anglers.  Spring is an excellent time to head to the Henry's Fork, many locals argue it is the best time.  Mother's Day Caddis have been buzzing around the Warm River to Ashton are as well as Baetis and March Browns.  A couple caddis have been spotted in the Box Canyon so it looks like those bugs are on the move upstream.  Good fishing is to be had throughout the entire Henry's Fork river system.  Down low, up high, in the middle, it's all good!

Henry's Fork Mother's Day Caddis have arrived!

We've Got Water - Yes We Do!!!

While the winter of 2012/2013 officially ended on March 20th, spring in Teton Valley and Jackson Hole can be mean and cruel but it also can be nice and pleasant.  During the month of January 2013, we experienced a drought weather cycle that brought only an estimated 45 inches of precipitation to our area.  This came as a worry as we desperately needed a strong winter snowpack after last summer season's abnormally hot and dry conditions to recharge our river systems and reservoirs.

At the current moment, the Snake River Basin is sitting at 77% of capacity.  This is a good thing!  Jackson Lake is 76% of capacity, Palisades is 48% of capacity and American Falls 97% of capacity.  The Henry's Fork drainage is look good as well; however, the shallow nature of these reservoirs and lakes allow them to fill easily.

While flows where very low on the South Fork during the winter months, it looks like the Buero of Land Reclamation was able to save and store some water for the summer.  Flows have been increased on the South Fork of the Snake the past couple of weeks to around 3,800 cfs, which is not unusual.  The 67 year average of flows shows median discharges around 5,000 to 6,000 cfs during this time of year

And some more good news!  Like it or not, the nasty winter weather we have been receiving the past couple of weeks has really helped us out.  Our snow pack this year, which normally decreases as in the spring of 2012, as been increasing and the cool and cloudy weather has been helping us sustain our snow pack during the days where we haven't been receiving any moisture of precipitation.  Currently the Snake River Drainage is at 103% of average and the Henry's Fork/Teton Drainage is at 100% of average.  The Bridger-Teton National Forrest Avalanche Center told the Jackson Hole News and Guide, that “Up in the mountains, it’s the deepest depths we’ve had all winter.”  More good news.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that we continue to receive some moisture and precipitation through the rest of the spring months.  This spring precipitation can make our summer much more enjoyable since it will help sustain our water supply that fill our lakes, rivers and streams with the water and in essence make our aquatic bug life, trout and anglers happy!

Skwala's Spotted on the Snake River!!!

The first major large insect hatch of the season has commenced and sightings of the infamous Skwala stonefly have been reported on the Snake River in the Jackson area.  Bring on the dry fly fishing!

While the Teton Valley and Jackson Hole areas do not receive a significant and widespread hatch of these bugs like the Yakima and Bitteroot rivers; their are enough of them to create some great dry fly fishing opportunities with big bugs.  Basically, who doesn't like fishing foam bugs in the spring after a long winter of snow, wind and dreary days?

Tips for Skwala patterns!  Leave your fly on the water.  This is not the Salmonfly Hatch!  Water temps are still on the cooler side, so sometimes it takes fish a little longer to find the fly and raise up through the water column to eat it.  As we say, cast to your likely fish holding spot, mend, mend, mend and let that fly hunt!

Introduce Fly Fishing to your family!!!!

We are lucky to live in such a great area to introduce families to fly fishing.  Check out some of these tips!

Fly Fishing is becoming more and more of a family adventure.  Oftentimes, families wonder if the river is safe for children. We explain that the most rivers are very user-friendly and many children have a great time, but we also try to be honest and try to accommodate our guests as best we can by using these guidelines.

1. Safety first: Keep an eye on children at all times, and don’t take unnecessary risks. A fish is not worth risking a precious life.


2. Set realistic expectations: Fly fishing is difficult for anyone, let alone children. We have found that kids under 9 can have great experiences, but they have a short attention span. So we try and focus the experience, instead of trying to catch large numbers of fish. 


3. Explore the river: Rivers are full of cool little critters and rocks that are treasures in the minds of children 


4. Stay positive: It is easy to get frustrated with a bad cast or a missed hook set. If you are going to introduce a child to fly fishing early, make it a positive experience. 


5. Keep it Simple!

We all have great memories of someone who introduced us to fly fishing. Hopefully we can do the same for someone else.

Ryan Newman, author of these tips, is a guide for Rocky Mountain Outfitters in Heber City, Utah. 

The full article can be found on the Orvis Fly Fishing Blog.

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Film Tour!!!

Join WorldCast Anglers, Orvis Jackson Hole, the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and Jackson Hole and Teton Valley Trout Unlimited at the Fly Fishing Film Tour on March 14th at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.  Tickets are $10 before the event and $15 the day of the event.  Tickets are available at WorldCast Anglers, Orvis Jackson Hole and the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts.  Tickets are also available online at the Center for the Arts.  Doors open at 6 pm and the film tour show starts at 7pm.  Beer and Wine will be served as well as fly fishing raffle prizes.  All proceeds will be given to Jackson Hole and Teton Valley Trout Unlimited!  We'll see you there!