May arrived with some beautiful weather today, and it looks like it will stick around through Sunday afternoon. Temperatures on Saturday are forecast to hit 70°F—that’s going to feel awfully nice.
The warm weather is bringing snowmelt, and we’ve seen an increase in flows out of Palisades Reservoir—from 9,000 cfs last week to 11,000 cfs today. With more water and still very cold temperatures, the focus remains on nymphs and streamers in deep, slow-moving water.
When conditions are like this, I often fish only a small percentage of the river, choosing to skip fast-moving banks and channels in favor of slow tailouts, eddies, and even deep “frog water”—spots where the water is barely moving or not moving at all.
It’s always worth probing a riffle with a rubberlegs, worms, egg patterns, BWO, and midge patterns, but you may not hook up with a fish right at the drop-off where they’d be mid-summer during a PMD hatch. Instead, as you float (or wade) further down away from the riffle, you might find fish holding in the deep, slow pool a hundred yards or more below the riffle’s drop-off. If you do find fish in a pool, there are likely more—so it might be worth rowing (or walking) back up and taking another slow pass through the run.
Our fly shop in Swan Valley is open from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Thursday – Sunday. We’ve got everything you need for a great day on the river both in store and online. Stop by or give us a call 208.483.2727 if you have any questions. We’re welcoming our first guests at the lodge today and have both rooms and guides available. Our lodging rates are excellent in May and it’s a great time to be on the river before the crowds arrive. You can book a day trip or join us at the lodge by calling 208.483.2222
Have a great time on the water!
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