This week’s fishing report is coming a few days earlier than normal as I’m headed into Yellowstone for a few days of fishing. Flows on the South Fork were dropped this morning from 13,200 to 12,600 cfs, maybe in response to the cooler weather we’ve had. We will probably see some minor adjustments to the flows continue this week. The Salmon Fly hatch is working its way upriver with Salmon Flies found from the Dam all the way to Conant, as well as a very significant Golden Stone hatch on the entire river right now. Fishing has been excellent all week, and the cloudy day yesterday with some afternoon showers was pretty magical.
The fishing can be a bit frustrating right now, with so much food available to the fish, plus a lot of angling pressure. We’ve found the fish to be quite picky about when, where, and what they decide to eat. I watched dozens of adult Salmon Flies float unmolested down the river on several banks. I even saw fish refuse naturals. Whether these fish were just full or had been “pounded down” by all the anglers, your guess is as good as mine. The good news is that with a little more searching around, you will find fish willing to eat a Salmon Fly, Golden Stone, PMD, Sally, Caddis, etc. Think about what water other anglers are missing. Is there a log you can fish behind but might have to pull over and walk? A side channel that you can’t quite get a boat down but is worth walking over to? Riffle fishing in the afternoons has been particularly good. If you stay out late when most anglers are off the water, there will be a considerable uptick in the number of fish willing to smash that big dry fly.
The bulk of the Salmon Fly hatch will wrap up this week with some stragglers still hatching from the Dam to maybe Irwin. The rest of the bugs—Golden Stones, Caddis, PMDs—will be around for weeks to come. As the fish get more picky, make sure you have full lifecycle patterns for the Caddis and PMDs. Even in the same riffle, you’ll find fish keying in on nymphs, emergers, cripples, and adults.
Don’t forget to swing by our fly shop, and Brody can show you his favorite “riffle candy.”
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