Fly fishing on the South of Fork of the Snake this week has been very good. The cloud cover on Tuesday resulted in some very good fishing and it looks like more of that is headed our way tomorrow and Saturday. Water temperatures are staying cool and in the safe fishing zone for trout, just hitting 65 degrees in the afternoon in the canyon section. You can monitor water temperatures on the South Fork and Henry’s Fork by visiting the Henry’s Fork Foundations site here. If you’re fishing the lower river it’s worth keeping an eye on as it’s possible the lower river could hit 70 degrees and above on some hot afternoons.
The flow out of Palisades Dam was dropped from 11,500 cfs to 10,500 cfs this week which kicked off our first “mutant” Golden Stones of the summer. These little guys also known as “short wings” or “midnight stoneflies” are a member of the Classenia genus. It seems they prefer or are forced to emerge when the water drops. They have small stubby wings and use them as “hovercraft” to skitter across the water’s surface. They generally hatch at night so twitching your favorite Chornobyl Ant at first light is the preferred method. Get out there early and have fun! Here’s a great article with more information on these unique stoneflies.
In addition to the mutants about we still have some winged Golden Stones around, our summer PMD’s continue, as do the evening caddis. With cloudy skies in the forecast, I wouldn’t be afraid to throw some streamers. Keep in mind if it gets hot and sunny a double nymph rig might be most effective for the hottest/brightest parts of the day. Euro style jig nymphs, PMD nymphs, and small stonefly nymphs are all on the menu.
Thanks for checking in on this week’s fishing report. If you have questions, stop by our Swan Valley fly shop or give us a call.
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Fly Shop – 208.483.2727
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