Jackson Hole Fishing Report

Snake River & Tributaries

August 8, 2010

“What’s fishing well?” is a question we hear every day here at the shop.  The current answer to that question is simple: pretty much everything in our valley.  With some rare exceptions, all of the water is clear and warm, providing for excellent fishing on a wide variety of waters.

“What flies are working?” is another one.  The answer to that question is a little more complex.  “It depends” is usually how the answer begins. 

Fishing on the Snake and the larger tributaries?  Approach these waters with the intention of drawing attention to our native fine spot cutthroat trout.  While matching the hatch works well in some places, on the larger water of the Snake present your fly on the surface and seek out areas where you think fish may be holding; pools, at the top and bottom of runs, and seams.  In short look for areas where the speed and depth of the water changes from fast to slow(er).  Don’t be afraid to give that fly some action, especially patterns with rubber legs and definitely when you’re starting to see fish moving around and coming up to eat.

Some patterns that are working well on the Snake, Gros Ventre, and Hoback; Bugmeisters, Purple Haze, Swishers Chernobyl LSS, Power Ants, Turck’s Tarantula, Morrish’s Hoppers, Twisted Baby, Rubber Legged Crystal Stimulators, Fat Albert, and standard dries like Parachute Hare’s Ear and Parachute Adams.  Think big here; sizes will range between 12 and 6.

Fishing on Flat Creek?  Things are very different here.  Slow meandering water, educated fish and very small insects make for challenging and often exciting fishing.  In terms of hatches be on the lookout for small pmds, a smattering of Gray Drakes, small caddis hatches and the occasional yellow sally.  Terrestrials are part of the game now as well.  Yesterday morning I saw small hoppers jumping around in the grass.  Remember to approach the water slowly and carefully-it’s very easy to spook the fish out there.  With that in mind, please give your fellow anglers a wide berth when moving around.  There’s plenty of space to walk far enough away to not disturb the fish that angler is stalking.  Spend some time observing what’s happening with insect hatches as well as fish behavior before you tie on a fly or even think about casting. 

Some ideas for patterns on Flat Creek; Harrop’s Rusty spinners (18-20), Smith’s pmd Emergers(18-20), Two Tone Parachute Ants (16-18), Henry’s Fork Hoppers (14), Dave’s Hi-vis Beetle (16)

As always feel free to give us a call at the shop for up to date information, current conditions, or to book a guided trip. 

Have fun fishing out there!

John Fitzgerald
High Country Flies