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Fly Fishing
in Jackson Hole |
Fly Fishing In Jackson Hole
Overview of Snake River & Tributaries
The above map is intended only as an overview of the Jackson Hole region and lacks the detail required for absolute accuracy. It is properly scaled, but may not be entirely accurate regarding the relationship between rivers and roads, for example.
Introduction
Surprisingly little has been written about
fly fishing in the Jackson Hole region and even less of it is
available on the web. That which has been written tends to be so
broad and/or superficial that it really isn’t of much value. In
our Jackson Hole Regional Overview section we hope to address
these issues so that anglers planning on visiting the area can
have enough in-depth information that they can strike out on their
own. We’ll cover topics like public fishing accesses, boat ramps,
hatches, fly patterns, fishing tips and more.
An important point to keep in mind when fishing in and around Jackson Hole is how much many of our area streams have in common. As is mentioned later in this article, this is cutthroat trout country. To a large extent what works in one area will work in another. Holding lies, fly patterns, techniques and so on will not vary all that much from stream to stream. Where they do, rest assured we will let you know.
The reason for the homogenous nature of Jackson Hole fly fishing is quite simple really. First of all, almost every river or creek we will cover is a freestone stream. Secondly, they are inhabited by Snake River Fine-spotted Cutthroat Trout. Put the same type trout in the same type habitat under similar conditions and you can easily understand the commonality of fly fishing in the area.
Fly Fishing
In Jackson Hole
Just so we are all on the same page, the
early pioneers referred to a valley which is completely encircled
by mountains as a “hole.” Consequently, what we will be covering
in our Jackson Hole Regional Overview is fly fishing in the
Jackson Hole valley proper as well as some areas which are
immediately adjacent. Other areas like Yellowstone, Henry’s Fork
and the Pinedale area are somewhat different and will be covered,
as time permits, separately.
Many fly fisherman regard the Yellowstone area as Mecca for fly fishing and Jackson Hole is an intricate part of that area. What they sometimes don't realize is its uniqueness. It is one of, if not the most viable cutthroat fishery in the world. Public access is unmatched. Over ninety-eight percent of the land in Teton County (Jackson Hole) is public.
The Snake
River & Tributaries
The Snake River, the largest river running
through Jackson Hole, has one of the longest run-offs in North
America. In a normal year, from the third week in April to the
middle of July the Snake River will be the color of chocolate milk
and unfishable. When the river does clear, it is not just a dry
fly fishery, but an attractor dry fly fishery. Typically,
we don't match hatches. We search the water with medium to large
impressionistic fly patterns. A size 8 fly is not big for us.
A lot of fishermen know that the Snake River is the main fishing waterway through our valley. Many are not aware of the other fine opportunities, with little effort, which the "Hole" has to offer. The Snake River has six major tributaries and uncountable tributaries to them. While the Snake has many access points to the river there is very little access along the river. So if you are going to wade-fish, you are going to do a lot of hoofin'. On the other hand the tributaries have unparalleled access. There is some type road, either paved or graveled, that runs for a good portion along side of all of them. And when the roads stop a trail begins. So from your vehicle you have many fishing possibilities and if you are up for a hike they become innumerable. You can pull over and fish just about anywhere.
While it is true that the Snake River tributaries are not “big fish” fisheries (a 16" fish will be big) they are there in numbers. Plus, they are not only wild fish, but also indigenous. They evolved here and are truly native. They are not a man-introduced species. Jackson Hole is one of the few places left in the world where you are fishing for a trout that has “always” been there.
The six major tributaries from south of the valley to north (see map) are: Salt River, Greys River, Hoback River, Gros Ventre River, Buffalo Fork, and Pacific Creek. There are many smaller tributaries, some of which we will cover and some which time and space prevent us from covering. But they are all there waiting for you to discover and explore.
Freestoners
Another great characteristic of the Upper
Snake River system is that all the waterways are similar in that
they are freestone rivers and streams. In other words it is a
run-off system dependent on snowpack. While this makes for a
hasher environment for fish due to fluctuations in flows and water
temperatures, it also makes for a simpler fishery for us anglers
because most waters will fish in similar manner. This means we can
use the same flies, techniques, strategies, and equipment on
almost all of the streams and rivers in the valley.
Due to this commonality, once you get a feel for fishing the area you can move on to new locations and have a pretty good idea about how to fish anywhere. While there are, of course, exceptions, this will be true for most of the tributaries as well as the Snake proper.
What does this mean to the fly fisherman? Basically most freestone systems are attractor fly systems. As alluded to earlier, we don't do a lot of matching the hatch. Most of the streams in our valley are not deep in insect life but very diverse. They have many different types of bugs but not depth in one particular insect. This is what makes the use of attractor patterns so effective. Attractors don't necessarily imitate a specific insect, but have the attributes of several insects. So fly patterns such as Humpies, Wulffs, Trudes, and Adams will work very well. Of the newer patterns, Turck's Tarantula, Chernobyl Ant's, and Stimulators are staples. By virtue of the valley being a late season fishery grasshoppers will also be very important. As you can see, all of the above are dry flies. The Snake River Fine-spotted Cutthroat Trout is a very free rising fish, another charming aspect of fishing in Jackson Hole.
We hope you'll return to the Fly Fishing In Jackson Hole page and follow the links for lots more area specific information. Enjoy and best of luck!
Howard Cole
Guy Turck
