A Very Solid Spring Season Continues

Snake River

Skwalas are out along with Capnias and midges. BWOs can be out on days with cloud cover and precipitation. Slow water targets – side channels, seam tails, eddies, banks, and bankside troughs – are the place to be in the morning hours with whatever you are fishing with. By 1pm, however, everything lights up, including banks with moderate speed, riffle heads, and the full length of seams. It’s a good time to be fishing the Snake with tandem dries, dry-droppers, or streamers.

Streamers are producing throughout the day more than any other pattern choice by far. There is a ton of back and forth, with darker patterns producing best some days and lighter imitations producing the next. The one constant is that the most productive streamers have been moderately sized and fished on floating lines or INT sinking tips. Go with slow to moderate retrieves and target slow water pieces in the morning and EVERYTHING in the afternoon.

Tandem dries – mainly moderately sized foam attractors with midge adults or midge adults with midge emergers – are working best in riffles, seams, side channels, and bankside troughs. Really focus on the head of riffles from 1pm until 5pm.

Keep in mind that increased releases from Jackson Lake Dam will add some volume and decrease visibility from time-to-time. This can slow production. Continue to fish slower water targets when available. By afternoon, however, you should see increased hatch activity and surface feeding. Just fish hard. Good things can happen.

Dry flies – Circus Peanuts, Will’s Winged Chernobyl, Purple Bruces, Mary Kays, Furimsky BDEs, Parachute Midges, and CDC Midge Emergers.

Nymphs – Flashback Rubber Legged Hares Ear Nymphs, Nymph Formerly Know as Prince, Duracells, KK’s Matte Deamon, Lightening Bugs, Copper John’s in red, green, or black, Zebra Midges, Rojo Midges, and Perdigons.

Streamers – Galloup’s Bottom’s Up, Silvey Sculpins, Galloup’s Mini Dungeon, SRA Bunnies, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Mojo Minnows, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Kreelux, and Gold on White Woolley Buggers.

South Fork

Good stuff on the South Fork, especially on the lower reaches from Wolf Eddy down to Menan. Midges are the primary surface forage with fish in mainly in slow current side channels and in seam tails and eddies (especially those at the tail of seams). BWOs are appearing in noticeable numbers on cooler, wetter days. This is occurring from around 12:30pm until 4pm. It’s not off the charts but definitely worth focusing on during that time period.

Fishing nymphs mean you will have to weed your way through a good number of whitefish (but who cares. The rod is bending!). However, good size and decent numbers are coming in on moderately sized stonefly imitations and soft hackle attractors. Midge larva/pupa imitations are working in riffles and seams during the afternoon hours from around 11am until 3pm.

Streamers are really the way to go, especially on the lower reaches. The upper reach from the Dam down to Conanat can be slow in the morning before turning on in the afternoon. Color doesn’t matter much, but lighter colors – white, gray, and tan – are producing more than darker colors below Twin Bridges while black and purple are producing better further upstream. Slow water targets key. Focus on side channels and eddies. Go with floating lines or INT tips. Slow retrieves, swings, and “swimming” your streamer produces best.

Dry flies – Parachute Adams, Booty’s BWO Emerger, Booty’s DL BWO Cripple, Film Critics, Parachute Midges, and CDC Midge Emergers.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Duracells, Brush Hogs, Flashback Hare’s Ear Nymphs, Bubbleback Pheasant Tails, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, GT’s Super Flash, Egan’s Blue Dart, and Perdigons.

Streamers – Coffey’s Articulated Sparkle Minnow, McKnight’s Home Invader, Goldielocks,

Craven’s Swim Coach, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Booty’s Touch O’ Gray, and Kreelux.

Henry’s Fork

Caddis are starting to pop on the Henry’s Fork are, other then midges, their imitations are a solid way to go, although we are starting to get consistent action on larger stonefly nymphs. Just about every piece of holding water is producing. In order of activity, target seams, eddies, riffles, banks, and structure. The best surface action is occurring from around 11am until dusk, with the sweet spot happening from 12:30pm to 4:30pm. Prior to 11am, nymph rigs are working solid. Tandem dry-dropper rigs are working best with three feet of tippet from trailing fly to surface pattern. Larger stonefly nymphs are producing when fished five to six feet from trailer to line/suspension device.

Streamers are producing best when fished along banks, structures, troughs, and riffle pools. Go with moderately sized baitfish imitations on floating lines of sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range. Slow to moderate retrieves are the best way to go.

Dry flies – Micro Peanuts, Micro Winged Chernobyls, Elk Hair Caddis, Tilt-Wing Caddis, Speed Stimulators, Stimulators, Peking Caddis, Parachute Adams, Parachute Midges, and CDC Wing Midge Emergers.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, 20-Inchers, Mercer’s Woven Caddis Pupa, Mopsicles, Chamois Caddis, LOF Pheasant Tails, Lightening Bugs, Military Mayflies, Copper Johns in red, black, or olive, Prince Nymphs, and Flaskback Pheasant Tails.

Streamers – Silvey Sculpins, Galloup’s Boogeyman, McCune’s Sculpin, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Booty’s Tri-Bunny, Marabou Muddlers, Tiger Sculpins, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Craft Fur Clousers, and Flesh Fries.