Fly Fishing Report for the Last Week of October
Snake River
Dry fly fishing has been decent and fairly consistent on all reaches. There is even respectable action on larger attractors used as part of a dry dropper rig. BWOs and Mahogany Duns are out, and emergences can be notable on wet and cloudy days. Action on mdiges is decent, too when targeting the right water. Slower currents have been more productive than faster ones. Focus on side channels, eddies, and riffle pools.
Nymphs are working best in the morning and through the afternoon when fished in the same slow water where you fish your driy flies, although moderate currents are also producing. Dry-dropper rigs with two and half to four feet of tippet are working better than double nymph rigs fished deeper. Go shorter with you dropper tippet in slower currents, particularly in the afternoon.
Streamers have been inconsistent in terms of production over the past couple of weeks but when they are on they are really on. Moderately sized baitfish imitations are working best when fished on floating on intermediate sinking lines or sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range, as most of the action has been in the top foot and a half of the water column. Target banks, structure, riffle pools, confluences, side channels, and slow current eddies.
Dry flies – Circus Peanuts, Mary Kays, Micro Peanuts, Parachute Extended Body BWOs and Mahogany Duns, Purple Hazes, Booty’s BWO and Mahogany Emerger, Booty’s DL Cripple, and Film Critics.
Nymphs – Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Panty Droppers, Booty’s Deep Stinking Nymph, Halla Back Girls, Military Mayfly Nymph, Perdigons, and Egan’s Green Dart.
Streamers – SRA Double Bunnies, Booty’s Tri-Bunny, Galloup’s Mini Dungeon, Mojo Minnows, Booty Call Minnows, Beldar Buggers, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Kreelux.
South Fork
Flows from Palisades Reservoir are at 1750cfs. Fishing has been decent on all reaches most days and very good on the upper reaches from the Dam down to Cottonwood when the weather is cloudy and wet. BWOs are the dominant hatch when the weather is right. Mahogany duns are also about. And you will still find a smattering of October caddis. Riffles are fishing best, as are flats and side channels in the afternoon hours.
Nymphing continues to provide the most consistent production throughout the day with either double/triple rigs or dry-dropper rigs, both with tippet lengths in the four to six foot range. Target banks, bankside troughs, and structure in the morning and riffles, seams, and eddies in the afternoon.
Streamers are working best on the lower reaches from Black Canyon down to Lorenzo when fished on floating ot intermediate sinking lines or sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range. Go with moderately sized baitfish imitation primarily fished with slow to moderate retrieves and target banks, structure, and seams.
Dry flies – Micro Peanuts, J-Slams, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, BWOs, and Mahogany Duns, Keller’s Rocky Mountain Mint, Copper Hazes, Comparaduns, Booty’s DL Cripple, and Film Critics.
Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Duracells, Panty Droppers, Flashback Pheasant Tails, Redemption BWOs, Military Mayfly Nymph, Lightening Bugs, Perdigons, Booty’s Day-2 Midge Pupa, Zebra Midges, and Dorsey’s Mercury Midge.
Streamers – Sundell’s Night Fire, Galloup’s Circus Peanut, Goldies, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Booty Call Minnows, and Kreelux.
Yellowstone National Park
Firehole River – Nymphs have been outperforming surface patterns for the most part in most water types, but there are still decent hatches of BWOs and a smattering of caddis a majority of days. Whether using nymphs or dry flies, you should target riffles, seams, deflection currents, and submerged structure. Small baitfish, damsel fly, dragon fly, and caddis pupa imitations are still working when swung and slowly retrieved in deeper pools and alongside undercut banks and riflles/seam current margins.
Lewis Lake – Still decent fishing on flats at the north, northwest, and northest end of the lake as mackinaw continue to swarm spawn. Use hover or intermediate sinking lines go with slow to moderate retrieves and small to moderately sized baitfish and damselfly imitations. Brown trout are firmly on their spawning beds on the Lewis River both upstream and downstream of the lake, so be careful casting these exhausted fish. Think about targeting those that are finished and working their way back to the lake (but be careful with these fish as well.
Snake River – More Jackson Lake brown trout are in the Snake now and have worked their way up past Grove and Polecat Creeks. Expected to find pooling fish just below riffles as they prep for the next stage of their run. Floating, hover, and intermediate sinking lines, as well as sinking tips in the 3ips to 6ips range, are working best. Vary up your retrieves. Moderately sized baitfish imitations are working best. However, there is still impressive action on larger articulated patterns.
