Heading Into The Last Month Of 2025

Snake River

Surface on midges has been inconsistent from day to day but is strongest on those days with precipitation and cloud cover for anywhere from two to three hours and almost exclusively in riffles and ledge rock pools.  Nymphs are producing throughout the day with the sweet spot being from around 11:30 am to 4 pm.  Riffles, eddies, confluences with slow to moderate currents, and ledge rock pools are key waters to target. Keep your leader/tippet rather short- three to four feet from trailing fly to suspension device.  If going without a suspension device, keep your nymphs lightly or moderately weighted and achieve as long of a drift as you can.  Whitefish spawning continues to wane, but egg patterns can still get into fish intermittently in riffles, particularly at the heads.

South Fork

Decent surface action is occurring with chironomid imitations in very tight afternoon window between approximately 1:30 am to 4:30 pm and lasting for about an hour on the lower reaches from Byingotn down to Lorenzo.  This is occurring in riffle pools, slow current confluences, and troughs.  Nymphs are being taken with more consistency from around 10 am until 5 pm in the same water as well as in eddies and along seams.  Fish your nymphs as part of a dry-dropper rig or short leader double nymph rig.  Think midge patterns primarily.  CDC soft hackle patterns are a good choice for a lead nymph as part of your rigging.  Egg patterns are still a decent way to go in riffles and troughs that have shallow depths and moderate currents.