Flat Creek is Open!

Snake River

Yellow sallies and PMDs are still prevalent on the lower reaches below the Hoback confluence but waning some upstream. Grasshoppers are starting to pop, especially upstream of Wilson Bridge. Water temps continue to warm, so try and get an early start and finish up by 3PM, especially upstream of South Park Bridge.

Surface patterns and nymphs are producing in the morning and thru early afternoon along banks with moderate currents, ledge rock pools, the head of recirculating eddies, riffles, and the entire length of seams. Faster currents are active later in the day compared to slow/ moderate currents.

Streamers have been hit-or-miss but are producing best on the lower sections from South Park down to Alp

ine. Banks, structure, seams, and confluences are prime targets. Going deeper in the water column with 3ips - 6ips tips or short lengths of T-8 to T-11 are producing throughout the day. Floating lines and INT tips do the trick in the morning but wane by early afternoon. Vary up your retrieves. Moderately sized patterns take the cake over larger variations.

Note – Please remember that water temps are warming on all of our waters. Consider an early start and finish up by 3pm. Maybe 4pm at the latest.

Dry flies – Purple Bruces, Mary Kays, Circus Peanuts, Parachute Hoppers, Grand Hoppers, Dave’s Hoppers, Stimulators,Red Butt Sallies, Hackle Stacker Sallies, Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Mahogany Duns, Parachute Adams, Purple Haze, Comparaduns, Pink Alberts, Booty’s DL Cripple, Quigley Cripples, and Film Critics.

Nymphs – Duracells, Keller’s Peach Fuzz, Brillion’s Lucent Jig, Nymph Formerly Known and Prince, Foxy Sallie Stone, Egan’s Lotus, Psycho Princes, Panty Droppers, Lightening Bugs, and San Juan Worms.

Streamers – Craven’s Swim Coach, Mojo Minnows, Rustics, Goldilocks, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Booty Call Minnows, Sparkle Yummies, Beldar Buggers, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Kreelux.

South Fork

Flows from Palisades stand at just under 10,000cfs. Still a fair amount of suspended vegetation on the lower reaches from Cottonwood down to Menan. Fishing can be good if you are vigilant about checking your riggings after every dozen casts or so. The upper reach remains clean and is fishing solid. Look for PMDs and yellow sallies to emerge after 11am and continue until 4pm or so. There are also still a fair amount of caddis around in the morning and they can continue into the afternoon. Target riffles, seams, side channels, confluences, banks with slow to moderate currents, eddies, and flats (particularly later in the day with the latter three). Tandem rigs with an emerger is the best route to go in riffles, side channels, and flats.

Nymphing has been good throughout each day with larger patterns working everywhere and PMD and yellow sally imitations performing best in riffles, along seams, in eddies, side channels, and confluences. The best action has been in the middle of the water column until around 11am when the upper portion of the water column - particularly in riffles and seams – becomes heavily active.

Streamers are producing on every reach with the lower sections below Byington taking the cake. Early mornings – before 10AM – can be a hot period, as can days with marine layers or cloud cover. Darker patterns are out performing bright counterparts except during mid-day periods when they both work equally well. Go with floating lines or sinking tips in the INT to 3ips range and steady, retrieves with moderate line strips. Target banks, structure, troughs, parallel drop-offs, and the inside turn of tight riffles.

Dry flies – Thing From Uranus, South Fork Secret, Snake River Water Walkers, Chubby Chernobyls, G’s Super Fly, Bean’s Orange Crush, Burky’s Bearback Rider, Frankie’s Feinberg, Barrett’s Ant, Morrish Hoppers, Stimulators, Red Butt Sallies, Goldie Hahn Sallies, Hackle Stacker Sallies, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, and Green Drakes, Booty’s Drake Emerger, Cole’s Split Wing Cripple, Parachute Adams, Comparaduns, Pink Alberts, Burky’s Tailwater Humpy, Sulphur Emergers, Quigley Cripples, and Film Critics.

Nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Leg, Kaufmann’s Black Stone, 20-Inchers, Duracell, Brillion’s Lucent Jig, Foxy Sallie Nymphs, Quill Sallies, Egan’s Iron Lotus, Olive Hares Ear Nymphs, Flashback Pheasant Tails, Psycho Princes, Hickey’s Auto Nymph, Assassins, Lightening Bugs, Rainbow Warriors, Copper Johns in red, Devil Jigs, and Perdigons.

Streamers – Galloup’s Dungeon, Silvey Sculpins, Rustics, Goldilocks, Geisha Girls, Galloup’s Mini Peanut Envy, Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow, Jake’s Double Money, Lynch Mobs, Craven’s Swim Coach, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, and Kreelux.

Salt River

Sediment from recent slides up tributaries has finally subsided and the Salt is now in shape with cool water temps and good visibility. Decent emergences of PMDs, yellow sallies, and tricos appear in the morning before waning (except for sallies, which can continue until after 3pm). Carpenter Ants are also around and their imitations can be productive in the afternoon. Larger attractor patterns continue to work and get into fish just as well as more imitative patterns. Troughs, the head of seams, fast riffles, an eddies are prime targets for tandem surface patterns and dry-dropper rigs. The latter can be fished with two to four feet of dropper tippet.

Dry flies – Mary Kays, Micro Peanuts, Micro Bruces, Sparkle Ants, Galloup’s Ant Acid, Bear’s No Hackle Ant, Hackle Stacker Sallies, Lawson’s Sallie, Stimulators, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Parachute Adams, Booty’s DL Cripple, CDC Trico Emergers, Air-Flo Tricos, Film Critics, and Rusty Spinners.

Nymphs – Duracells, Keller’s Peach Fuzz, Psycho Princes, Copper Johns in red or olive, Lightening Bugs, GT’s CN Super Flash, Perdigons, Zebra Midges, and Ice Cream Cone Midges.

Flat Creek

Flat Creek opened yesterday with the typical crowds and decent fishing. Caddis during the early hours followed by infrequen PMDs is the name of the game this year. Grasshoppers and beetles are also prevalent after 11am. With the heat and high pressure, most of the action has been tight along undercut banks and structure. Deeper pools with recirculating currents are also a good choice. With a little bit of cloud cover, there is a chance of seeing trout feeding along seams and in riffles as well.

Dry flies – Whitlock Hoppers, Parachute Hoppers, Jay Daves Hoppers, Chez’s Mega Beetle, Sloshy Beetles, Elk Hair Caddis, Goddard Caddis, Cole’s U-Con Caddis, Parachute Extended Body PMDs, Parachute Adams, Comparaduns, Booty’s DL Cripple, and Film Critics.

Nymphs – Duracells, Mercer’s Woven Caddis Pupa, Glass Tail Caddis, Soft Hackles, Pyscho Princes, Lightening Bugs, GT’s CN Super Flash, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph, Hickey’s Auto Nymph, Zebra Midges, and Perdigons.