August On The Snake

Fly-fishing on the Snake River in August can go either way, depending on the kind of water year we are having. In a "low water" year, where we have had a smaller snowpack and earlier runoff, we actually tend to see higher river flows in August, as a result of Idaho's irrigation demands downstream. I can remember a few years in the recent past where our river has been flowing at over 5,000 cfs at Moose during August. Needless to say, in those years, fishing was very difficult. In a "high water" year, like this one, we had a very healthy snowpack, ample spring rains, and a relatively wet summer; irrigation demands downstream have been taken care of by mother nature, and not the supply of water in Jackson Lake. Even though Jackson Lake is full, and we've had so much more moisture, our river flows have been relatively low. Because of this, fishing this month on the Snake has been the best I can remember in a long time. The fish are feeding on dry flies in all of the places that you would expect them. The Snake is experiencing the natural cycle of water flow that you would expect without a dam: a high runoff, followed by a gradual dropping of water flow. The fishing should only get better and better in the next few weeks. Great news for the Jackson Hole One Fly, which is coming up the weekend after Labor Day. Many of my best clients show up in August to fish, and this year, everyone has been very satisfied with the fishing. Here is Elizabeth Traverso, granddaughter of the Jackson Hole News' own Liz McCabe, with a nice Snake River Cutty from last week. She and her husband Michael visit every August and spend a couple of days on the Snake with me. If you are ever in Santa Rosa, California, don't miss Traverso's Market, the finest Italian market in the West.