Spotty Fishing

The fishing on the Snake River this week was very spotty. There was not much consistency on any of the sections that I fished, and many of the other guides I've been speaking to lately have reported the same. I've certainly found some nice fish to eat each day, but not in any great numbers. Chernobyl ants and larger attractors are still producing, however, the larger fish seem to be falling for smaller mayfly patterns. Size 10 and 12 drakes, as well as royal wulfs and parachute adams are working well for me. The past couple of days in the valley have seen some serious smoke from nearby fires. Today was particularly bad on the eyes and lungs. It's made for some great sunsets, though. For the second time this summer, there is some work going on between Moose and Wilson involving backhoes and bulldozers. Just below the Teton Park boundary, on the West side of the river, there is a fairly large project going on along the levee that is putting mud into the river. I called game and fish today in hopes of getting a timeline on this, and to see if this is actually permitted. I've not heard back from them yet. I'd be aware if you are floating this section, or Wilson to South Park next week...you may see the river turn green. I may be headed to the South Fork for some guiding next week, so hopefully I can give a detailed report on fishing there. The river is holding at about 7,000 cfs right now. I spent the day Wednesday with local skiing (and fishing) legend George Putnam, and his dad, Tom. We fish together every year and have a blast. Here is George with the fish of the day, taken on a size 16 mahogany...a 20" cutty with great color. Nice fish George!

Tougher Days

The past couple of days on the Snake have been fairly tough. Monday was cold, with a north wind at our backs all day. The high temperature was 58 degrees, which kept the fishing slow. Although today was warmer, the fishing was still lackluster. Bright conditions and a strong north wind kept any potential hatch at bay. Both days saw a few PMD's in the mid-afternoon, but mostly smaller fish eating them. We are in serious need of a fall weather change; if we get a run of cloudy, wet days, I think we'll see some fantastic mayfly hatches including the drakes. The foliage right now on the river bottom is near its peak; it's beautiful out there. Yellow cottonwoods and aspens are draping the river banks throughout the valley. In the Snake River Canyon, the mountain maple is peaking at its brilliant red color...don't miss it, it won't last long! With fall in the air, I've also been seeing significantly more wildlife lately. A pair of foxes, and three moose between Deadman's and Moose were spotted today by my anglers. Rachael, Charlotte and I walked the Snake for a few hours on Sunday near West Table to check in on a few of my favorite holes. Fishing was good on small flies, as was the "leaf peeping" for mountain maple. More soon!

September At Its Best

The fishing this week on the Snake River was absolutely perfect. Monday and Tuesday started the week with some weather; clouds and a little rain got the drakes pouring off on the river. The dry fly fishing both days was very good. Fish were looking hard for grey and brown drakes in all kinds of water. Two of the biggest fish that made it into my net this week came on a brown drake in very fast seams. The rest of the week through today brought us beautiful skies, calm winds, warm temps, and great fall colors. The bright sun brought out some PMD's, but the fish were still eating the drake patterns. Both the Park sections and the Snake River Canyon fished well. The water level at Moose right now is 1,880 cfs...nearly perfect. The flows this summer have been the most consistent that I can remember. This has really helped the fishing, and should continue to do so into the fall. The South Fork levels are starting to drop; the river has been lowered to 7,130 cfs as of today at Irwin. The next few weeks should see some great fishing over there as well. Look for caddis, mahoganies and hoppers. I fished two days this week with Liz McCabe, a client that I met through Tom Montgomery. Liz is a legend around here; she's as tough as they get. Nothing slows her down...rain, snow, wind or long days on the river. This time of year, Liz fishes a couple of days a week with guides on the Snake. On a typical day with Liz, we meet at her house at about 9:30 for coffee cake, and get a leisurely start towards the river. If we're lucky, we will be on the water by 11:00. We then fish hard until the sun is nearly down. After that, it is time for the "Main Event"...pulling the cork on a bottle of wine to sip for the float out. Liz fishes very hard; most days, it's hard to get her off the river, even at dark. Did I mention that she is 98? (Yep...ninety-eight years old). Her cast, mend and hookset is better than many people I guide that are half her age. Spending the day with Liz helps keep everything in perspective. Here is a shot of me and Liz at the "Main Event" on Wednesday. Great fishing with you Liz!

Ninth Place

This past weekend was the 24Th annual Jackson Hole One Fly, a fundraising event that takes place every year, the weekend after Labor Day. Forty teams of four compete over two days, floating on the Snake River, and the South Fork of the Snake, with the best guides in the region. Each day, the individual angler can use only one fly, and if you lose it, you are done for the day. The event raises over $100,000 each year for stream improvement projects in this area. Everyone wins with the One Fly. Over the past ten years, I have guided for this event for Jack Dennis. This year, I was asked to compete in it on team This Is Fly. I joined John Holland, Jon Wylie and Peter Chung on the water this weekend on our way to a ninth place finish...not too bad for our first year! I fished the Snake on Saturday from West Table to Sheep Gulch with guide Sean Clark, and we had a blast. My small brown chernobyl ant performed well, thanks to Sean's strong rowing skills. Sunday, I was guided by Worldcast Angler guide Kasey Collins; he had me fish his own creation: Kasey's Creature, a large dry fly that I drifted all day over big fish water. I had an even better day on Sunday scoring twice as many points on the Upper South Fork. It was a great weekend...thanks to everyone! The last few days leading up to the event on the Snake were tough. The fishing was getting very spotty, with many fish refusing flies in the bright conditions. Finally, some cloud cover arrived on Sunday. I think that this helped my day on the South Fork. Today was rainy to start, and fairly cloudy all day. The fishing on Moose to Wilson today was much better than it has been. Mahoganies and drakes netted us the nicer fish, while large attractors moved many smaller fish. More rain is forecast tonight and tomorrow, which should help the fishing. Look for fishing conditions to kick into high gear locally as we get nastier weather this month. Don't forget to visit my link list below, and click on The Jackson Hole One Fly and This Is Fly link. Stay tuned!

Perfect Fall Weather

The weather today here around Jackson was a little too perfect. Crystal clear skies, warm temperatures and zero wind. Great for photography, but lousy for fishing. I've had a pretty good run of solid fishing on the Snake this past week, but that came to an end today. I was part of a three boat trip today with six anglers, and we all struggled. The weather the previous few days saw more clouds and wind, which I believe kept the fish looking up. The conditions on the river today felt very "stale". There were not many fish around, and the few smaller fish we saw were very nervous to move on our flies. There was a lot of "window shopping"...fish coming up to look, and going right back down, lockjawed. Hopefully, this will not last long...particularly since the One Fly is fast approaching. Lets hope for some more varied weather soon, and some bugs along with it. Here's a great shot of my daughter Charlotte on the oars with me yesterday on the Snake; also, ex-Jack Dennis employee, and all-around good guy Ryan Griffin, of Charleston, SC, with a nice redfish on the fly. Nice fish Ike!

End Of Summer

It's Labor Day Weekend already, which is hard to believe. This summer has absolutely flown by. Since June was so wet and cool this year, we really only had about two months of real summer. For me, Labor Day marks the beginning of my favorite time of year around here. The next two months can offer up some of the best weather and best fishing that we see all year. The mornings are starting to get much cooler, and the cottonwood leaves are beginning their transition from green to yellow. Everyone is talking about how great our fall fishing will be this year due to the surplus of water we've had, and the late start to fishing. I've been guiding back up in Teton Park the past few days, and the fishing has been more consistent for me than it was in the Snake River Canyon earlier in the week. The past three days have seen action all day on big chernobyl ants, hoppers and a variety of mayfly patterns, including drakes and mahoganies. It's amazing how each day can be so different. I guided Pacific to Deadman's yesterday with some regular clients who can fish very well. We had excellent action on dry flies, but could not find a single fish all day over 15". Other guides I talked to had a similar day on that stretch. Today, I guided a couple I had never fished with before from Deadman's to Moose, and we stumbled across some much nicer fish. Along with skill, fly selection and fishing conditions, I truly believe luck sometimes plays a role. Here is Becky Rauth with a near 20" beauty...taken on a big chernobyl ant in the main river. Here's to a great holiday weekend and the upcoming Jackson Hole One Fly!

Two Different Rivers

Guiding for Jack Dennis allows our guide staff an incredible amount of flexibility on where we can float, due to the number of permits Jack holds in Grand Teton National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Pinedale BLM. Where we decide to go each day is based on many factors. Certainly, the quality of fishing is paramount; if it is not fishing well somewhere, we simply won't go. We also consider the character of water to be guided; fast water may not suit a beginner angler. The Teton Park floats are often considered the most scenic, which many clients value. Lastly, we will not overload all of our boats on one stretch; each morning, the guides meet to figure out who is going where. Most of my guiding in recent weeks has been on the Teton Park sections of the Snake river, above Wilson Bridge. All of the reports I've been getting from other guides on some of the lower stretches have been very good. I guided the last two days from Astoria to West Table, in the Snake River Canyon. Both days were very tough; I felt like I was on a different river compared to the Teton Park water. We fished hard both days, throwing everything we had at them; big dries, small dries, nymphs...you name it. The fish were few and far between. The few fish that were around were very nervous and hesitant to eat our flies. On top of this, we've just had two of the windiest days of the summer, which did not help. When I took out today at West Table, I ran into another guide from a different outfitter who has been fishing down there a lot; he said it's been stellar fishing until yesterday. Oh well...something changed. I'm off to the Park again tomorrow...it will be interesting to see if it has slowed as well. As the summer progresses, the Snake typically goes through phases and each section of river can get a little moody. Tomorrow is a new day! Here is local angler Barb Burris with a nice cutty from a few days ago. Barb is a ski host at the mountain in the winter, and a trout bum in the summer. Nice fish Barb!