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!