Another Great Week

This past week on the Snake river was fantastic. I saw some of the best fishing of the year so far on our river. Much larger fish were showing up in main river riffles and just about every other spot that they should be holding in. Small parachute attractors in the mornings and large ants in the afternoons have been moving nice fish. Area tributaries are also on fire, with lower river levels concentrating more fish. I have not heard yet what the Bureau of Reclamation's schedule will be on lowering the flows out of Jackson Lake Dam. With fishing so good right now, I can't wait to see what it will fish like with flows lowered in half. Liz McCabe and I popped into a sidechannel on Monday and had the chance to get very close to this Bald Eagle...a great sight! Back at it again tomorrow...heading over to Dubois to guide a trip on the Wind River. The hopper fishing over there is still holding on. I'll hopefully have a good report on the next post. If you have not been fishing much this season, now is the time to get out there and experience catching a native Snake River Cutty like this one.

The Fall Hatch

With the flip of a switch this week, we've gone from Summer to early Fall around here. Temperatures have cooled and the foliage is really taking off in Teton Park. Cottonwoods, Aspens and river bottom Willows are all starting to turn gold. The thick clouds and rain that we saw on Friday brought the first decent Fall hatch on the Snake; Mahoganies and Drakes began pouring off in the afternoon, and there were eager Cutthroat up all over the place taking advantage. My clients decided to stick it out and brave the weather, and it really paid off. If you are out there in these conditions in the next few weeks, just make sure to park on a riffle and look for these Mayflies. The Snake is still running a steady 4,330 cfs at Moose, which is still significantly higher than normal for this time of year. Whenever the powers-that-be decide to lower our river below Jackson Lake Dam, I think we are going to see some ridiculous fishing. I would imagine that we will still see these flows for at least two more weeks. As soon as I hear something, I will let you know. I had a great day on the river from Moose to Wilson on Wednesday with Jackson Hole legend Liz McCabe. This was the first day this season that I had Liz in my boat, and she did great. She fished a Parachute Hare's Ear for almost eight hours, and kicked butt! Not bad for someone who turned 100 years old last February. Nice fish Liz! Fishing with someone that has as much zeal for life and fly fishing as Liz does is just incredible.

7th Place

The 26th annual Jackson Hole One Fly took place this past weekend, and I was fortunate to be able to participate in it as an angler on the Summit Capital team. I joined Peter Chung, John Holland and Jon Wylie in this charity event supporting local stream improvement projects and conservation. We had a great weekend and placed 7th overall, out of 40 teams. I fished one day on the Snake from West Table to Sheep Gulch (the whitewater section), and fished a streamer. It's a fast, fun section to fish, especially with a wet fly. I rarely get to fish this section, since I row a low-profile skiff...a high-sided dory or raft is needed to safely float this piece of water. I was able to bring 200 points to the table. My day on the South Fork Canyon was the real highlight. On the oars was veteran South Fork Outfitters guide Sue Talbot; she helped me to a 518 point day! A large, brown Chernobyl Ant did just the trick. The fishing was good, I had the right fly, and most importantly, a great guide. Thanks again Sue!! Although Westbank Anglers guide John "Kiwi" Gendall won the overall top guide award for the weekend, Jack Dennis guide and friend Ed Dutilly guided the best score on Sunday on the Snake. He crushed it from Moose to Wilson, guiding his anglers to numerous fish between 18" and 21". Nice work Ed!! Not much else to report. I was back at it on the Snake today, and fishing was good. Despite the angling pressure this weekend, there were still plenty of fish around ready to eat. Today's photos: Angler Ted Thranhardt with a beautiful 20" Brown Trout that fell for a large dry fly. (Any guesses where we were fishing??). Gearing up at the South Fork lodge during the One Fly; Sue Talbot keeping us right where we needed to be. More soon...

One Fly Week

We are now one week away from the 2011 Jackson Hole One Fly. Forty teams of four will compete on the Snake and South Fork Rivers with their "One Fly" against Cutthroat, Rainbow and Brown Trout. Starting over 25 years ago with just a couple of teams, it has grown into the major fundraising event in this region to help support fisheries projects and protect wild trout. (Check out their mission statement below) I've guided in ten of these events over the years and have had the chance to fish in it once. I am lucky enough again this year to be able to put down the oars and grab the rod with my buddies Peter Chung, John Holland and Jon Wylie in the hopes of improving our 9th place finish from two years ago. Wish us luck!

Although still running high, the Snake continues to fish well. Fish are eating a variety of attractors in sidechannels and in the main river. We have also just had our first few mornings of very cold temperatures. Fall is in the air, and I've even found a few fish looking for some of our local fall Mayfly patterns. Although I've seen none hatch yet, Drakes and Hecubas are already raising a few nice fish...they are on the hunt for them. Make sure to get out of the boat and check the soft water.
The South Fork finally has some fish looking up in riffles and on the banks. Try PMD adults and emergers, as well as Mahoganies. Good luck to all of the guides and anglers this weekend in the One Fly! Still not sure what fly I'll be fishing...I'll let you know. Here's a shot of the first 20" Cutthroat that I have seen on the Snake this summer, landed by angler Dan Beistel. This beauty fell for a large Chernobyl Ant in a main river riffle. Nice fish Dan! Also, a cow and calf Moose crossing the river just below Moose, Wyoming.