On my way to work this morning, the new snow on Jefferson Peak tells me that fall is here. Temps have come down, and we have seen some great hail/rain storms. I will be honest with all of you: the fishing has been very tough this season regarding spotting rising fish and casting dry flies to them. On Thursday, I had a walk-wade trip. We started on the lower river at Ora Bridge, and fish were rising but were in the 6” to 8” size range. I am always grateful to see fish this size as it bodes well for the future, but we were looking for something substantially larger. We covered a few miles of river and did not find a single fish over 12 inches feeding on the surface. We spotted bigger fish in the water, but they were not rising despite a great blue-wing olive hatch. We spent the second half of the day on the river between Ashton and St Anthony. No big fish were up. We had lunch, came up the hill, and spent the afternoon looking for rising fish between Osborne Bridge and Last Chance. Again, blue-wing olives were thick. I spotted so many rising fish, but all those risers were small. I spooked a handful of big fish off the banks, but only one was rising. This has been the summer theme—some days, there are good hatches with very few fish rising, and other days, there are no bugs or rising fish. I don’t have a good explanation.
The Henrys Fork has been tough this season, but there are bright spots. The guys fishing hoppers down the banks on the ranch are doing just fine. The river below Ashton is also fishing well if you’re a streamer junkie. I have also found some good fish rising here and there but nothing consistent. It’s day-to-day, but I believe it’s shaping up to be a great fall. This is just my gut feeling and being the glass-half-full guy I am.
There are other options close by. The Drakes are going on the Teton, and the dry fly fishing is outstanding! The South Fork of the Snake is day-to-day, but flows should decrease, and the blue wing hatches can be amazing. I would also keep an eye on Yellowstone Park. The Fire Hole and the Madison will start fishing as we get later into the month and will fish great until the park closes for the season. There are plenty of options for some great fishing this fall.
Ranch- Look for blue wings and mahoganies. The tricos are still around but will fade with the cooler temps. Hoppers and ants are a good thing to have in your fly box this time of the year. Keep your fingers crossed for a good fall season on the ranch.
Warm River to Ashton- This section of the river always fishes well. A hopper-dropper combo will keep your rod bent. Plan on sorting through some smaller trout and whities, but always remember there are some great fish in this section. M’s hopper in tan with a black or olive zebra midge will keep you busy.
Ashton to Saint Anthony- The Brown Trout will start to spawn soon. Let them be. I have talked about this many times, so I don’t need to go into the details of beating up on spawners. As things cool, look for blue wings in good numbers and hopefully some good rising fish. Streamers are a great fall option; don’t forget to bring your hopper-dropper combo.
Yellowstone Park – If not already, the big fish should be coming out of Hebgen soon. If you have not been a part of the conga line on the Madison this time of the year you better get over there and see what it’s all about. Whatever you do, don’t stop in the middle of the run and fish it! Fear not, though. There is plenty of water to fish that will not have a bunch of people giving you the business.
All in all, plenty of good fishing can be had, and I am a glass-half-full guy. We will have some great fishing on the Henrys Fork this fall.
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