Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Report- May 30, 2013- Here We Go!

It is starting to look and feel fishy in Jackson Hole! Well, it always does but as we swing quickly into our summer season the fishing appears to soon follow, in fact it is happening now on several drainages in a fairly big way. The Snake River is obviously still a few weeks away from being worthy of a float but as I crossed it yesterday at Moose I swear it looked like good streamer conditions existed(18" of vis). The flows are dropping but runoff should make a comeback soon and that urge will be stomped out. In the meantime, the Green, Henry's Fork and South Fork are all fishing well and in some cases excellent! If you are looking for the best in dry fly action the HF is hard to beat in early June. Name your hatch and it is probably happening. The crowds are there for a reason- the fish are on the feed.

The South Fork and Green are wet fly enthusiasts havens right now, streamer junkies are sneaking away while conditions are right. We may see another runoff surge but not until the weather heats up and tonight's forecast has snow for the mountains of Western Wyoming, Boo!

Mark Fuller and I got away for a rare day on the water... the best way to catch up with friends, Great day!

Other worthy mentions are the Firehole River and the lakes of the region. The Firehole had its opening last Saturday and our reports from guides were good but still yet to pop with insect life. Again, this is due to cooler weather and should change this coming week. I expect the bug du jour to be caddis and flavs in a week or so.

The lakes are fishing well and are not getting hit due to early season river fishing. Lewis Lake in Yellowstone National Park is iced out and will be visited soon by my boat, that place is awesome! 

June slots are filling up, give me a call to discuss all the goods!

Tight Loops and Wild Trout!

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Report- Lakes are Turning On!

Our runoff started strong on about May 6th and pretty much shut down the Snake River for weeks to come. It was a great spring fishery while it lasted, in fact we squeezed out an extra week or two this year from the historical blow out around April 25. With a strong heat wave last week the snowpack was ripping out of the upper elevations and shrunk to a scary 60% in just 10 days. This scenario bodes well for fishing the Snake earlier in the summer yet can spell tough late summer flows in which the Bureau of Reclamation have already indicated we should expect dam releases near 4000cfs through August. Not great but not as terrible as some previous years. I hope they can back off later in the season if our spring moisture picks up, it is at the moment so fingers are crossed!

Kae Brockermeyer and Bill Imes did some damage on a Western Wyoming lake in early May.

In the meantime we are having some fun on area lakes and reservoirs looking for the BIG grab. All lakes below 8000ft are iced off(Lewis at 7800ft should be early next week) and the fish are warming up to a new season and should be shallow soon. Jenny iced off on Mother's Day so I took the family for a afternoon cruise and only spotted 4-5 lake trout at about 15'. In the coming days those fish will be in 3-5' of water and very receptive to flies.

2013 Carp Classic- Blackfoot Reservoir, Idaho

The 9th Annual Event produced a good turn out considering the heavy shower activity and falling temperatures from our summer like highs last week. This year the proceeds benefited the Warriors and Quiet Waters Fund and all who participated showed their support by braving the elements and pursuing the reservoirs huge Mirror Carp.

Waiting out the heavy rain and looking for jumpers.

With water temps dropping the carp were backing out of the shallow zones where they are more easily approached with fly gear. My teammates, Jeff Currier and Ben Smith arrived on the 15th and found thousands of carp frolicking in back waters. By the morning of the tournament on the 17th the carp were gone and where we did find them they were laid up and not eating as best we could tell. Jeff got a  10lb mirror that morning in the mouth and throughout the rest of the day we snagged 10-20lb sleepers- frustrating as snagged fish could not be counted.

Jeff Currier with the only legal caught carp of day 1.                                   

The breaks in the rain were just a tease as showers intensified on the last day. The fish had left our spot all together and left us scrambling to find fish in the monsoon. We spotted some jumpers near a deep edge and decided to stake it out for the afternoon. Immediately Ben and I do what we do best, snagged a couple 20lb'ers. We only needed 3 fish in the mouth of that caliber and we could take the tournament. Within minutes Jeff finds an eater near 20lbs and is now fired up but the rains picked up and the jumpers stopped. Time ran out for our team, which by the way is called "It Could Be Worse".

What a fun event and for next year the organizers plan to go National and call it, "Burning Carp".

See you there!

A face only a mother or fly fisher could love.

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Report -- April 27, 2013

This is me bundled up hoping for spring to arrive... and it did!

It is funny how things change from season to season in a subtle way but when you look at this change over time it can reveal stark contrasts. I can remember just a few years ago when April fishing was mentioned most people would look at you as if you had completely lost it, they would say why? Isn't it cold? Well, yes it can be damn cold in April, especially here in JH. When you pick up a USA Today paper and look at the color coded weather map, we are the little blue spot in a sea of orange tucked in NW Wyoming. But then there are the days that are pleasant, the wind lays down and a 45 degree afternoon literally feels like 65... and most importantly bugs start moving and trout look up. 

The Skwala Stonefly is a pre-runoff gem that nourishes both angler and trout.

 Nowadays it appears everyone who owns a fly rod is quite anxious to get out and explore the opportunities of the early season. My advise is stay ardent and go when you think it is not quite ready... because it is. 

The fly fishing report for April 27th is go now before it is too late. The Snake River in Jackson Hole is fishing at its best with dark olive or black stonefly imitations about size #12 both dry and wet. Our cuttys are in the head to middle of most runs with nearby deep water, medium speed and large rocks. The water temp really turned around early this week, it went from 40 on Monday to 45 by Thursday and the skwalas popped showing the most numbers I can remember. Reports today of mud showing at Pacific Creek and Spread Creek, it may last 2-3 more days.

The Green is silty from Horse Creek down. The South Fork has bumped up and flows are cold, the action there can be pretty slow for a few weeks. The Henry's Fork is hot with caddis but getting brown below the Falls River.

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Report- April 8, 2013- Snowpack Discussion

This spring is setting up like many do here in Western Wyoming, all over the map. One day it is relatively warm, folks are out fishing and biking and the next can be a vigorous spring snowstorm dumping wet flakes in the valley and a tantalizing fresh bounty of powder in the high country. Good ole Wild Wyoming! The sure way to know spring has arrived is by paying attention to our migratory birds.  Goldfinches and various hawks are on the rise as our snowpack recedes from the valley.   

Redtailed Hawk searches open grass for voles.

As of early April the snowpack for the Tetons is right around 90%, yet one of those vigorous wet systems has moved in and is coating the hills with good moisture. I would expect to see that percentage jump a few ticks in the next week. Overall we are looking fairly well in Western Wyoming and especially in the Snake River drainage. At a minimum we should see an average runoff and timeline. If the current pattern sticks around for, let's say another month, we could be looking at a hefty runoff. If I could make the weather I would rather see some nice summer rains once a week, yet I cannot so we shall all see what happens. 

Munger Mountain from the south end of Rafter J

The fly fishing in the Jackson Hole area is prime as long as we don't see any high temps in the high country. The Snake River has come up a few inches and has a tiny bit of color. If the temps soar it could blow out as the mid-elevation snow is soft and saturated. We are still getting the best results from midges and streamers. I have yet to see any but the skwalla stones are soon to be landing in my boat... love the spring hatches!

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Guide Report- March Madness 2013

March Cutthroats are on the prowl! photo, Max LaPrade

 Whoever coined the saying March Madness got it right! Outside of NCAA basketball the cliche still applies quite regularly this time of year. Here in Jackson Hole the weather can turn on a dime and usher in the spring awakening with remarkable changes in people and local wildlife in just a few days. In the Spring life is anxious to get started, whereas in the fall it is reluctant to lie down.

Lance is out of the backseat and stoked on the Snake River's Spring action. photo, Max LaPrade

The weather trends have many anglers hitting their favorite river with amazing catches up and down the  valley on both sides. Midges and streamers are still the prime fair but the dry fly fishing is top notch mid-day. Our trout are podded up in slower riffles, sometimes quite shallow and out in the open. The osprey are showing up so I expect to see the trout dropping back to deeper lies as the charges from above increase. Flows are low and gorgeous, the mud is still weeks away so get out and enjoy the fruits of Global Warming!

Lastly, with great pride and relief, I can say we finally closed our deal with Jack Dennis Fishing Trips! The legendary outfitter has retired and passed his knowledge, expertise, valued permits and fly fishing excellence down to his senior guides, myself and Mark Fuller. We will have an official launch in the coming days so stay tuned... 

Introducing GRAND TETON FLY FISHING!

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Mid-Winter Guide Report

Flat Creek warms a pair of Buffleheads during a January deep freeze. Valley air temps struggled to get above zero many days.

Here Flat Creek is reduced to a 3' open flow while shelf and anchor ice form from -20 degrees on January 21st.

 The 2012-13 winter has thus far been a bleak snow producer with exception only to the heavy moisture that arrived back in the fall of 2012. In fact, that period in late November through Christmas bumped our snowpack to well over 130% of normal. Now that has been eroded to 94% yet sustained with fairly brisk Wyoming temperatures throughout January and now into early February. The region is in a "No" nino weather pattern, basically we have equal chances for below or above average snow. As with any year the tipping point falls in March. If we have an early spring I would imagine river conditions coming around early in the season. If March is wet and skiers are happy the rivers may see a good sized runoff period lasting into July.

Reports from the rivers are the usual winter fare... midges, whitefish, a few big trout, icy guides and cold feet and hands. I always say the best thing about winter angling is the solitude, or at least it used to be so. I hear the Henry's Fork can see dozens of anglers on a warm weekend day.

This rainbow hen thought she was knocking off the competition. If you fish spawning periods take extra care in your step and with handling the trout.

Our big cutty's in Jackson Hole prowl slow runs as the winter releases its grip in early March, come on out!

Jackson Hole Fly Fishing Report: New Year, New Beginnings!

Welcoming 2013!

Its the time of year I have put fly fishing on a back burner and focus my attention to the wonderful winter season and lifestyle changes that come along with this primal cycle. Being an avid skier and working in the ski industry have an uncanny heart beat with the fly fishing lifestyle, it boils down to preparation and dedication- like living on the greatest surf break in the world, the energy is exactly what keeps you sane, focused and unfortunately sometimes waiting. Each seasonal activity has a real connection to life in the mountains and here in Jackson Hole you can look back across any season and have glimpses of pure magic, this past year was no different. Thank you to everyone for a great 2012!

I welcome all to ponder my rambling thoughts in 2013 but better yet to just enjoy my images and chronicles from the field. 

Please Share the blog and pass along thoughts, all greatly appreciated!

These are some "gripngrin" snap shots from Fall 2012.

Drew Cosby with Lou dog on the brownie point.

Brian Shinall visiting from ATL, laying down some Southern Heat with the HOT streamer hand this trip.

Take out Fish of the Day... keeps every angler stoked for the next outing.

This was first cast and first fish of the next day... still running HOT GA boy!

Owen and Weldon enjoying a stunning fall day on the South Fork.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!