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As of April 1, trout season is officially under way on the Snake River in
Jackson Hole, and what a great start it was. Yesterday was one of the best
opening days in recent memory.
With Jackson Lake Dam releases holding at a steady 380-400 cfs all winter
our native cutthroat trout have had an adequate water supply to help them
survive the winter, and it showed in the condition and size of the fish caught.
Many healthy 14"-19" trout were taken, mostly on streamers. The
snowpack has crept up to 58% of normal (up from 55% in our last report) with a
forecast of precipitation for the next three days. It still looks like we're in
for an early fishing season but recent weather and near term forecasts indicate
the possibility of a change in weather patterns bringing increased moisture to
the area. Our dry winter may yet turn into a wet spring. As always, stay tuned.
The southern Yellowstone snowpack has bumped up 5%, to 57% of normal, from
our last report.
As alluded to above, there is still a
distinct possibility that we will once again be fishing the Snake River in
June. And if yesterdays fishing is any indication, the early season will once
again be top-notch.
Regarding the actual fishing, streamers were the way to go, which is not
unusual for this time of year. While many colors worked to a certain extent,
darker colors such as black or olive were clearly more productive. Patterns to
try include, but are not limited to Oil Cans (a dumbell eyed flash-a-bugger),
Woolly Buggers, Gartside Soft Hackle Streamers, and, as always, JJ Specials.
Weighting of the streamer is important. Trout holding in 3' of water are
more willing to move upwards to the fly and therefore less weight is required.
Deeper fish however, tended to not want to move upwards in the water
column and required more weight to get the streamer in the fishes face to
entice a take.
Dry fly action to size 16 Black Midges was good, but somewhat spotty.
Hatches were limited to microhabitats and did not occur river wide.
Nonetheless, where rising trout were seen, dry fly action was pleasantly
productive.
Nymphs were also producing, however they also resulted in many more
whitefish than trout.
Remember to stay informed by pointing your browser to our Current
Conditions for the Jackson Hole Fly Fisherman page, which is updated daily.
Jackson
Hole Fishing Report Archives
Guy Turck
High Country Flies
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