How does the old saying go about the best laid plans?? Well, here I went got everyone excited about fishing the Snake early this year and what happens? We get two weeks of unseasonably cold weather the last of May. Then June comes in with temperatures in the high seventies. And to top it all off, the Bureau of Reclamation after years of having the same old blueprint for discharging water out of Jackson Lake, they come up with a new release plan. One that emulates a more natural run-off. (actually a very exciting concept). Well there goes Getting to fish the Stoneflies theory. Though we will be fishing the Snake early this year, it won’t be as early as we once thought. The way things are looking right now, it should start to fish by the last of June the first part of July. Which is about three weeks earlier than normal. If there is a normal anymore.  Getting back to the Bureau of Rec, we applaud this more scientific approach to natural flows.  Though this concept is not complicated it would be a little lengthy to try to explain in a fishing report. If any of you would like to discuss it in further detail drop us an Email or give us a call. I may try and write an article just on this subject and post it on our site.  Anyway, with this new planned release, we should see much lower late season flows than we’ve experienced the last three years. Obviously this should make for better fishing in July, August, and September. So we are enthusiastic about this season on the Snake. Now it will remain to be seen if the Bureau of Rec will actually hold to there plan.

The area lakes have been fishing very well. Jackson and Jenny have been very consistent with Wooly Buggers, Mohair and Marabou Leeches in olive. If you are zeroing in on the Lake Trout (Mackinaw) don’t forget chartreuse. I can’t tell you why but Macks like the color chartreuse. We have heard of the big Flying Ants on some of the lakes but haven’t experienced them ourselves. Every year the lakes have a good Flying Ant hatch that provides excellent dry-fly fishing. There big, size 10’s. Pretty hard to miss if they’re on the water. Look for them on the west shoreline of the lakes in the late afternoon.

We are expecting some of our tributaries to be fishing soon. So look for some information on area streams in our next report.

Until next time,

Howard Cole
High Country Flies