River Fishing
Few rivers in America can provide a fly fishing experience like that of The South Fork of the Snake River. Below Palisades Dam begins the stretch of the river, referred to as the “South Fork”.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game points out the South Fork is considered one of the finest trout fishing rivers in the country. Home to native Yellowstone cutthroat trout, which are considered very willing to take a dry fly. The river also houses rainbow and brown trout. Anglers are encouraged to harvest all rainbow trout they encounter here, as they can compete with native cutthroat.
Recommended Game Fish
- Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)
- Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
- Mountain Whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni)
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- Cutbow - Cutthroat x Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii x O. mykiss)
This 66-mile section of the Snake River flows through high mountain valleys, steep rugged canyons and fertile farmland to connects with Henry's Fork (North Fork) of the Snake River near Menan.
Three Rivers Ranch & TRR Outfitters says the South Fork of the Snake River is home to 126 species of birds, including 21 species of raptors.
Expect to see a unique and diverse array of wildlife, including moose, bear, elk, deer, mountain lions, mountain goats, bobcats, coyotes, otters, beavers, mink and fox. The Snake River is also home to the largest riparian cottonwood forest in the west, and understandably, the most diverse ecosystem in Idaho.
The South Fork of the Snake is also home to 4,200 fish per mile (2017 at Conant), which makes it one of the most productive Blue Ribbon rivers in the nation. The introduction of a slot limit increased and improved the quality of fishing on the South Fork dramatically. Fish between 8" and 16" (prime breeders) must be released and anglers are only allowed to keep two fish that aren't rainbows.
The Angler Incentive Program sponsored by Trout Unlimited, Orvis, and the Idaho Fish and Game motivates anglers by placing invisible chips in the snout of rainbows and cutbows. The program encourages anglers to harvest the fish and return the heads to Idaho Fish and Game. Each chip has an assigned dollar value for anglers to receive. There are no limits to size and quantity. This program has been in place for five years.
For supreme dry fly action, fished between July through October (typical runoff year). First half of July is the height of the prolific stonefly hatches, which brings just about all of the fish to the surface to gorge themselves on one of the largest dry flies, the largest of the Stone Flies, the Salmon Fly is sometimes 3" in length.
South Fork fly fishing takes off at the end of June when the massive salmon fly and golden stone hatches flood the river. These hatches move up stream and dominate until late July. The PMD hatch follows around the 4th of July and continues through August.
August is known for hoppers — grasshoppers, that is — and the lil' buggers thrive throughout September. The Blue Wing Olive hatch completes the annual season.
Highlights
