Fishing Report

The Box Canyon has the big bugs. The cat is out of the bag. This weekend forecast is calling for some great weather so plan on seeing some folks out and about this weekend. I would make sure to have some Henry’s Fork foam stones and a handful of rubber legs. I like black or brown. I usually do well with the dry dropper on the top half and then just use the big dry for the rest of the trip down. Watching a big trout eat a salmon fly is a thrill for sure. I certainly understand why the big bugs draw the crowds! All the campgrounds should be open by June 1^st so maybe that will help to spread some folks out. The gate to cardiac should also be open by the first. There was a pretty big jump in flows yesterday but things are back in shape today.

The slide on down to the fun farm is fishing well. There are salmon flies just about anywhere you want to look down there. The crowds have been amazing this year. I blame it on the great “no out of state license being issues” scare of 2020. Whatever the reason there are a lot folks enjoying the river this year. I think it’s great. However the trout are on guard and getting the big boys to eat a salmon fly has become a challenge. I have watched some very skilled anglers put a salmon fly pattern where not many folks can and come up empty. So goes the battle. Try the middle of the river. Try to do something a little different then everyone else is doing. I would try a streamer! Mix it up! I would guess the big bugs will come to an end soon we can start looking for golden stones and then green drakes! If you are down there this weekend make sure you have some foam stones and some rubber legs.

The South Fork has come up some and is currently around 14000 cfs. The word on the street is that it should hold there and if that hold true then the salmon fly madness should begin over there around the 20^th of June. However like all things this is subject to change. If you want to hit the south fork this weekend then refer to last week’s report as it has not changed a whole lot.

The Maddy is still pretty high and off color below the west fork. Personally I love to fish water that’s high and off color. I would go over there with some streamers or a San Juan worms and have a great day! The best thing is that I will have it all to myself! If you get above the West Fork the water is still high but it’s not 100 percent clear yet. Totally fishable and you will see more folks up there. Rubber Legs will work and I would also have some bullet quills and some Frenchie’s. I was very lucky last week when I was checking things out up there. As I was driving along I noticed a bunch of elk hauling ass out of the trees, not far behind them was a grizzly running as fast as he could go. I had no idea that a bear could go that fast! He covered a 150 yards in the blink of an eye! It was an amazing thing to see! What I learned from watching that is really simple. If a bear comes that hard and fast at you good luck! I don’t think you will have time to even get your bear spray out!