Hopper Season on The Snake!
Well its now well into the summer, and fishing in Jackson Hole has really turned on. Our guide staff has been running lots of trips on The Snake River, and returning to the shop with solid reports. These hot summer days are creating some really great hopper fishing on much of the river, from Grand Teton National Park, down into The Forest Service sections. In the mornings, while temperatures are still cool, our guides have been fishing dry-dropper rigs. For the first fly, medium-large sized, lighter, more natural colored hoppers are working best. From gold chubbies, to tan Morrish Hoppers, the fish seem to be fairly cued to the surface. While temperatures are still cool, tying on a small/medium sized mayfly nymph, such as a Duracell, Rainbow Warrior, or Lightning Bug has produced fish until the surface game turns on. Fish seem to moving to faster banks and riffles, so targeting the right type of trout water is key to having a productive day.
With such warm daytime highs, it’s really important to keep an eye on the water temperatures. A river thermometer is a necessary tool to cary with you this time of year. Trout require cold water with lots of oxygen to stay healthy. Once those water temperatures reach 67 degrees, these fish get stressed and catching them can cause them serious injury or death. It’s important while out fishing to use heavy tippet so that you can get fish in quickly, released, and put back safely to recuperate. Once temps reach 67, rods should be put down and we should wait till the evening when hopefully temperatures drop again. Remember, these cutties are native, wild fish. We need to respect and care for these fish so that we can continue to enjoy fishing for them year after year.
Warming water temperatures doesn’t mean we can’t fish though! We just have to be careful. Many of our guides are reporting catching more big fish than they’ve seen in the past several years. There is nothing better than watching a big ole yellow belly come up for a chubby, and that is what our beloved Snake River is known for! For questions or to book a trip, don’t hesitate to call our shop at 307-734-9684.