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The South Fork of the Snake River
With the limited use on this blue ribbon
river, The Snake has become one of the top three fly fishing destinations
in the United States. With its 62 miles of excellent fly fishing,
fisherman use everything from tiny #24 Midges to #2 Stone flies. The
premium running times for these rivers are from Memorial Day to late
September, with some good fishing as early as the first of May and as late
as the end of November.
 This is where
civilization ends and the fly fishing begins. The South Fork is one of the
top three fishing destinations in the United States with superb dry fly
fishing for the unique Snake River cutthroats, native Yellowstone
cutthroats, rainbow, hybrids, and native mountain whitefish. It also
offers terrific spring or fall streamer fishing for trophy brown trout.
Each will add to your angling adventure as you enjoy float fishing amid
the splendor of the Rocky Mountains.
From its
meager beginnings in the Teton Mountains, to its final convergence with
the Columbia, The Snake River is a magnificent and powerful body of water.
It's varied sections offer abundant opportunities to all sorts of outdoor
enthusiasts. The South Fork is a dry fly fisherman's paradise. Starting at
the base of Palisades Dam in Southeastern Idaho, The South Fork is a large
western tailwater that offers more than sixty-five miles of world-class
fishing for three species of trout. We hope you will come share in the
wonderful gifts that our river has to offer.
Giving birth to
a huge and diverse waterway, Palisades
Dam creates the lower half of the South Fork of the Snake River
located in South-eastern Idaho. The river is known for being an
outstanding tail-water fishery for cutthroat, brown, and rainbow
trout. Quality hatches bring excellent numbers of hungry fish to the
surface throughout the season. The area in which the South Fork flows
through is also beautiful and very scenic. Bald Eagles are often seen
along this dynamic river.
From Palisades Dam the river flows with great volume. Being a large
river it provides tremendous habitat for its great population of
cutthroat and brown trout. It also has a small population of rainbow
trout as well. Many anglers consider it one of the finest trout
fisheries in the country with the potential of being the best if it is
not already. Trout to twenty inches are fairly common with brown trout
in this river system at times breaking the twenty four inch mark. It
has tail-water characteristics with deep pools, slick runs, and well
oxygenated riffles along with many islands and braids. |
| The upper half
of the river from the dam to Conant Valley Access at the beginning of
a large canyon is characteristic of a narrow channel for approximately
the first ten miles. Eventually the river widens as islands and braids
become more prevalent on its course underneath Swan Valley Bridge
eventually reaching Conant access. This section of river is
approximately 15 miles long. Cutthroat trout are the most prevalent
species here with a good population of brown and some rainbow trout as
well. Access to the upper section can be found along Route 26 and side
roads. |
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The lower river
from Conant access to its junction with the Henry's Fork is
approximately forty nine miles long. The first part of this stretch
(approximately 24 miles) is taken up mostly by a big canyon in which
the river leaves Route 23. Here access becomes better for float
fishermen as foot access is a little more difficult. Below Heise
bridge, which is a few miles below the canyon, the river begins to
widen even more as it flows through abundant farmland. Cottonwoods
line the banks and provide some beautiful scenery along with the
spectacular surrounding mountains. Brown trout become more prevalent
through this stretch and the rest of the river to its junction with
the Henry's Fork, some of which are trophy size. Check the
Special Regulations area's
before heading out.
Access to the river is generally best for float fishermen which is
the case on most large tail-water and freestone rivers. Wade fishermen
can find good fishing, however, where side channels exist, where
angling from the bank is possible, or where wading is easy. Some areas
are just too swift and deep for wading anglers to be successful. The
fall, when water flows are generally much lower, is the best time for
wade fishermen to have outstanding dry-fly fishing. Numerous boat and
foot access points are found along its length from the dam to Lorenzo
near the junction with the Henry's Fork. Both wade and float fishermen
are to be advised of this river's dangerous potential. Swift currents,
deep pools, irrigation diversion dams, and large eddies along with
other threats are all capable of being a hazard to any angler. Wade
safe and know the float you are doing along with its precautions.
Hatches on the river are not overwhelming with diversity but the
flies that do hatch come off in tremendous numbers. Some of mayflies
that exist on this river include Blue-winged Olives (baetis), Pale
Morning Duns, and Mahogany Duns as well as a few other less
significant hatches. Stoneflies include Golden Stones, Salmon Flies,
and Yellow Sallies. Caddis are abundant as well and terrestrials are
of extreme importance. Midges fish well from fall to spring.
The South Fork of the Snake is a large diverse river. The scenery
is spectacular and the fishing is equal. Anglers come from all over to
fish its waters for its large population of trophy trout. It is a
quality fishery with a diversity of tactics that work effectively on
it. This means that anglers off all skill levels can come here and
enjoy its great potential. The closest commercial airports are in
Idaho Falls or Jackson Hole, Wyoming. |
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