Snake River - 5/7/11:

Early season fishing on the Snake has so far been pretty good, with typical Spring offerings – midges and Blue Wing Olives, and more recently, some Skwala stoneflies making an appearance – our first “big bug’ of the year. At the time of this writing, the Snake continues to run fairly clear, though a bit higher than normal, with the release out of Jackson Dam currently at 4,940 cfs. The snow has turned to rain and greenery is rapidly returning to Jackson Hole.

Given our above normal snowpack, if the rain and warmer temps continue as forecast, we could be looking at significant runoff beginning to kick in. If this truly is the beginning of our runoff period, it could be a while before the Snake really shapes up for fishing again. If, on the other hand, this turns out to be a false start and temperatures cool off again, we may continue to see decent fishing on the Snake until the real runoff kicks in. If the latter happens, we’ll be sure to update our report.

Please keep in mind if you are floating the Snake, particularly the upper stretches from Pacific Creek downstream to South Park – a stretch of the river characterized by more braiding and debris such as large trees (i.e. “strainers”), new hazards may be present, and the river may follow a different course in some places than it did last season. Stay heads-up – early season floating requires particular caution and may mean having to “re-learn” the river. If you discover any significant new hazards, please let us know here at the shop so that we can notify others and include it in future reports.

Construction is resuming at Hoback Bridge, as WYDOT continues with replacement of the old bridge. This could become a significant factor for boating at certain times this season. As construction progresses this summer, expect temporary closures, for safety reasons, of all, or part of the river at Hoback Junction. We have been told by WYDOT that these closures could last up to an hour at a time. WYDOT says they will be placing “flaggers” upstream from the bridge to notify/direct boaters of temporary delays. In addition, there should be daily updates at both Wilson and South Park boat ramps.

Whether we’re truly starting to see the “official” runoff or not yet, the good news in the big picture is that it seems like we’re set up to have another season with an abundant water supply –

that’s good news for fish, good news for the things they eat, and great news for those of us planning on fishing Jackson Hole this summer.

- Bruce Smithhammer

High Country Flies