Fall Fishing, The South Fork of the Snake River

by: Shaun Lawson

The fall is unquestionably the most beautiful time to fish the South Fork. The river runs through a rich cottonwood forest that is aglow with the yellow and gold of turning leaves. The hillsides are covered with aspen and countless small bushes and shrubs that light up in the fall with every shade of yellow, orange and red that you can imagine. The colors are usually the brightest from mid-September until the end of October. Another sight to behold here in Swan Valley is the coming of the first snow, which occurs sometime between mid-October and mid-November. In addition, wildlife becomes very active. The elk and moose enter their rut in mid-September and are often heard making their mating calls from these hills. Meanwhile, bald eagles and countless species of waterfowl start to arrive in the area to spend the winter along the South Fork.

The fall months also offer some of the best fishing of the season. The entire river is open until the end of November, at which time the upper section from Palisades Dam to the Heise measuring cable closes. The river below Heise stays open year round and provides good fishing throughout the winter. October and November have the lightest fishing pressure of the season, so it's not uncommon to have a whole section of the river to yourself. The lowest stream flows of the year also occur around the first of October. The flows in October are generally right around 2,000 c.f.s. Compare that to the 20,000 c.f.s. sometimes seen in June and you can see that that the South Fork is a different river late in the season. The low flows allow for increased wading opportunities and the idea of using a drift boat kind of loses it's appeal late in the summer. It is possible to wade all the way across the river in some spots, something that is unheard of most of the rest of the season.

The best time of the year to catch a trophy size fish is during the fall. The South Fork is home to some of the biggest brown trout in the west. The Idaho state record brown trout was caught on the South Fork in 1981. It was 36 1/2 inches long and weighed 26 pounds!! The browns become more aggressive around the first of October as the spawning season approaches and they generally move into their spawning areas by November 1. The big rainbows and cutthroats move into the brown trout spawning areas to pick up any stray eggs. With the river as low as it generally is, anglers are able to fish some of the big deep cuts and holes that seem bottomless earlier in the season.

Fall fishing is done using a variety of tactics. The dry fly fishing stays pretty consistent until the end of November. Baetis and midges are the most prolific hatches and the best time of the day for fall dry fly fishing is generally in the afternoon. Fish are also taken on hoppers and Chernobyl Ants late into October. The streamer fishing gets better and better as the fall progresses. We recommend using a sink tip while fishing streamers on the South Fork. There are many deep holes and cutbanks and the sink tip allows you to get the fly down where the fish are consistently. The fall nymph fishing can also be great. The best flies are bead heads, egg patterns, and stonefly nymphs. The weather in October and November is fairly unpredictable. Although it is not uncommon to have days with highs near 70 degrees in November, don't be surprised to see a snowstorm or two as we get close to December. When fishing in the fall you should always be prepared for the worst where the weather in concerned. As long as you have the proper clothing (including long underwear, fleece, a rain jacket, hat and gloves), a cool day or two won't spoil your trip. Dressing properly is the key to comfort in the fall. If you are interested in fall fishing and a little cool weather doesn't bother you, come to the South Fork and experience the best fall fishing in the West!