Fly Fishing Newsletter
8-29-2005
Hope the summer is keeping everyone happy and getting all the playing in before the winter storms come marching in. Did I say winter? Okay maybe that's rushing things a bit or maybe I'm getting exited about the upcoming hunts.
Henry's Lake
Since July 8th we have had a lot of great days on Henry's. We have had a few not so great days. Overall the lake has fished really well. The fish in August congregated around all the springs, inlets not to mention those ugly weeds. The middle became mostly void of any fish. Both Bill and I have had some really great days along with some folks that happened to get the right days. In the month of August there were a few towards the end of August that didn't get the lucky days. It's one of my toughest things to deal with in guiding. Making sure everyone that comes catches some good numbers of fish and a few big ones. Sometimes the fish cooperate and sometimes they don't. The fish on a few days made it dang tough to make that happen.
The latter part of August we have had major up's and downs in water temp which played havoc with fish being on or off the feed wagon. In one instance, Bill fished on a Thursday and caught 38 fish. Thursday evening the storm rolled in dropped in and on Friday after the storm dropped the water temperature 8 degrees and caught 0 fish. Mind you this was the only time we have been skunked this year. It's just an example of what can happen day to day on Henry's. It always keep's you guessing.
During this transition time with late August and early September the trick will be finding the feeding fish and hoping the weather is stable a few days before you come this way. Then finding the right fly is always the next chore. We have had the most luck with the Mity Mouse, Henry's Lake renegade, Half-Assed Renegade and the newer flies such as the Green and Red naked lady. No I didn't name them.
Most of the fish caught have been caught off Duck and Targhee. As this weather continues to cool they will spread out into the lake. We should start to see some fish in the middle of the lake along with the other fall haunts throughout the lake.
Sheridan Lake
The lake has been a steady producer of fish. The numbers have decreased as the hot summer sun got really hot and baked us along with the fish. The fish like in Henry's headed for cooler water where ever they could find it. Unlike Henry's the fish are less fickle when it comes to the weather but it still has its impact. We did have some good days with numbers in the mid 20's and with some really nice sized fish. Some days especially when the wind didn't put a chop on the water it became really tough. It's Idaho so we didn't have too many days with glassy water. The fishing also became a little more technical with some Callibaetis and Caddis action. When they were on those little critters they became specific in their feeding habits. Just like in the rivers you have times where the nymphs work and then they switch their focus on top. It has just been a lot of fun for those that caught those really great hatches. We did have some midge action going on in the mix of all that as well.
The fly's that worked were a mixture of Callibaetis and Caddis patterns. BH FB Pheasant tail fly was the top producer over all. We also fished some grasshopper patterns along with Turk's and Madam X's. We also fished some midge droppers and did well on some days.
Look for the fall to be awesome! The water will cool and stabilize. The fish will really put on the feed bag and get after it before winter sets in for good. If you haven't guessed by now I use a few horse terms with my fishing explanations. I'm a long time cowboy and it slips out now and again.
Hope this helped. Let me know if you have any other questions and we will be happy to get you the answers you need for your next trip.
Lynn Scott
BS Flies
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