Fishing Report
State of the Snowpack & Reservoir Levels
We’re kicking off the 2025 year with the first post on my blog. I’m hoping to do a lot of posting this winter different write-ups about where I’ve been in the past few months, techniques that I preferred to fish on the river throughout the winter months as we are leading into the spring.
Winter is starting off strong for the 2025 season, with 185” recorded in the rendezvous bowl as of Jan 5th. The snow percentage in the Wyoming & Idaho mountains is looking good. The state has a snowpack between 62% and 105%.
Boysen reservoir 72% Jackson Lake 76% palisades reservoir 52% of capacity. That’s plenty of water to start the new year with.
We have been having warmer-than-average temperatures in December and the start of January. This is allowing us to sneak out onto our local rivers for successful late afternoons.
Big Horn River Wyoming
Big Horn River (Thermopolis, Wyoming)
Boysen Dam 700cfs
The Big Horn is the King of our winter fisheries here in Wyoming. Mild winter temperatures and minimal snowfall allow anglers year-round opportunities for success. I love fishing the Big Horn through the winter months, with January usually being the only slow month for this river.
I recommend bringing a Drift boat for winter fishing in the Big Horn. It allows you to access the spots that you are not able to wade due to the surrounding private property. Don’t get me wrong, though. There’s plenty of access for Wade anglers, but a boat opens up much more.
I would recommend carrying a few rods with you in the boat. First, the rod you will use will be a 10ft 5wt nymph rod and a 6wt or 7wt streamer rod. You will most likely just nymph due to the chilly water temperatures. I recommend setting up a Rio 7 1/2 ft 2x-3x leader looping the manufactured perfection loop to your fly line, then adding a micro swivel 20lb to your leader from your swivel at 3ft of 3x-4x fluorocarbon tippet to your first bug. I like to run weightless or bead less flys this time of year. I would start with a tiny midge larva (#18-#20 red), then add another section of 4x to the eye of your first fly. Then again, I would add a sow bug or midge size #20-#14 (larva or pupa) for your bottom fly, I would personally add a foam back midge emerger or a tailwater sow bug size 18#-20#
For your second rod I would bring a 5wt with a Rio 9ft 5x leader. I would add a section 3ft 5x fluorocarbon tippet with a blood knot to your leader. The first fly I would add to your 5x tippet section would be a size #14 midge cluster. I would also add a section of 5x tippet to your midge cluster around 18” then tie on a small smoke jumper midge in black size #20. I recommend using a dry shake or dust floatant if you're fishing in below-freezing temperatures so that it doesn’t freeze!
Recommended flys
Demon midge ( #16-#22)
Ray Charles (#16-#18)
Uv sow ( #16-#18)
Zebra midge (#16-#20)
Get down sow ( #14,#16)
Rusty trombone streamer (#2,#4)
Goldie streamer (#2,#4,#6)
South fork of the Snake River Idaho
South fork of the snake Irwin dam
Palisades Dam 900 cfs
The Palisades Dam has a 900 cf flow, an excellent winter flow. Between April and September, the south fork can be hard to access on foot. Winter is the best time for Wade anglers to access the south fork of the South Fork on foot. I would recommend fishing Section 1 (Palisades Dam to Spring Creek Bridge) this time of year. The consistent water temperature at the dam provides consistent midge hatches.
Recommend flies/Rigging
I recommend carrying two rods for wade fishing the south fork of the Snake River. I would bring a 4wt-5wt dry fly rod. I would set your leader up with a 4x-5x 9ft leader, then add a section of 3 feet of 4x-5x fluorocarbon tippet to a size 18# Griffs Gnatt, and then add an 18”-2ft section of 5x tippet to a size 18#-20# foam back midge emerger.
I would recommend bringing a 6wt or 7wt rod as your second rod. Bring all three if you like. For your 6wt, I would recommend setting up a Nymphing rig. Start by adding a Rio 7 1/2 ft 3x-4x leader and adding to your line with the manufactured perfection loop. Take your Rio leader cutting 2ft-3ft off the thin diameter line, and add a 20lb micro swivel to your leader with a clinch knot, off of your micro swivel that you attached to the line tie in 3x tippet 2ft-3ft in length to a pats rubber legs stone fly size #12 or a San Wan worm. Also, a blob (egg fly) will work this time of year. For your second fly, tie a section of 2ft of 4x to the eye of your first fly, then add a weighted preferably tungsten zebra midge in black or red size 18#, add a section of 2ft of 4x-5x to the eye of your (zebra midge) then tie in a weightless or foam backed midge nymph to the end of your tippet. This allows you at target feeding fishing to follow midge upwards in the water column.
If you bring a 7wt streamer rod with you, I recommend setting your 7wt up with a Scientific angler sonar trout express in the 240grain - 300grain sink tip. A full sink isn’t needed. 10ft-20ft sink tip will work perfectly. I recommend a 12lb-15lb fluorocarbon tipper 5ft-7ft long for your leader setup. I would start with an articulated white fly like Goldie or its sister, the Rusty Trombone (olive). Make sure you tie your streamers on with loop knots. Make sure you target the deeper wintering holes. I like to start in the head of the run closes to the head of riffle and slowly fish my way to the tail out. Then, I wade slowly back upstream to the head of the run. Remember, move slow, keep your fly in the water, and stay focused.
Recommend flies
Zebra midge ( #16-#20)
Demon midge ( #16-#20)
Two-bit midge (#16-#20)
Squirmy worm (#8-#12)
Foam back midge (#16-#20)
Lil Kim (#6,#4,#2)
Rusty trombone (#2,#4)
Goldie (#2-#4)
Kill whitey (#2-#4)
Slick willy (#2-#4)
Mini sex dungeon (#6-#8)
Snake River Wyoming
Snake River, Jackson Hole Wyoming
Jackson Lake Dam 289cfs
Recommend flies/rigging
I recommend carrying a few different rods by Jackson Lake Dam this time of year. I would have one 4wt or 5wt rod with a 10ft-12ft 4x or 5x leader rigged with a size 16# griffs Gnat with a HI Vis poly post. ( I prefer white poly post) 2nd fly I would at to the #18 griffs Gnat would be a Smoke Jumper Midge. ( great pattern with a Hi-Vis CDC post.) It's one of my winter go-to flies. Bring plenty of floatant! I recommend using dry shake or dust in the winter, especially if you are fishing in below-freezing temperatures.
The 2nd rod I recommend bringing is a 6wt or 7wt. Bring both if you like. When winter wade fishing, I limit myself to two rods to keep things a little simpler. If you bring a 6wt, I recommend setting up a nymph rig. To start setting up your nymph rig, I would recommend taking a Rio 7 1/2 ft leader and perfection looping it to your fly line, then take the other end of your leader ( thin tapered side and cutting 3ft-4ft of the thin diameter line off leaving a stiff tapered butt section 3 1/2ft -4ft. Then, you add your indicator of choice. I would highly recommend fishing a balloon simply for the sensitivity, but an ORO will work, just not nearly as well. Then I add a micro 20lb swivel to the leader with a clinch knot, then add a section of 4x-5x tippet ranging in length from 2ft-3ft, then add midge nymph, then tie a section of 4x-5x tippet 2ft-18” long. I usually run a heavier beaded midge to a weightless or foam-backed midge. This allows me to cover the water column where the bigger fish usually feeds.
If you bring a 7wt instead of your 6wt, I recommend swinging or twitching streamers slow in the slow water and winter runs. Make sure you target Tail outs and sharp shelves below riffles. Take your time, fish slow. Keep your fly in the water. It’s a great time to catch a fish of a lifetime. “It only takes one”. I recommend rigging your 7wt with scientific anglers' Sonar Trout express line in the 200grain-240grain. For your leader, take a 5-7 ft section of 10lb-12lb fluorocarbon, add a perfection loop, and add it to the fly line. Add with a small loop knot a small streamer or leech 2”-3” long. I usually start with white or black and then move to cream, brown, olive, etc, till I get a reaction. Fish are generally not very picky this time of year.
Recommend flies
Zebra midges (#16-#20)
Foam back midge ( #16-#20)
Demon midge (#16-#20)
Two-bit midge (#16-#20)
Smoke jumper midge (#16-#20)
Griffins Gnat (#16-#20)
Lil Kim ( #4-#6)
Jig black leech (#8-#12)
Mini sex dungeon (#6-#8)
Green River, New Fork River, Fontenelle Dam
24” Brown Trout caught May 16th 2024 Streamer Fishing
Fontenelle Dam 833cfs
New fork at Big Piney( Ice affected )
Green River at Warren Bridge ( ice affected)
The Pinedale area has limited open-water winter fishing options, with the Green River and New Fork Rivers usually fully iced over. There are a few options, though. We will start with the Green River headwaters. Unfortunately, the Green River and New Fork Rivers are under ice and not accessible for fishing.
Fontenelle Dam is ice-free and has plenty of access for wade anglers to enjoy an open-water winter fishing experience. However, between October 1st and December 31st, the Kokanee spawn closes the river between Fontenelle Dam and the Weeping Rock campground.
I recommend fishing below Fontenelle Dam and Slate Creek Campground, targeting the wintering holes. The best technique this time of year is nymphing or swinging small streamers. I would set the nymph rig a Rio 7 1/2ft 3x leader; I then tie a clinch knot to connect the micro swivel 20lb. From the micro swivel, I add a 3ft section of 4x fluorocarbon tippet to a sowbug or rock worm; from the sowbug or rock worm, I tie a section of 4x around 3ft in length to the mid fly, which I usually use a midge larva. I run another section of 4x tipper from the midge larva around 2ft in length to a midge emerger or pupa.
f you're looking to swing streamers, I recommend a 7wt rod with Scientific Anglers sonar trout express line in a 200-grain or floating line. I would run a 7-ft section of 12lb-15lb fluorocarbon for a leader. I would swing the wintering holes' slow, flat water and tail outs. If you’re not getting fish, make sure you are changing fly sizes, colors, and weight. Make sure you are not retrieving your fly too fast. Its winter fishing slow presentations work best.
