Memorial Day weekend turned out to be a good one. Plenty of nice weather, and a lot of good fishing for Yellowstone’s opening weekend. Some of our guides headed up to Yellowstone to fish the lakes, and the Firehole River opening day. We had great reports from both water systems. The Firehole was a little late with bugs hatching due to the cold weather; however it looks like we have warm weather in the forecast for the remainder of this week. Warmer weather should help get things going a little earlier. Clients fishing on Yellowstone Lake couldn’t keep fish off their lines. The fishing was really good and should continue to be for a while. Opening weekend was definitely a success in the parks Centennial year.
Outside of the parks things are a little different. The Green River is slowly climbing in CFS, due to the sunny bright days. Expect that trend to continue, as the night temperatures start to climb out of the “freezing” zone. As much as the Green has been fluctuating, I would imagine a few 70 degree days in a row will turn the river high and off color for a little while.
The South Fork of the Snake has been fishing well. We have been fortunate to have steady flows coming out of Palisades Reservoir, however it wouldn’t surprise me if that will be short lived. Needless to say this has been a very good May on the South Fork, and hopefully it continues to fish well into June.
The Snake River in our valley is a different story. They have bumped up the water out of Jackson Lake dam to 3270cfs since 5/24. The Snake is looking very high and very muddy. We do have plenty of snow left in the Teton Range, but this hot weather will certainly help give us a more accurate prediction on when things will be ready to go. I am being optimistic by hoping things will clear up sooner rather than later this year.
We have had a great spring, and we are looking forward to a busy summer. Our guides are geared up and ready to go and our shop staff has been busy filling up the fly bins. We look forward to seeing both new and old clients back on the water. Summer couldn’t come any faster, and it looks like we will be set up for a great season!
We have tons of new products and fly patterns in the shop. We have some sale items leftover from Memorial Day as well. Don’t forget to book your guides early to ensure the guide and day you want. Come in and see us, and never hesitate to call.
Patrick Sheehy
Westbank Anglers
307-733-6483
