Westbank Anglers is ready to hit the water and start fishing! The 2022 season is shaping up to be a good one. We have had a much cooler and wetter April than those of past years, which bodes well for our water outlook. There was some doubt in March after lower than average snowfall this winter caused concern among some pundits, but April rolled in with a good bit of snow and much cooler than normal temps, this helped boost our snow water equivalent and has delayed the snow melt and runoff. The Snake really just turned muddy this past weekend, which is a good 2-3 weeks later than normal. The water managers have told the river community that they intend to hold flows coming out of Jackson Lake in the 2-3 thousand CFS range for the entire summer in order to hold back as much water as possible for downstream irrigation needs, this should bode well for a full summer of cold and consistent flows on the Snake. Currently Jackson Lake is only 22% full, so filling it is a long shot, but the water we do get from runoff should be managed good for our rivers.
The South Fork of the Snake has been in the 4,000 -4,500 range for the past week and was just increased to just over 5,000, fishing has been productive with streamers and nymphs. As the river increases over the next few weeks, fishing may be a bit unsettled, but with flows not expected to get too big, there should be fish to be had throughout the spring and the increased flows. Last year, peak flows out of Palisades never exceeded 16,000 cfs, so there is no reason for them to exceed that level this year either, we hope to have manageable flows all summer and one would expect them to be a bit less due to the low water situation. If they keep the flows in the 10k-16k range for June and most of July, we should have a fantastic season on the South Fork.
We will try and keep the fishing report up to date as the conditions change, so check back, or better yet, come by the shop to get the real skinny on current fishing conditions and to pick up some of the finest flies from the most comprehensive selection in the area. Good fishing!
