The Fall, despite the painfully low flows of the summer, is beginning to turn around a bit above highway 32.  A guide friend was up early last week, and noted a few more baetis and some callibaetis, and thought things fished pretty well before noon when it got warm.

There is only one flow gauge on the Fall that is continuously monitored, it’s on the river outside the Park border, above the Yellowstone Canal near Squirrel, ID.  The river was flowing at 456 cfs this morning at 0645, with today’s average 659 cfs, and the 20% flow marker 516 cfs. 

The overwhelming concensus remains for the bulk of the day you have two best choices for prospecting when the hatches aren’t active - a terrestrial dropper rig (hoppers, beetles and ants are working, generally smaller sizes) as well as an attractor - dropper rig.  Standard nymph droppers will work, though many folks are using smaller bead heads (BH prince/hares ear/your favorite) and Lightning bugs.
 
Summer hatches have about moved on from the region - though there are still some midges and a rare PMD in the mornings, and a few caddis later in the afternoon and evening.  There are some Tricos beginning to show on the cooler mornings, with the spinner fall mid morning, though with warmer temps due at least over the weekend, we’re not sure you can count much on this.  It won’t be long for Fall caddis, Gray Drakes, Mahoganies…ah, the fall hatches.

We’re still looking for good firsthand data, if yo’ve been in and fished the river, we will gladly credit you for information we can post in an update, please shoot us an email!  As we get more data, we’ll provide better information to you.

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Flies to Have in the Box:

Dries:  PMX, red, yellow, black and lime; Parachute PMD;  Electric Caddis, olive; Emergent Spakle Pupa; Parachute caddis; X Caddis, olive, black; Poly Wing Caddis;  Your attractor package; Tricos and Baetis before long

Nymphs:  BHFBPT; SF PT; Copper John;  Caddis - Mangy, Pulsating/Electric, Super Pupas; Prince / MegaPrince / BH Prince; Lightning bugs, gold, silver;

Terrestials: Hoppers - Grand, Whit, Dave’s, Carnage, Kicking, Hoppinator; Beetles- Fire, Foam, HiVis, Sam’s;  Ants - Chernobyl, ParaAnt, black and cinnamon, CDC Flying ant, black, brown, cinnamon; Epoxy, same colors

Streamers / Other:  Buggers - black, olive, brown, dark yellow; Bow River Bugger; Girdle Bug; Orange/brown rubberlegs

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