Soda Butte is still fishing well; things should get far better once we get some fall weather (hopefully this coming weekend!)  Cool days, clouds, and precipitation are just what Soda needs to bring on the fall hatches and cool the water a bit.

While it is still sunny and warm, look to be fishing Terrestrials – Ants, Beetles, and Hoppers are favorites.  Ants especially seem to be favored by trout that reside in the Soda Butte; there are mating swarms on calm, warm evenings and the fish go crazy for the little guys.  A Wulff, Cinnamon Flying Ant, or a Chernobyl work well when the fish are tuned into these little bugs.

Once the sun is off the water, don’t be afraid to tie on a Streamer.  Big fish can be caught on a Streamer – I talked to a guy yesterday who landed a nice 16-incher on a Streamer just a few days ago.   Be sure to stock your fly box with a few Baetis Thorax and Parachute patterns, as the guys at Madison River Outfitters point out, these flies are great even if there are only a few naturals on the water.

Soda has had a good summer, and we should all be gearing up for some excellent fall fishing.  See Mark’s post on Slough today for all the different bugs you might run into once the clouds return. 

Flows today (0600) are 57 cfs, with today’s average 54 cfs at the Lamar Ranger Station.  Water temps have been great.  Today’s pic is a nifty NPS aerial photo of Soda Butte. 

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Flies to Have in the Box

Dries:  baetis - BWO, Blue Dun, Olive Sparkle Dun, Comparadun, Fall baetis Sparkle Dun, Para-Adams; PMDs - parachute, sparkle dun, sprout, cripple, CDC Emerger, PMX - yellow, peacock, royal; Drakes - Paradrake, gray, green, olive, life cycle; Parachute Adams; Midges and small midge emergers;  Caddis – EHC, X Caddis, Electric Caddis, EC Caddis, Spent Caddis – tan and olive; Spruce Moth;

Nymphs:  Bubbleback PMD; BH & FB PT; Copper John, green, red, chartreuse; Shop Vac; Flashback soft hackle, yellow; HE assortment

Streamers / Others:  Woolly Buggers, brown, black, olive, blue; Sparkle Buggers, same - note overall they should be on the smaller side

Terrestrials:  Hoppers (smaller), ants, beetles, bees

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