What a difference a week of better weather can make in the life of a river. 

Last weekend over the holiday temperatures were way above normal, and the water temps in the lower Firehole (and Gibbon) were dangerously high.  By mid week, cool rains and overcast had driven a strong BWO hatch and water temps on the upper river cooled to the high 50s.

The Firehole’s flow rate today at 0600 near Madison junction was 224 cfs, with today’s mean 268 cfs, and the 20% marker 241 cfs.  She’s been pretty steady in this range for the past week, with a minor bump in flows on the 5th and 6th with the area rains. 

Water temps on the upper river have really come around - at the upper Firehole gauge station on the 7th temps peaked just over 60, and when we fished the upper Firehole during the storm day on Wednesday water temps never climbed above 60.  The lower river below the canyon is still heating up quite high during the sunny days - the canyon and below should not be fished yet.  There’s even more cool weather due this weekend, and it will help even more. 

At this point hatches include baetis, caddis (dark, tent wing), and small midges (we saw all three this past week), and Mahoganies are due any time.  When the sun’s out and things warm a bit terrestrials (with a dropper) still make good sense. 

The Firehole is at this point a cool cloudy day and morning fishery - we’d suggest other waters on the sunny afternoons, and you shouldn’t be on the Firehole in the canyon or below at all until things cool a bit more.  It won’t be long….

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Flies to have in the box:

Dries:  baetis - BWO, Blue Dun, Olive Sparkle Dun, Para-adams; Caddis - EHC, X Caddis, Electric Caddis - tan, olive, black;  PMX, red, yellow, black and lime; your attractor package

Nymphs: San Juan Worm, red, brown, tan; PT; BHPT; BH Hares Ear, Copper John, olive; BH Prince; Lightning bugs, gold, silver, green/olive

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:  Woolly buggers, brown, yellow, olive, black; Sparkle buggers, same colors; Girdle bug; Zonkers, assorted

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