Soda Butte Creek has had an interesting week - pre-storm the fishing was pretty quiet, and post storm she’s running high and dirty.

Flows near the Lamar Ranger Station were 48 cfs this morning at 0645, with today’s average 47 cfs.  Flows peaked yesterday morning over 60 cfs, and are on the way back down.  Before the rains with this recent storm, flows were in the 37-38 cfs range.

The automated temperature measuring at this station registered air temperature highs in the high 30s to mid 40s for the past few days;  recorded lows have dropped as low as 20 - the terrestrials are history.

Our preference (like most) would be to fish Slough on a wet, overcast, and cooler day - not only does it drive off some of the “fair weather sports” but more importantly it brings out the BWOs, Green Drakes, and Hecubas.  These BWOs look a size or two larger than on the Firehole to us (18-22 range).

On the sunnier, somewhat warmer days (due this week?) - it’s a bit tougher of late.  If the hatches aren’t rolling you can try nymphing small stuff; there’s not a lot of water to work a streamer through, though there are some deeper runs.  On that kind of day we’d probably take our chances swinging soft hackles, probably small mayflies. 

As suggested above, terrestrials really are finished at this point.

There are a couple of decent weeks left on the NE corner waters, they tend to not fish well after mid month most years….

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Flies to have in the box:

Dries:  baetis - BWO, Blue Dun, Olive Sparkle Dun, Comparadun, Para-adams; Paradrake, gray, green/olive; small midge emergers; Green and Fall Drake, life cycle; your attractor package (small)

Nymphs:  WD 40, red, green; BH PT; Copper John, green / chartreuse; Micro Mayfly, olive, black; Barrs PMD emerger; small brown caddis nymphs; SH - both mayfly and caddis, various, small

Streamers / Others:  Woolly Buggers, olive /brown / black; Girdle Bug, small; Muddler, small; Sparkle Buggers, olive, brown, black

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