Some days it feels like spring around here and others, still like winter. Such is springtime in the Rockies where one day can be near 60 degrees and sunny prompting thoughts of barbecuing and porch cocktails, only to have those visions crushed by sideways blowing wet snow. Regardless, spring is a great time to fish the Snake river here in Jackson. I see some of the nicest cutthroat trout of the year in late March and April. Fish are feeding readily after a long winter. Midges, small black stoneflies, Blue Wing Olives and Skwalas.
Always fun fishing with client and friend, Norma Jean! Norma Jean braved the snow and got into a lot of nice cutthroat trout. The midges were emerging like crazy and the fish were chomping!Max (here with his first ever western trout) and his dad joined me for a beautiful spring day on the snake. Duncan hooked up on a cold April afternoon. Friends Duncan and Rich joined me for a couple days of spring fly fishing and hotsprings soaking. Always great to see those guys!Rich assembling his rod. Ready for the first float of the season. While we didn’t see any big hatches, the guys did get some fish on droppers….“Let’s switch to a stonefly nymph”…. the fish liked it.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2024-04-18 12:23:072024-04-18 12:23:12Ah, Spring Fly Fishing on the Snake River…
It’s the end of February and days are getting longer and temperatures have hit 40 degrees in the valley a few times. Midges are showing up regularly on the river and a few tiny black stoneflies are stumbling around too. It’s a great time to go fly fishing! I’ve been out recently with a number of fun folks. We spent the warmer part of days fishing the Snake river, catching whitefish and cutthroat trout on nymphs and dry flies. As we continue toward spring, expect the midge hatches to get bigger, and more and more fish to feed on the surface.
Below are just a few pics from the past week. Folks had a good time braving the elements and finding some fish.
Mike kisses his first fish on the fly. This whitefish didn’t come easy. The wind was howling, making casting challenging.A guys fishing afternoon- Brendon, Braydon, Mike and Lesley celebrate a successful afternoon on the water. Adie and son, Ellias work a deep pool on the snake.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2024-02-28 14:56:282024-02-28 14:56:29Late February Fishing
Just back from another great trip to the Bahamas. Jamie and I had a few days to ourselves. Then we picked up our good friends, Kurt, Kelly and Owen and settled in for a great week. We fished a lot, both on foot and with our guide Shervin, relaxed, read and caught up. The weather was pretty good save some wind and clouds and I can’t wait to go back in March! Below are few photos from the trip
On the flat. Note the sharks in the foreground and school of bonefish in the back. Meanwhile, my friend Kurt casts to them as Jamie works them from the boat.Sketchbook notes on the weeks fishing; sometimes simple is better. A reminder to myself that despite tying and taking lots of flies, only a few are necessary.Jamie keeping an eye out for bonefish.Me and Jamie fishing the flats together. I don’t know if I ever experienced such a calm morning on the water. Of course not all days were like this. Several days of the trip had winds blowing and frequent cloud cover making the fish spotting tough.Me and my guide and friend, Shervin. So great to fish a few days with him again. I don’t know if a kinder man exists.Plus he knows where the fish are!Watercolor sketch of the flats. Keeping a sketchbook journal is a great way remember trips. My kit is simple; a Winsor & Newton field box paint set, a 5×7″ watercolor notebook and a few brushes, pens and pencils.Jamie and I celebrating another great day with some cold KaliksMy best friend, Kurt with a great Bone. Kurt and I have been fishing the flats together for years. After a few days on our own, Kurt, his wife Kelly and son Owen joined Jamie and I. So great to spend a week with these guys, catching up, fishing and having fun!DIY bonefish on a rising tide. While it’s fun fishing with a guide, I love fishing on my own. I stalked this guy in the shallows for 10 minutes and finally got him to eat.One of the highlights of the trip for me was hooking into some juvenile Tarpon! Man are these guys fun. After landing a few and then hooking a bonefish, I kept an eye out for a Permit to complete the Grand Slam. Mr. Permit never showed but that’s ok. A day of Tarpon and bonefish are fine by me!
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2023-12-21 14:56:192023-12-21 14:56:20Bahamas and Back
Well, that’s a wrap on another great fishing season. The time has changed, winter is knocking and the drift boat is put up for the season. Really appreciate all who fished with me. I had a great time guiding folks on our waters around here in Jackson, Wyoming aand am already looking forward to next […]
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2023-11-06 13:22:302023-11-06 13:22:33End of another busy fishing season
Finally have a day off and thought I’d do a quick blog update on fly fishing around here. It’s been a great summer so far with fun clients! We’ve spent the majority of time casting dry flies to native cutthroat trout. Most of my days lately have been on the Snake River here in Jackson Hole, although I floated some folks down on the upper Green River and Salt River. Also did some wade fishing up in Yellowstone park. The weather’s been great; albeit a little hot. We’ve been getting on the water early to take advantage of cooler water temperatures and finishing in the 2-3 pm time range.
Folks sometimes ask what a guides’ day off looks like. For yours truly, it looks like this: sleep in, tie flies, take a family walk, go out to the Virginian for breakfast with my lady and enjoy the new Jason Isbell album while smoking a brisket. Oh, and throw in mowing the lawn for good measure. Pretty great! And the guitars probably need a little attention….
A few pics from the past month….
Thumbs up for a nice Snake River Cutthroat willing to rise to a big stonefly.Me and good friend, Jason, waiting for the brown drake spinner fall on the Henrys Fork in early July. While the writer’s strike is keeping Jason out of the writers room, he has more time to fish right now. Always great to fishing and camp with him.start’em young! Carly had a great day once we discovered the banana she brought on the boat. We promptly disposed of it and started catching fish!Friend and return client, miss Norma Jean. Always a blast spending the day on the water with her.More smiles and sunshine!Scott hooked up on a wade fishing adventure. We covered ground and found wild cutthroat trout!Nice fish Scott!
Recently I’ve had a number of email inquiries about half day fishing trips. I thought I’d take a minute to discuss half vs. full day fly fishing trips to help potential guests understand the differences. In a quick nutshell, I recommend full day trips when possible and do not do half day float trips. More thoughts below to help you decide…
Angler hooked up in the bow of my boat. Full day float trips allow us to stop and fish, targeting much more water along the way
Here in Jackson Hole over the years, half day fishing trips have become quite popular; a great way for folks to get a taste of fly fishing while on vacation. While I understand why these are appealing, I prefer to take guests out for full day fly fishing trips. Sure it’s easier for guides to fly down the river, hit a spot or two and be back in time for lunch, allowing guests to check fly fishing off their activities list and tell folks they went fly fishing. Full day fly fishing trips allow me to work with guests though, helping them learn, improve their fly fishing skills and hook more fish. I’ve realized over the years that in most cases, this is hard to do in a half day. Possible, yes. Enjoyable, maybe? When I’m committing my day to a fishing trip, I’d like to go fishing with clients and not be encumbered by the clock, rushing through the motions without giving respect to the quality of the experience. Plus, quite a few of the places I and my guests like to fish require some windshield time, making a half day unrealistic. The few half day trips I do are wade fishing trips and are best during the following: May/ early June- folks looking to get out this time of year and learn about fly fishing while potentially hooking a fish or two enjoy wade fishing smaller water. Because our bigger rivers are muddy with snow melt, a half day on smaller water is a good option. Late October/ November- with days getting shorter and temperatures dropping, sometimes it makes sense to fish a shorter amount of time to target prime hours of fish activity. Winter- temperatures are cold and the best fishing occurs only during the warmest part of the day, making 3-4 hours perfect for targeting fish.
I totally understand the demand and rational for half day fishing trips. But I think that if you’re interested in fly fishing around here you’re going to get much more out of a full day fishing trip.
Half day wade fishing trips are certainly productive and perfect for certain times of the year. Here Randy got into some rising cutthroat trout on a cool late October afternoon.Full day float fishing trips allow anglers time to share stories during a streamside lunch. These guys also got out of the boat and wade fished the productive water we were anchored besideFull day trips also allow for exploration and off the beaten path waters.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2023-04-08 14:28:292023-04-08 14:28:29Half vs. Full Day Fly Fishing Trips
I love April here in Jackson Hole. The fly fishing can be some of the best of the year for those willing to put up with weather conditions that range from sunny and warm to blizzards. I’ve been out on the Snake over the past week doing a few guided trips and fun days and man has the fishing been good! Fish are eating midges, small black stoneflies and the large Skwala stones, etc. Yesterday we fished size 8 chubby chernobyl’s all day long. Big, chunky Snake River Cutthroat trout came to the net from start to finish.
Had the pleasure of fishing newly weds Dana and Connor on the Snake last week. They didn’t mind the cold temps, especially when they had fish on their linesConnor shows off his first ever cutthroat trout.Friend Rich casts to risers at Astoria. Rich and I waded down from the bridge for a few hours hooking numerous trout of midges and stoneflies. Then we met Jamie across the river for a soak in the hot springs.Now that’s how you spend a Saturday!!When the wife wants to fish, you fish. So great to float the Snake with Jamie and our good friend Rich. Here’s Jamie showing off one of many…
Looking forward to guiding the next two weeks to try and capitalize on the great pre runoff fishing. This time of year is tough to predict how long the window will be but I think things will be good well into next week at least. Looks like the Dam gods are about to up the flows out of Jackson Lake Dam. Hopefully this means that water levels will be consistent throughout the summer. See you on the water!
One of the many “doubles” these two put together. And I even managed to throw a few casts.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2022-04-25 14:09:492022-04-25 14:09:50April fishing on the Snake River
The other day was my first proper guided winter fly fishing trip of the season. It was cold, there was snow and ice and I had some eager vacationers from Georgia hell bent on wetting a line! We found a few cutthroat sipping midges off the surface but they were challenging due to the slow, gin clear water. After working a dry fly emerged for a while with no luck, I had Brooks and Lindsey switch to small pheasant tail nymphs stripped slowly under the surface. This produced and Brooks landed his first ever Snake River Cutthroat trout! As the sun started setting we switched to nymphs and caught some nice whitefish, including a monster. Overall it was a great day on the water and I have to give credit to Brooks and Lindsey for wanting to fish regardless of the cold.
Brooks shows off his hard earned winter Cutthroat trout on the Snake River!Lindsey with a HUGE Mountain Whitefish! One of the biggest I’ve seen. She did a heck of a job fighting this guy and bringing it to the net.Brooks and Lindsey are all smiles after a few hours of winter fly fishing in Jackson Hole.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2020-12-04 12:14:262020-12-04 12:14:27Winter Fly Fishing Kicks off
It’s been an extremely busy July around here. My days have/ are being spent with great folks casting dry flies to our local trout. In addition to wade trips, float fishing has really gotten good. Lately I’ve been floating anglers on the Snake and it’s great to be back on this old friend. Here’s a few pics from the last few weeks.
You author (and Teton Fly Fishing Guide) starting a morning on the Green with a casting lesson. It paid off… We were fortunate to see this amazing site on the drive home from fishing in Yellowstone a few weeks back. This Grizzy bear was feeding just off the road. One of the craziest things I’ve seen (from the safety of the truck!)On a rare day off, Jamie, Lulu and I hiked in to a local lake and caught a few cuttbows and brook trout. Loved how this fellow posed for a few snapshots before swimming off. Funny how you don’t notice the mosquitos bitting when you have a trout on the line. Matt landed this beautiful Yellowstone Cutthroat trout while fishing with me in the Park. He and his wife, Mercy were so much fun to spend the day with and I can’t think of a better way to end a day on the water! Learning to fly fish is hard enough, hooking and landing a fish on your first day out can be a battle. Pam did a great job floating the Snake with me. She hung in there after having numerous fish get off and was rewarded with this awesome Snake River Cutthroat trout! Hope to see her and Dave again!
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2020-07-27 07:16:392020-07-27 07:16:40July fly fishing in Jackson Hole
Well, this Covid thing is a mess! Fortunately all is well here at Teton Fly Fishing and I’m back up and running, taking folks fishing and booking trips for the summer. Lately I’ve been guiding some return clients out of the Dubois Fishing Cabin as well as doing some local walk-in trips. Additionally, I’ve made it a priority to get out camping and fishing with Jamie, Lulu and some good friends. It’s been really great being on the water and the warm temperatures lately have been icing on the cake!
Right now the best fly fishing trip options are to fish in Yellowstone Park and area lakes. Waters in Yellowstone like the Firehole aren’t affected by snowmelt like much of the freestone rivers around here. That, combined with some great hatches and a healthy population of brown and rainbow trout make it a great option right now. If you like stillwater, many of our area lakes are ice free and fishing well too. I love to cast streamers to fish cruising the shallows this time of year. It’s a great way to hook some nice fish!
Below are a few photos from recent fly fishing trips.
Jamie with a nice Green River Brown Trout Never doubt the power of the Black and Red (wooly bugger) Bob landed this beauty of Brown while fishing with me for a few days A little campfire music after a day of fly fishing in Wyoming I’ve taken advantage of the Covid situation to do some fishing too! I do love a nice brown trout!
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2020-05-28 12:54:592020-05-28 12:55:01Fly Fishing again around here!
