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
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We’re watching the snow fall and preparing to join friends for food and drinks.
Had a few groups of adventurous anglers lately. Fortunately the weather was pretty decent around here (until today), making for some respectable late season fly fishing. We worked hard for our fish but had some great days!
Newly minted doctors, Andrew and Dave traveled from FL to celebrate their new careers and see what Wyoming fly fishing is all about!Susanna and her husband, Sema joined me for two good days of wade fishing on the Snake River. We even found some cutthroat trout rising to midges!Semi showing off one of the many nice trout he caught while wade fishing with me in mid-November.Amanda hooked up on a balmy November dayJeremiah shows off a nice whitefish that fell for his nymph. In addition to getting into fish, Jeremiah and his wife Amanda learned a bunch!
Hope everyone had a good Holiday season. Ours was pretty low key, opting to stay in Jackson and celebrate Christmas/New Years with friends. We’ve been getting a lot snow so far this winter. This is great for our fisheries and also has kept temperatures fairly mild (high 20s-30s).
I’ve had the pleasure of guiding a few folks over the past few weeks on winter wade fishing trips on the Snake River here in Jackson. As some of you know, winter fishing is a bit of a crap shoot. I’ve had some great days over the years on the water in the winter months and also had some really tough ones! I’d say the past couple trips have been on the harder side. Fish are laying low in the cold water and not willing to move much for flies. We’ve gotten some sporadic action dead drifting nymphs, but so far midge/surface action has remained elusive. Regardless, the clients I’ve taken have had a great time learning and honing their fishing skills. It’s really fun as a guide to work with folks who have a basic understanding of fly casting, reading water, etc and help them gain a good foundation they can take home with them.
Definitely always worth getting out on the water in the wintertime. I suspect we’ve got another month or so before consistent midge hatch start rolling. March and April are some of my favorite times to be on the water. Lack of other anglers and hungry cutthroat trout make for a great time. Below are a few photos of the adventurous anglers who fished with me lately.
John works a quiet back-eddy pool on the Snake river during a snowstorm. This was John’s first proper fly fishing trip and he walked away with a lot more knowledge and confidence. Looking forward to fishing John again this summer.All smiles in a snow storm!Great day yesterday with part-time Buffalo Valley resident Norma Jean! Super fun angler who’s working on taking her skills to the next level.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2023-01-12 10:58:362023-01-12 10:58:38Winter Fly Fishing to kick off the New Year
Another great fly fishing season here at Teton Fly Fishing has come to a close.
What a year it was. Waters I fish treated us well and provided excitement to visiting anglers. The boat has been put away for a few months and I’m beginning to tie flies for next season. Despite the winter, I expect to do quite a few walk in winter wade fishing trips with folks looking to experience winter fly fishing in the valley. If you’re coming out and want to sneak some fishing in, give me a shout and if the weather isn’t too cold, I’m happy to take you out. Also happy to host guests in the winter at the fishing cabin in Dubois. Winter can be a fun time to fish the Wind River.
Since I was a slacker this season and didn’t post much (when the fish are biting, my attention to this blog wanes) I though I’d share a few pictures from the season…
Not much finer than a wild Yellowstone Cutthroat trout caught in its’ home water. I love fishing folks in Yellowstone Park, particularly when the Green Drakes and Salmonflies are hatching!Upper Snake Birthday fun. Good friends Rich and Duncan joined me on my birthday for a rare day off. Couldn’t have asked for a better dayDerek, a longtime regular, caught this beast of a rainbow while fishing the Green with me.Hooked up on the Salt River! I love fishing this intimate little river an hour south of Jackson. While the fish aren’t big, the hatches and slow currents make for a fun, challenging day.Who says lake fly fishing isn’t fun? We had some great days twitching hoppers for aggressive browns and rainbows!Father Son Double on the Snake RiverCatherine with a nice Cutthroat trout on the Snake. Always fun fishing her and her dad, Bill each September.Me and some of my favorites! Craig, Bob and Mark have been fishing with me for years. What a crew!Western Fly fishing at its finest; Randy experience a great late fall day on Flat Creek with me.
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/154ECF7E-20F0-425B-BDD3-647FDA9B4E36.jpg670900Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2022-12-09 09:33:102022-12-09 09:33:12Wrap on the Teton Fly Fishing 2022 season
Since it’s the first of December, I thought it necessary to do an end of season wrap up and talk about the fly fishing opportunities for the winter season. This past fishing season was a busy one. It was great to fish with new folks as well as returning clients. Water levels in the valley proved challenging at times. Most of our tributaries were low all season while the Snake flowed above average all season to satisfy irrigation demands in Idaho. Despite all this, the fishing remained pretty good and we had a great time.
I recently put the drift boat away for the season and am now doing afternoon wade fishing trips. With temperatures dropping and daylight fading, it’s best to focus on the warmest part of the day for fishing success. Dennis and Son, Ace joined me recently for some wade fishing and we found some willing fish to help celebrate Thanksgiving.
With the season slowing, Jamie and I made an escape to Florida where we spent a week with good friends. While it wasn’t a proper fishing trip, I was able to spend some time targeting Snook along the beaches. These fish proved difficult but there were some hook-ups and I finally managed to get one to hand! Next week I’m off to Belize for 5 days of fishing. I’ll be sure to post a report when I return.
Matt is all smiles with this birthday cutthroat. One of my good friends here, it was fun fishing with him and his son Frank who has come into his own as a fly fisherman.All smiles with a hook-up. Got to take a good group of guys fishing in Yellowstone on the last day the park was open for the season. In addition to some nice fish, we had a grizzly hanging out in the meadow with us all day.Sometimes, after a long season, you just need to find some hot water to sit in.Snook on the beach in Anna Maria Island Florida. Boy do I love saltwater fly fishing. Now if only I could find a beach house to buy!Ace with his first fish of the day. Not bad for a 12 year old.Dennis shows off a nice colorful cutthroat trout from the Snake. Wade fishing proved a successful way to work off the turkey
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2021-12-01 12:32:172021-12-01 12:32:18End of season and the beginning of winter
Had the pleasure of taking some new folks fly fishing this past week. The winter fishing here in Jackson Hole has been pretty good. As some of you know, the Snake is the go-to place for casting a fly in the winter. Days can vary from tough to great. Because of snow depth, access can be difficult. Fortunately several bridges over the Snake allows wade fishing anglers the ability to find productive water. My client today, Leslie, caught a lot of fish and was blown away by the number of heads poking through the surface gorging on midges. Definitely a fun time and since temperatures are warming and days getting longer, the fishing will just get better!
Leslie had a hell of a day dry fly fishing! Great way to kick of March
Matthew shows off a great cutt. It was a cold one but he was rewarded.
Dan getting it done in the Cold. First Snake River Cutthroat trout! Real pleasure taking Dan and his friends Cory and Josh out for a day.
Headshot of a native
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2021-03-01 21:41:052021-03-01 21:41:33Some good days on the water!
Kicked February off with a little fly fishing this past weekend. Conditions were far from ideal; wind, snow, cold temperatures, but my friends Seth, Rich and I decided to rally. We ended up doing pretty well nymph fishing, landing whitefish, rainbow and brown trout. After a few hours, we retreated to the cabin and warmed up with a fire in the wood stove, whiskey and sloppy joes.
A nice chunky winter rainbow
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2021-02-09 10:08:312021-02-09 10:08:32A little fishing to kick off February
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
We’re plugging through winter here in Jackson Hole and I’ve been fortunate to have had some great folks wanting to get in on some winter fly fishing while visiting on ski vacations. In typical winter fashion, the Snake River has made us work for our fish, but anglers walked away happy. Much winter fly fishing success relies on finding good holding water. Fish in the winter like to hold in deep, slower water where they don’t have to expend lots of energy. If you find the right kind of water, you can usually fool a couple fish.
Most of our fishing has been dead-drifting nymphs, but as days get longer and a bit warmer, fish are also being caught on the surface. These midge hatches can last 10 minutes or an hour or two depending on the weather. The other day I was out with three great guys visiting from Canada. Trevor, Rich and John decided to take a day off from skiing and joined me on the river. All being novices, I taught them about reading water, bugs and winter fishing. In the end we managed a few fish to net and lost some others. The highlight for me came when we found a pod of cutthroat trout aggressively feeding on the surface on the edge of some fast water. After a few casts, John got his presentation just right and was rewarded when a beautiful cutthroat came up under his fly and inhaled it. Then it promptly ran down river, eventually breaking off. Despite not landing the fish, it was an awesome experience and one John likely won’t forget.
Rich meeting a Snake River Cutthroat trout; his first fish ever on a fly rod. Not bad for a day off from skiing!
https://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.png00Nathan Bennetthttps://tetonflyfishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tenton-fish-logo.pngNathan Bennett2020-03-02 08:41:472020-03-02 08:41:50Some good February Fishing
