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Fly Fishing
in Jackson Hole |
Fly Fishing In Jackson Hole
Gros Ventre River & Lower Slide Lake
Open Season: April 1 - October 31. Runoff season typically runs from early to mid-May through late-June/early-July during which time the river is unfishable.
Best Time of Year to Fish: From the end of run-off through August. Longer if there are sufficient amounts of water.
Best Time of Day to Fish: As with most cutthroat fishing, middle of the day is best, excepting early or late hatches.
Species: Snake River Fine-spotted Cutthroat Trout, small population of remnant rainbows, whitefish
Access: From Jackson, drive north on Route 89/191 into Grand Teton National Park. Once in the park, take the first right (about 7 miles from town) onto Antelope Flats Road. Follow this road for about 1 mile past the Town of Kelly and take a right on Gros Ventre Road. Following Gros Ventre Road you will soon exit Grand Teton National Park. Immediately on the right (upon exiting the park) is a small parking area. You can park here, ford the stream, and fish downstream from here for a mile or two. Just upstream of this parking area is the Gros Ventre River Ranch which is private. Do not attempt to ford the Gros Ventre in high water. The bottom is unstable and you may be swept into a deep pool at the base of a small cliff.
Continuing past Gros Ventre River Ranch you will go uphill and soon have some beautiful views looking down on the river below. Once on top of the hill, the second parking area on the right leads to a mild downhill hike to the river. We don't recommend driving down to the river, if it rains you'll be stuck. Also do not try to hike straight down the hillside, it is very steep. Use the trail (which is actually a beat up 4-wheel drive road).
If you continue up Gros Ventre Road you'll soon see the Gros Ventre Slide Geologic Area on your right. Just past this parking lot is Taylor Ranch Road which will take you to the outlet of Lower Slide Lake. Park about 100 yards before the bridge and fish downstream from the outlet.
Hatches: Caddis in size 14 and yellow stoneflies in size 10 from late June through mid to late July. Then the usual hopper scene for the rest of the summer.
Flies: Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Trudes, Jay-Dave's Hopper, Tarantulas. HOT TIP: Humpies (red, yellow or royal, sizes 14-10) can be deadly along this stretch of river. Also, put a spilt shot on and fish the Humpy like a nymph...very effective!
You can also nymph the abundant pocket water with large rubber legged nymphs like George's Brown Stone Rubber Leg Nymph, Yuk Bugs and Bitch Creeks (or, and I'm not kidding, Double Humpies).
Points of Interest: The Gros Ventre Slide was created when, in 1923, the side of Sheep Mountain slid into the river, forming Lower Slide Lake (see below). The unstable dam twice gave way soon thereafter, flooding the Town of Kelly until being fortified to its present day condition.
Comments: The Gros Ventre River (pronounced 'grow-vont') flows from it's headwaters in the Gros Ventre Mountain Range which forms much of the eastern boundary of Jackson Hole. It is a beautiful, largely undeveloped region with abundant wildlife. The river itself is a swift medium-sized freestoner providing plentiful pocketwater, runs and pools. Not much in the way of riffles here.
Thoroughly wading this section of the river requires a certain amount of dexterity and conditioning, especially in the slide area. If you are unsure of your wading abilities, stick to the streambanks, from which much of the river can be fished anyways. Floating fishing here is not a realistic option.
Trout range in size from 8" to 16" with 10" being about average. They are, however, quite abundant and will put up quite a fight in the swift flowing water. They will usually gobble up dry flies, but nymphing is always an option. 3- and 4-weight rods can be a lot of fun.
If you are wondering why we are not talking much about the Gros Ventre River downstream of the Town of Kelly it is because, until it is about to enter the Snake River, it really doesn't have that much great trout habitat. However, there are some fish and access is pretty easy along Antelope Flats Road before reaching Kelly. It's a good option if you don't have a lot of time.
Lower Slide Lake
Lower Slide Lake doesn't get a lot of attention from Jackson Hole fly fishers, not because of a lack of trout, but rather because of the abundance of other angling opportunities. There is a boat ramp and the lake is not so big that small boats are unsafe (though care must be taken at all times when boating anywhere in this region).
Good size Lake Trout can be found here as well as cutthroats, which can sometimes be found rising along the shoreline in the early evening.
