The South Fork of the Snake River
Native cutthroat trout in one of the West's best tailwaters

Intro | System | Hatches | Seasons

The South Fork of the Snake River has native fine-spotted cutthroat (above), brown, and rainbow trout. Rainbows are percieved as a threat to the native trout and anglers are asked not to release any rainbows they catch here.

It is no surprise that for decades the South Fork of the Snake didn't get much notice from visiting anglers. Though it is only about an hour's drive from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and you can be on the water in a half hour if you drive from Idaho Falls, it is shadowed by more famous rivers like the Henry's Fork, Madison, and Yellowstone Rivers.

Even though I grew up only an hour away, I seldom fished the river. Not only were the Henry's Fork and Teton River much closer, but I was intimidated by the vastness and size of the big river. It wasn't until I began to understand the secrets of this magnificent river that I began to pay it the attention it deserves. Like many large rivers, the South Fork can be intimidating. You need to learn to break it up and sample it a portion at a time. By late summer hundreds of riffles, gravel bars, pools, runs, and side channels provide endless opportunities for wade-fishing. I like to think of the South Fork as a bunch of spring creeks all rolled into one.

The bulk of the trout population is native cutthroat, with a few browns and rainbows sprinkled in. In my youth most of the streams in Southeastern Idaho held good numbers of cutthroats. However, the cutthroat population has lost a lot of ground on other streams due to habitat degradation, impacts from introduced exotic species, and other factors. The South Fork is still one of those places where you can catch several dozen cutthroats in the 15- to 20-inch range in a single day on dry flies. It can be a pleasant change after you've had your butt kicked on the Henry's Fork.

What I like most about the South Fork is that the fish like to feed in some of the smallest water. On any given day you'll see dozens of good fish sipping in the shallow riffles and slicks. The water is so clear you can usually see most of the trout feeding under the water. This makes it an excellent place to understand how trout respond to your presentation and fly pattern.

Mike Lawson is former owner of the Henry's Fork Angler. His latest book is Spring Creeks, published by Stackpole Books. He lives in St. Anthony, Idaho.

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