Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - may2008 - Index

58
A Guide’s Guide
The next morning found me standing on the second floor balcony
of the Angler’s Inn in Jackson Hole trying to soak up all the scenery.
Our hotel was just what anglers love: clean and affordable, with
an environment that’s rustic and quiet as a grave at night. The “no
vacancy” sign I’d noticed coming in the night before was a common
sight in Jackson Hole, and I was glad I’d made my reservations much
earlier in the month. By 8:30 that morning Jim’s pickup pulled into
the parking lot and we quickly stowed our gear.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jim Hickey, a partner in World
Cast Anglers, for nearly ten years. I first met Jim when he and his
wife Jenny were guiding in my home state of Virginia, and where I
fished with him on more than one occasion. Jim is the consummate
professional guide that can handle a drift boat better than most folks
can drive their car. He’s constantly tinkering with fly patterns (his
Hickey’s Condor is a must for Virginia smallies), and he’s a superb
caster to boot. Jim is a long time member of the USA Fly Fishing
Team, and his team placed sixth in the world games in 2006. Jim’s
so good, in fact, that he and his partners actually teach a week-long
guide’s school. Some folks who take the course are newbies trying to
break into the business, while others just want to brush up on their
skills and need an outside assessment of how they stack up against
their peers. Of all the qualities Jim possesses as a guide, however, his
greatest skill is reading people. He knows when to encourage or correct
a client, as well as when to keep quiet. This, no doubt, is why he
didn’t correct me when I mentioned the “injured trout.”
The South Fork of the Snake
The Snake River is known for being one of best cutthroat trout
fisheries in the West, and boast thousands of trout per mile ranging
from 15 to 24 inches. Anglers from across the country, and the world,
The South Fork of the Snake is a misnomer of sorts, as it implies that there might be a North
Fork. The Snake River is actually broken up into multiple sections stretching nearly 70 miles
come here for the smashing surface takes by hungry cutts feasting
on the large terrestrials. This surface slam-fest occurs in the summer,
and since I was fishing in September the terrestrial action was not an
option, but that didn’t keep the fish from biting. Anglers who can’t
make it to the Snake in prime-time months should remember that
the shoulder season from late August to mid October is still a good
time to fish here. Cutthroats aren’t the only option, as rainbows and
browns call this water home as well. As a matter of fact, the rainbow
population is so large that Idaho Game and Fish asks that you keep
any rainbows you catch, no matter their size!
The South Fork of the Snake is a misnomer of sorts, as it implies
that there might be a North Fork. The Snake River is actually
broken up into multiple sections stretching nearly 70 miles from
Wyoming into Idaho, the last portion in Idaho being referred to as
the South Fork. This fishery is a tailwater produced by the Palisades
Dam. Although the river had a good flow while I was there, the
color was off as silt clouded what would normally be crystal-clear
waters. Generally speaking, anglers here can normally see up to
five feet in depth.
Finding the Strike Zone
I’m not a novice fly angler by any standard, but I do not consider
myself an expert either. I was humbled, however, by how long it took
me to get into the groove of fishing this extraordinary river. There are
two principal methods of fishing here when casting dry flies is not your
first choice. The first is to nymph with a double rig—usually a size-10
prince nymph followed by a dropper. The dropper can be any variety
of smaller patterns down to size-24. A small amount of weight can be
added above the first fly, with a double indicator used about two feet
above the first. Nearly all of this fishing is done from a drift boat, so
anglers rarely have to cast more than 30 feet at the outside.