The 2008 Forecast

Snake River, WY — Don’t worry about angling restrictions on the Snake — it flows
out of Yellowstone and Teton National parks and runs cold all year. Hope for a drop in flows by September this year and get out there at that time. September and October provide a dream- scape of fall colors, the Teton Mountains rising to the heavens, and big, native Snake River cutts rising to attractors.

South Fork Boise River, ID — Biologists can’t explain why the South Fork Boise is producing so many giant 20- to 30-inch rainbows these days and anglers don’t have time to ask for answers. Nobody, including biologists, knows how long this spike in big trout numbers will last. All anglers can do is take advantage of that feast while the getting is good.

Coeur d’ Alene and St. Joe rivers, ID — These streams continue to host record
numbers and record average size native cut-throats. And they flow through some of the wildest forestlands in the northern Rockies. Taking a trip to fish either of these streams allows for excellent dry fly fishing and an opportunity to hike up some remote tributary streams and adjacent independent streams that also hold good fish and remain secrets
among the local angling community. Bring the kids — you’re fishing for cutthroats here — and some imagination. Summers are meant for this type of trip.

Antero Reservoir, CO — Last season provided a once in a lifetime fishery for anglers who threw a line on Antero. The fishing was so good that the Colorado Division of Wildlife had to enact emergency regulations to protect the reservoir’s giant trout. If those fish survived the winter it will be a free-for-all on the reservoir this season with lots of double-digit weight fish arriving in the net.

Those are just a few suggestions from a fine lineup of excellent angling options you’ll read about in Tight Lines 2008. Again, don’t limit yourself entirely to guided trips and the bow of a drift boat. Take advantage of that option if you can, but ask questions about other fisheries that are difficult to access and still provide excellent options. Angling is a mystery and the depth of water holds secretes that pry at the imagination.
When you spy a piece of water, with your own eyes or on a map, ask the questions: could it hold fish? Would fish from another stream use it to spawn? If so, when would those fish move in and out of that water? Has anyone ever cast a line on it? How big could its fish be?

I hope you have a great 2008 season, full of giants on the end of your line.