ESPN Freshwater

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Along its length, the Snake River offers about everything a freshwater fisherman in the Northwest can imagine.

On its lower end it offers everything from 10-plus-foot sturgeon, ocean-going steelhead and trout and exceptional smallmouth bass and catfishing.

Its middle is dominated by warmwater fisheries, with trout as a sideline.

On the upper end of the Snake River, however, trout remain supreme, although there is an improving smallmouth fishery developing as far upstream as American Falls Reservoir, and there are a sturgeon here as well.

This F&H News map story focuses on four winter tailrace fisheries on the upper Snake River, including the South Fork below Palisades Dam; the Henrys Fork below Ashton and Chester dams; the Shelley-to-Gem Lake Dam stretch on the main Snake below Gem State Dam; and the Eagle Rock and below section downstream from American Falls Dam.

These four fisheries vary greatly in terms of the type of fishing they offer.

You can chase native cutthroat casting tiny size 18 to 22 midge patterns on the South Fork, or work the bottom below Gem Lake using large white tube jigs on three-eighths-ounce heads.

There are bait fishing options, and fly fishing-only sections. Each tailrace is worth exploring for the unique fishery it offers.

The South Fork is in pristine mountain scenery, and anglers willing to wade through a little snow can find plenty of native cutthroat mixed with healthy populations of brown trout, rainbows and whitefish.

Remember, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is encouraging the harvest of rainbows on the South Fork, which now features year-round fishing on its length.

Anglers' efforts of harvesting rainbows are paying off.

Catching and whacking rainbows in this fishery is benefiting the native cutthroat population.

On the Henrys Fork, fishing is open immediately below the Ashton Dam to protect spawning fish, but this is a tailrace fishery worth mentioning.

Where it's open downstream from below the Vernon (Fritz) Bridge, this section of the Henrys Fork is an excellent winter/early spring fishery for rainbows, including a fair smattering of hawgs over 20 inches.

Overall, the Snake below Gem Lake is a lesser-known fishery except among devoted locals who don't brag about the numbers of fish they catch.

But the sizes can be impressive for both brown trout and rainbows. There's more about that below.

The Snake River is closed for a good long ways below American Falls Reservoir, but where it is open, from the signs at Eagle Rock downstream, it can offer decent action on rainbows, and in this section 'bows from 3 to 5 pounds are always a possibility. Just don't count on catching a lot of fish, and access is limited.

South Fork Snake

The South Fork is strong winter tailrace fishery offering decent options from just below Palisades Dam downstream through the canyon all the way to its confluence with the Henrys Fork.

Dan Hurzeler at Fin Chasers (208-557-0333) said fly fishing for whitefish has been good early this winter, and it should be turning on for trout.

"It seems like there is a transition after the browns spawn when the whitefish fishing is good, then it takes a while for the trout fishing to come back on," Hurzeler said.

"It's weird — the whitefish bite comes on and the trout bite comes on behind it."

By mid- and late January, trout and whitefish action should be decent. Look for both species in the riffles and pools.

"Any kind of beadhead can be good, like Lightning Bugs, Copper Johns, and you can't go wrong with the old standard, a beadhead Pheasant Tail," Hurzeler said. "There will also be some midges and Blue-Winged Olives coming off."

Try Copper Johns in red or green.

The Lightning Bug is "sort of a cross between a Prince Nymph and Copper John and works well in pearl and green," said Hurzeler.

Use your nymphs with a strike indicator and as much split shot as you need to get the fly down to where you want it.

There is no limit here on rainbows; it's strictly catch-and-release on cutthroat, and there is a two-fish limit on brown trout, none under 16 inches.

Henrys Fork below Ashton and Chester dams

"Below Ashton and Chester dams I catch bigger fish now and in early spring than I do after runoff and in the summer," Hurzeler said.

"You can get fish over 20 inches and even bigger in the colder months."

The same beadheads, midge and BWO patterns listed for the South Fork work here also, and Hurzeler has another favorite: a San Juan Worm.

"I love fishing San Juan Worms in that section right now, in reds and oranges in about a size 12," he said, "and I usually put another little beadhead below it, like a Dazzle Prince in the copper or yellow."

This section can feature prolific hatches of midges and BWOs throughout winter and early spring. Access is near Ashton and Chester off of Highway 20.

Check your regulations for details because there are a variety of special regs in place on the Henrys Fork.

Below either of these, Tailrace is a good bet, although access is limited.

Review pages 55-57 of the IDFG fishery regulations before fishing this section of the Henrys Fork.

It is closed from Ashton Dam downstream to the Vernon (Fritz) Bridge, and there is a two-fish, 16-inch limit on this section.

Gem State Dam tailrace

Located downstream from the town of Idaho Falls in the agricultural country of the upper Snake River Plain, this section of the Snake River is a sleeper, from just below the dam downstream to Shelly and Firth.

"They don't catch a lot of fish, but it's the size of the fish that keeps them coming back," Hurzeler said.

"You never hear the number stories, just the size stories. We see some of these fish, so I know a lot of it isn't talking."

Those who know this stretch can catch trout in the 4- to 6-pound range, even larger.

"It fishes really well this time of year with a big Berkley Power Tube in camo or pearlescent," said Hurzeler.

"They just dead drift the tube through the current, fishing it like a dead minnow. Quarter- and three-eighths-ounce jigheads are most popular."

This section is also good for bait fishermen, and for throwing Rapalas, spinners, spoons and large streamers.

The entire section of the Snake, from American Falls Reservoir upstream to Gem State Dam, is becoming more popular with anglers with jet boats.

American Falls tailrace

Although it is closed from American Falls Dam downstream 30 miles to Eagle Rock, the open section downstream from Eagle Rock can be a worthwhile winter fishery, either accessed at Massacre Rocks, or further upstream off of I-86's exit 33 (although the dirt access road to Eagle Rock is not maintained in the winter and can be impassable).

During extreme cold snaps, this section can freeze over, and further downstream it can be ice fished.

When it has open water, however, it's a good all-around fishery for bait dunkers, lure fishermen and fly fishermen using streamers, beadheads and small jigs.

"The trout there average about 16 inches and run a lot bigger," said John Taylor at Ace Hardware and Outdoor Sports (208-232-8722) in Pocatello.

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