August 14th 2025

We woke up early to get to the river around 11:00. I picked up my friend Mark at 6:00. It was still dark, and you could see the fire that started the day before in the foothills of North Ogden. Luckily, the fire spared the homes that were around it. We picked up my other buddy Dustin in Willard around 6:30and we were on our way. It’s a three and a half hour drive from Ogden to the South Fork of the Snake River in eastern Idaho. We didn’t want to get there too early and be in the middle of the guide wave that usually departs between 8:00 and 10:00. 

We got to the ramp at 11:00 after stopping at the local fly shop, and bought some overpriced flies that didn’t float very well and ended up breaking hooks after very little use. More on that later. 

This time of year, getting a start in the middle of the day means high temps, which generally don’t bode well for trout. But 13,000 CFS coming out of the dam kept the water in a range that trout will stay active. But that didn’t seem to matter much anyway; we had a slow day. The South Fork is big water. I have fished it a lot in the past, but mostly during fall months when water levels are lower. There are more gravel bars and places that hold fish that are easier to target. 

Hoppers were the intended tactic for the day. Next to an aggressive streamer take, hoppers are a close second and a favorite! Although it was a slow day, I did get a good one hooked, but he went straight to the bottom and got me tangled in a moss bed, and he came unbuttoned. All I pulled up was a pile of moss and sticks.

I decided to try something different to see if I could change my luck. I tied on a streamer, and after a half hour of only getting one decent look from a big Brown and getting a fly stuck in my face during a wind gust, Dustin had to do surgery to get out. I went back to the hopper to finish off the day. I still love to fish the South Fork. But during the summer months, it’s just too crowded for me. I hope that in the next year or two, I can plan some trips for the spring or fall when it’s not as busy. We ended up in Thayne, Wyoming, at Dad’s Bar that night and had one of the best Prime rib sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life! Pairing that with a cold beer, LIFE WAS GOOD!