The Green near Warren Bridge and North has had an incredible start to the season with excellent streamer and nymph fishing. As for this week, we should enjoy the halt in rising water with the cool weather that is upon us. The river saw a mild spike a few days ago and will likely rise slowly, but the water color should stay very fishable.

The New Fork is in a similar situation to the Green as usual: a small spike in water levels but stabilizing now. The major difference—especially for those fishing the southern reaches of the river—is the amount of water coming in from tributaries like Pole Creek. Pole is quite muddy, but surprisingly, the New Fork clears up considerably within a mile of the confluence. Large, flashy subsurface bugs should do the trick.

The fishing below Fontenelle Dam has been extraordinarily productive as of late. Still mostly subsurface and the water levels are holding steady as they fill the reservoir ahead of runoff. Hopefully soon the fish begin to look up more and eat on the surface on sunny days. Until then, look for pods of fish conglomerating in large, deep pools at the tailouts of riffles.

The Bighorn near Thermopolis has been good over the course of the past few weeks but slowed down a bit this weekend. The fish are still actively eating small nymphs, and occasionally, they can be coerced into eating a streamer. Hatches of small baetis have plagued the surface of the river, but not many fish have been seen eating them. With the amount of bug activity, it’s only a matter of time before the fish find the meal above them.