Idaho Tailwater
South Fork Snake River Fishing Report, Flows and Hatches
A big tailwater below Palisades Dam and one of the great cutthroat rivers in the West. Diverse hatches, plenty of water, and fish that will still look up.
Tailwater
Idaho
5,360 ft
Gauge 13032500
Right now
Live conditions
An expert read, in your pocket
Rivus knows your river right now. Live conditions, what’s hatching, and what to tie on, the moment you open it.
When the day turns and nothing’s working, ask Eddy and change the plan.
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The hatch chart
South Fork Snake River hatch chart
The emergences that come off the South Fork Snake by month, straight from the Rivus hatch model.
| Hatch | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midge Midge, #18-22 | ||||||||||||
Skwala Stonefly, #10-14 | ||||||||||||
Blue Winged Olive Mayfly, #12-22 | ||||||||||||
Grannom / Mother's Day Caddis Caddis, #14-16 | ||||||||||||
Pale Morning Dun Mayfly, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Salmonfly Stonefly, #4-8 | ||||||||||||
Golden Stonefly Stonefly, #6-8 | ||||||||||||
Caddisfly Caddis, #14-18 | ||||||||||||
Little Yellow Sally Stonefly, #12-14 | ||||||||||||
Grasshopper / Terrestrial Hopper, #8-12 |
How it fishes
A Idaho tailwater
A tailwater runs out of the bottom of a dam, so the water comes out cold and steady all year. That stable temperature is why the bugs stay small and the hatches run like clockwork, and it is why the fish grow picky and well fed. The flip side is that the dam sets the flow, not the weather, so a release can change the river overnight. You read the gauge, not the sky.
Flow and gauge
Reading the flows
The South Fork Snake is metered at USGS gauge 13032500. Watch the trend as much as the number: a river that is dropping and clearing fishes very differently from one that is coming up.
Access and regulations
Before you fish
Access and the right to fish are the angler’s responsibility, every time. Public access, private water, and seasonal closures vary along the river, so confirm where you can legally stand and wade before you go. We do not point you to a specific spot.
Read the current rules, license requirements, and any special-regulation water before you go. Regulations change season to season, so check them fresh.
Flow and water temperature from USGS, weather from NWS and NOAA, refreshed hourly. Real-time USGS readings are provisional and subject to revision. The hatch chart and river read are Rivus model output.