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Slicing between the Caribou and Snake River mountain ranges, the South Fork Snake River flows across eastern Idaho for 66 magnificent miles. The South Fork begins its run at Palisades Dam near the Wyoming border, meanders through a scenic mountain valley reminiscent of the Paradise Valley reach of the Yellowstone, disappears into a rugged canyon, and finally spills onto a broad floodplain before joining the Henrys Fork (also known as the North Fork of the Snake River).
Until a few decades ago, the South Fork was a well-kept secret know to but a small handful of local anglers and boaters. Today, it is renowned for its spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, and superb dry fly fishing. While the wild trout fishery is its biggest draw, the South Fork’s most valuable ecological asset is its sprawling riparian cottonwood forest. This lush oasis, one of the largest of its kind in the West, harbors 126 bird species (including Idaho’s largest population of bald eagles) and an astonishing 260 wildlife species including moose, mule and whitetail deer, cougar, bobcat, black bear, river otter and mink. Tim Palmer, famed river conservationist and author of The Snake River: Window to the West, said of the South Fork: “This reach of the Snake is to the Rockies what the Everglades are to the Southeast.”
Despite its tremendous ecological value, the South Fork faces a host of serious threats. Management of Palisades Dam for the benefit downstream irrigators has drastically altered the natural flow regime, which has prevented flood-dependent cottonwood forests along the river from regenerating. These unnatural flows have greatly benefited non-native rainbow trout at the expense of native Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Booming riverside development around Swan Valley and the accompanying increase in bank stabilization and flood control projects threatens to degrade water quality and channelize the river. GYC is addressing this latter problem by working with local citizens, planning officials, and elected leaders to pass new planning and zoning regulations that steer development out of the floodplain.
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FISHING REPORTS
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STREAM FLOWS
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