I want to fish the Gorge one more time this year, but haven't ever gone this late in the year. How is the Gorge in October? More specifically the weather and fishing? Im thinking of heading up to Dutch John either around the 5th or the 26th.
Do the macs bite better late in the season? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Cory
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Generally speaking, the macks bite great, but you catch a ton of 2-6 pound fish. October is pre-spawn fishing. On the lower end of the lake, Jarvies would be the spot, though the other humps down there will also have fish.
And If I could tell you what the weather will be like, I wouldn't have to guide and could fish anywhere in the world, anytime I wanted
] The weather here can't even be forecasted unless there's an obvious major storm or big high pressure ridge. Even then, I've seen it when we're surrounded by blizzard conditions, and its beautiful on the lake. (LOTS of times!) I've also seen howling wind storms for no apparent reason.
However, try to avoid the day after stronger cold fronts--those are notoriously windy. Also watch for pressure gradients--also windy. (incoming lows behind highs, and vice versa) Late October can be quite cold too. I'd do the 5th. That's definitely before spawing starts, and should be much warmer.
The beauty of October is that the fish are stacked up big time, and the fishing pressure is the lightest of the season because everyone is either "over it" or hunting!
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Great advice Jim. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
-Cory
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Captain Williams - You are a bundle of great information. Thanks for your willingness to share and help those of us who are new to mack fishing!
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Hi Jim -- I have always been one of those guys that has been real disappointed in the weather forecasts and how unreliable they are past 2 to 3 days out. So I was surfing around and ran into this site for Hang Gliders, Paraglides, etc. that project the winds. Of couse, the closest to the Gorge is Rock Springs.
So if ya get a chance please compare their wind forecast to the actual weather and let me know if these guys are any better at forecasting.
[url "http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi?Submit=Go&sta=KRKS&model=avn&state=WY"]http://www.usairnet.com/cgi-bin/launch/code.cgi?Submit=Go&sta=KRKS&model=avn&state=WY[/url]
Thanks
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Most sites, including the one you posted the link to, obtain their data from the National Weather Service. It even says so at the bottom of their page. And really, the NWS does a very good job in forecasting, considering that weather cannot be forecasted with any level of certainty beyond 24-48 hours. And Rock Springs forecasts are easier to make than those areas around the lake.
The main thing though is that the weather in Rock Springs or Evanston is usually different from the Utah portion of Flaming Gorge, especially when there are storms close by. The proximity of Stateline, Lucerne, and the canyon part of the lake to the Uintas (they touch!) greatly affects the weather on the lake. Add to that the large bluff to the west of Lucerne, the Henry's Fork valley on the border, and Goslin Mountain to the east, and it leaves the portion of the lake I fish the most in a "sucker hole." That hole is often a tunnel for wind, but also protected from clouds and the forces that allow for precipitation. Even the weather between Lucerne and Anvil Draw, just a few miles apart, can be vastly different, especially the wind.
I once received a lesson in this from "the great" Mark Eubanks, the retired KSL Channel 5 forecaster, and (IMO) the best forecaster the Rocky Mountains have ever had. He was a bit different, but took his job more serious than any other, and did it better than any other. He just didn't re-hash computer forecasts and try to be cute, he analyzed everything. He also told me that specific forecasts for Manila and the south end of Flaming Gorge didn't exist because, "It couldn't be done accurately due to the topography and uniqueness of its weather. Flaming Gorge has its own series of micro-climates," he said. Doug Miller introduced me to him once on a visit to Channel 5 one afternoon when they both worked there.
So, just plan your trip to the Gorge knowing you could see anything from beautiful and perfect to windy and unfishable. Usually, the mornings are nice, and the afternoons blow. If you're fishing from Anvil Draw north, the Rock Springs forecast is pretty accurate 24-36 hours in advance.
FYI-Its blowin' like hell today!!! Started about 10:30.
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Cory-
A few years ago I had some of the best smallmouth fishing I have ever had for bigger fish up there, on the 1st weekend in October. We fished broken rock points in the Wyoming end with 1/4 to 3/8 oz tube jigs 2.5" - 3.5", fished 25-35 feet deep, right on the ends of the points. We didn't catch a boat load of fish but we caught a dozen or so of the biggger fish and many were over 2 lbs. If I remember right the surface temp was in the low 50s.
As a bonus we caught a lot of "accidental 16" - 19" rainbows and macks up to 6 lbs or so up shallow. It was a hoot!
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In my opinion the best time on the Gorge is from about the third week in Oct till about the middle of November. I don't fish for macs, but the rainbow and brown fishing can be amazing! A boat helps, but just to get to different shoreline locals. The fish are trying to spawn, and they are looking for red gravel in 4-10 feet of water. Throw 2 inch tube jigs in 1/16 ounce in green hues or
clear -smoke with flakes. Sheep creek bay and Buckboard are good places to start.
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