Troutline

Snake River

Wyoming·Jackson Hole·43.65° N, 110.70° W
Flow
1,930 CFS
Snake R above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch
Water Temp
43°F
Snake R above Jackson Lake at Flagg Ranch
Condition
Well Below Normal
Weather
31°F
Partly Cloudy

Insights

Pressure
Pressure dropping
Surface feeding window opens ahead of the front — watch for risers before conditions shift.
Sky
Overcast skies
Fish feed subsurface and on streamers through midday; longer activity window, less spooky.
Flow
Flow 1,930 CFS — low
Tight casting and longer leaders required — focus banks, eddies, and seams where fish hold.
Snowpack
Snowpack 72% of normal
Runoff will taper early; expect flows to drop sooner and water temps to warm by midsummer.

The Snake River through Jackson Hole is the home water of the Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat — a subspecies that lives almost nowhere else and that has shaped local fly fishing identity for decades. The fishable run starts at Jackson Lake Dam in Grand Teton National Park and continues roughly 75 miles south through the GTNP corridor, past the town of Jackson, into the Snake River Canyon, and on to Palisades Reservoir at the Idaho line. The signature water is the GTNP and South Park stretches — wide, braided gravel-bottom freestone in a glacial valley with the Tetons looming to the west.

It fishes as a classic float-driven Western trout river. The standard day is a drift-boat trip out of Moose, Deadman's Bar, or Wilson, throwing terrestrial dries and attractors along the cut banks. Finespotted cutthroat are aggressive surface eaters — Chernobyls, hoppers, and big attractor dries take fish from late June through October. Wading is genuinely productive in the slower upper section above Moose and along the levees at Wilson and South Park; downstream, braided channels and high gradient demand a boat. Runoff carries through May into mid-June; the river typically becomes fishable around July 1 and stays in good shape into November.

The corridor town is Jackson, with major fly shops at Jack Dennis on the Town Square, Snake River Anglers at Moose, Westbank Anglers in Wilson, and WorldCast Anglers 27 miles west in Victor, ID. Drive times: 5 hours from Salt Lake City, 5 hours from Bozeman, 8 hours from Denver. Pressure is real on the South Park and Wilson floats in July and August, but it concentrates on a few popular put-ins — earlier starts and lower-traffic options above Pacific Creek or in the canyon above Alpine spread anglers out. The 2026 regulation refresh doubled the daily limit on the Jackson Lake Dam tailwater stretch from three trout to six and removed length restrictions there, but the rest of the WY river retains the standard six-trout limit on cutthroat. The Snake River Canyon below West Table Creek is rafted as Class III whitewater and only fished by guides running whitewater-capable boats.

Species

SpeciesAbundanceBest SeasonSizeNotes
Cutthroat TroutAbundantJul-Oct10-18"Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat — a subspecies found almost nowhere else. Bronze body with fine spots from head to tail. Aggressive dry-fly eaters; Chernobyl and hopper takes can be violent.
Brown TroutCommonSep-Oct12-22"Less abundant than cutthroat. Concentrated in the deeper runs of South Park and the canyon mouth toward Palisades. Best on streamers in fall pre-spawn.
Mountain WhitefishCommonYear-round10-16"Native and abundant throughout. Take small nymphs aggressively; often the day-saver on slow surface days.
Ideal wading flow1,500–3,500 CFS
Blow-out>12,000 CFS
Ideal water temp50–62°F

July (post-runoff, salmonflies), August (terrestrials, peak dry-fly along cut banks), September (cool, less pressure, aggressive cutthroat), October (October Caddis, BWO, brown pre-spawn). Closed-to-fishable transition usually happens around July 1 when runoff drops below 6,000 CFS at Moose.

Sections

7 sections on this river

Jackson Lake Dam to Pacific Creek

Wade & FloatCutthroat · Rainbow Trout

12 miles of slow tailwater meander below Jackson Lake Dam, framed by willows and gravel bars. Open access along the upper mile; popular with wading and float-tube anglers chasing cutthroat trout on streamers and big dries.

Best for: Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat trout. Streamers, leech patterns, and big attractor dries from late June through October.

Pacific Creek to Deadman's Bar

FloatCutthroat · Whitefish

Classic GTNP float. The river picks up volume from Pacific Creek and Buffalo Fork, channels braid, and structure increases. Mid-summer dry-fly fishing along eddy lines for cutthroat is the staple.

Best for: Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat on dry attractors, foam terrestrials, and hopper-droppers. Floats well by mid-June. Whitefish along the deeper seams.

Deadman's Bar to Moose

FloatCutthroat · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

The most technical float in GTNP. Multiple braided channels, frequent logjams, and demanding line choices — a rower who knows the section is mandatory. Excellent cutthroat trout water through these channels on terrestrials.

Best for: Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat on big foam dries, Chernobyls, and hopper-droppers. Sight-fishing along log structure. Brown trout in the deeper holding water.

Moose to Wilson Bridge

Wade & FloatCutthroat · Rainbow Trout · Whitefish

Through the heart of GTNP and into the constricted river below Menor's Ferry. Levee system creates wadeable bank access at Wilson; multiple GTNP boat ramps along the way. The classic Snake float for visiting anglers.

Best for: Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat trout on terrestrials, attractor dries, and streamers. Mountain whitefish on nymphs. Wading the levees at Wilson is genuinely productive.

Wilson Bridge to South Park

FloatCutthroat · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

South of the Park boundary. Faster water with larger cutthroat trout in the deep runs along the cut banks. The South Park float is the signature WY Snake guide trip — heavy on hopper-bashing in August and aggressive streamer fishing through October.

Best for: Snake River Finespotted Cutthroat on terrestrials, hopper-droppers, and streamers. Bigger fish than the GTNP stretches. Brown trout in the deep slots.

South Park to West Table Creek

FloatCutthroat · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Upper Snake River Canyon. Faster gradient, fewer crowds, bigger cutthroat trout and brown trout in the deep slots. Float trips out of South Park or Astoria take out at West Table before the whitewater section starts downstream.

Best for: Cutthroat trout and brown trout on streamers, big foam dries, and stonefly nymphs. Better water for chasing larger fish without the South Park crowds.

Snake River Canyon (West Table to Alpine)

FloatCutthroat · Rainbow Trout

Class III whitewater canyon. Big-water cutthroat trout fishing from rafts; only run by guides with whitewater-capable boats. Fishing is secondary to the rapids on most commercial trips.

Best for: Cutthroat trout on streamers and big attractor dries from a moving raft. For experienced floaters or guided whitewater fishing trips only.

Regulations

Current fishing rules and restrictions

WY Game & Fish regulations apply throughout the WY portion. 2026 update: Jackson Lake Dam → gauging station now allows 6 trout daily with no length restriction (doubled from 3). Cutthroat must be released within GTNP from Nov 1 – Mar 31. Artificial flies and lures only from the gauging station downstream to Wilson Bridge.

  • Jackson Lake Dam to gauging station: 6 trout daily, no length restriction; open year-round
  • Gauging station to Wilson Bridge: artificial flies and lures only
  • Within Grand Teton NP: all cutthroat must be released Nov 1 – Mar 31
  • Below Wilson Bridge through Palisades: standard WY regulations, 6 trout daily on cutthroat
  • WY resident or non-resident fishing license required throughout (GTNP uses WY license, not a Park permit)
  • Commercial guides must register their boats annually with WY G&F (mandatory as of 2026)

GTNP and adjacent BLM/USFS land have a patchwork of access regulations; consult the WY G&F Snake River brochure before fishing unfamiliar reaches. Jackson Lake (the reservoir above the dam) is no longer closed to fishing in October as of the 2026 regulation refresh.

Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department — Fishing Regulations. Regulations change annually — verify before fishing.

Access & Logistics

Getting there, fly shops, and lodging

Getting There

Jackson, WY

5 hrs from Salt Lake City, 5 hrs from Bozeman, 8 hrs from Denver. Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is 5 mi north of town.

Guide Services

Lodges

Camping & Lodging

GTNP campgrounds at Colter Bay, Signal Mountain, and Gros Ventre (reservations required). Streamside lodges at Jackson Lake Lodge and Dornan's at Moose. Hotels and short-term rentals across Jackson, Wilson, and Hoback Junction. Backcountry camping in GTNP requires a permit.

GTNP boat ramps at Pacific Creek, Deadman's Bar, Schwabacher's, Moose, and Wilson — most require a Park entrance pass. South Park, West Table, Astoria, and Alpine ramps below the Park are USFS/BLM. The Snake River Canyon (West Table to Alpine) is run as a Class III whitewater section; fishing here is via specialized whitewater drift trips only.

Conditions data is live from public monitoring networks. Regulations change annually — always verify current rules with your state fish & wildlife agency before fishing.

More in Wyoming

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Other regions

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