Wade10/100
Wading is the most sensitive plan today. Use protected edges only, avoid crossings, and downgrade quickly if clarity or current feels wrong.
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Fly fishing report · West
Teton River
A valley-wide Teton River planning page for anglers who need to connect Driggs-area trout water, lower-valley access, and the main-stem rule set before committing to a float or long wade day.
Check flow & weatherToday's river scoreHigh source confidence
30
Poor
Best option: Float.
A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
Updated Jul 13, 11:17 PM UTCUsually refreshes about every 45 minutes
Recommended approachFloat
Mode scores adjust the river-wide score for the risks of wading, bank fishing, or floating.
Bank / edgeCheck
This report does not describe this as a primary mode. Verify legal access, depth, launches, and retreat options before planning around it.
Float · Best fit34/100
A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
Confirm before you leave
Flow and weather right now.
Use the flow trend to confirm the score before you leave. Weather can change the safest and most productive fishing window.
Loading current flow and weather.
River strategy
Treat the Teton as a flow-shaped cutthroat river, not one single uniform day.
The main-stem Teton is most useful when upper-valley and lower-valley flows agree enough to keep side channels connected, cutbanks defined, and grass-bank bankside seams moving cleanly. It loses value fast when heat, weeds, and low late-summer volume flatten the meadow water or when wind turns the open valley into a difficult drift.
- Idaho Fish and Game lists the Teton as a recommended fishing water and the current rules allow no harvest of cutthroat trout plus unlimited harvest of rainbow trout and trout hybrids on the main stem.
- Use RiverReports first, then back the trip with USGS 13055000 near St. Anthony and, for upper-basin context, USGS 13052200 above South Leigh Creek near Driggs.
- Official access anchors are Bates Bridge, Harrops Bridge, Teton Dam, and the Upper Snake access guide's Rainey Bridge and Cache Bridge entries.
- The IDFG 2021 Teton drainage survey notes low-flow and warm-water stress still matter here, so the better plan is to fish the coldest useful window instead of forcing the valley through the afternoon.
Why this score moved
HeatLowers score
The NWS forecast is near 95F. Without live water temperature, heat risk needs a conservative check.
Best mode nowLowers score
Float: A float can fit better than wading only if launches, shuttle, boat skill, wind, and local rules all check out.
FlowUse caution
USGS shows 720 cfs with a stable over about 6 hours trend. same-date USGS history (1891-2025, 113 readings) puts normal around 1,070 cfs and the low-water marker near 743 cfs; today's flow is unusually low for the date. Low water can make fish spooky, warm, pressured, or concentrated; check temperature and handling risk.
Public alertUse caution
A heat alert is active near this forecast point, so the score is capped until water temperature and fish-handling risk are checked. NWS alert: Extreme Heat Warning issued July 13 at 2:50AM MDT until July 13 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID.
SeasonHelps score
Early summer: Often the easiest blend of floatable current, cutthroat activity, and dry-dropper visibility.
Read the water
What changes the plan.
This page fishes best as a shoulder-to-summer timing river: spring after runoff settles, early summer before weeds and irrigation shape the valley too hard, and cooler fall windows when wind and water temperatures cooperate.
Stable moderate valley flow
Best for float-style coverage, meadow-bank nymphing, and dry-dropper fishing where side channels still have life.
Low clear summer flow
Fish early, fish lighter, and focus on undercut banks or deeper meadow bends instead of broad shallow glides.
Windy open-valley conditions
Expect reduced dry-fly control and tougher rowing or wading visibility; simplify the day around protected bends.
Warm or weedy late-summer afternoons
Carry a thermometer and end the trip when the river stops feeling like cutthroat water.
Field plan
Fish it with intention.
Best flows
Stable moderate valley flows that keep side channels connected, banks defined, and enough water over meadow shelves to drift a dry-dropper or nymph rig cleanly.
When to skip
Skip when hot weather, weeds, or low late-summer water flatten the river, or when wind is strong enough that you cannot control a boat or a long leader.
Local plan
Compare the St. Anthony and Driggs gauges, choose one reach family for the day, launch from a named bridge access, and plan to quit before the river warms out.
Backup water
If the Teton turns too windy, weedy, or warm, pivot to Henry's Fork, the South Fork of the Snake, or an upper-valley half day on the Driggs reach after checking current conditions.
Hatches & flies
Bring a flexible box.
TimingWhat to watchUseful flies
SpringMidges, BWOs, and early caddisZebra midge, BWO emerger, soft hackle, caddis pupa
Reviewed pattern · report says “Zebra midge”Zebra MidgeLook for a very slim tapered thread body, evenly spaced contrasting wire rib, a small bead, and no tail or wing. The reviewed classic is black with silver wire and a silver bead. Red, olive, brown, glass-bead, jig-hook, resin-coated, or tailed forms must remain labeled variations rather than replacing the classic identity.See photos & how to fish it ↗
Reviewed family · report says “BWO emerger”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box Early summerPMDs, caddis, yellow sallies, and attractor dry windowsPMD cripple, elk hair caddis, yellow stimulator, pheasant tail
Reviewed family · report says “PMD cripple”Pale Morning Dun PatternsPMD names an insect group, not one fly. Pale nymphs, trailing-shuck emergers, upright or low-riding duns, cripples, and spent-wing spinners stay visibly separate.See family guide ↗
Reviewed pattern · report says “elk hair caddis”Elk Hair CaddisLook for a tented elk- or deer-hair wing, clipped hair head, dubbed body, rib, and hackle palmered along the body. The body color should be labeled because tiers often match different natural caddis colors.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box SummerTerrestrials, caddis, and hopper windowsFoam ant, hopper, beetle, small dropper nymph
Reviewed family · report says “Foam ant”Ant PatternsAnt patterns can be foam, fur-bodied, winged, or sunken. The narrow waist and paired body lobes matter more than one material recipe.See family guide ↗
Reviewed family · report says “hopper”Grasshopper PatternsHopper patterns share a substantial body and long rear-leg impression, but foam, deer hair, wing construction, and waterline differ widely among named patterns.See family guide ↗+ 1 more reviewed guide in the Fly Box FallBWOs, midges, and small streamersParachute BWO, RS2, zebra midge, olive bugger
Reviewed family · report says “Parachute BWO”Blue-Winged Olive PatternsBWO describes a hatch group, not one fly. Nymph, emerger, dry, cripple, and spinner profiles must stay separate because they occupy different parts of the water column.See family guide ↗
Reviewed pattern · report says “RS2”RS2Start with the beadless architecture: two dark-dun Microfibett tails separated behind a slim, tightly twisted and visibly segmented dubbed abdomen; a fuller thorax; and saddle-hackle web clipped into a short angled wing bud. Rim Chung's original-style form uses natural beaver dubbing and hackle web. CDC- or Antron-wing ties, beads, curved hooks, flash, and tailless Avatar-style flies must remain labeled variations.See photos & how to fish it ↗+ 2 more reviewed guides in the Fly Box 01
Use the lower St. Anthony gauge to decide whether the river still has enough shape for a full-day main-stem plan, then choose access accordingly.
02
Cover the meadow banks, undercuts, and deeper outside bends before you start blind-casting the broad center current.
03
When wind builds, shorten the session and fish the most protected bend, side seam, or bridge-access reach instead of fighting the whole valley.
04
If the upper Driggs gauge and lower St. Anthony gauge disagree sharply, narrow the trip to one reach and fish it like a separate river.
Access & responsibility
Know the entry. Know the exit.
Idaho Fish and Game's current Teton River rules allow no harvest of cutthroat trout and no limit on rainbow trout or trout hybrids on the main stem. Tributaries follow separate restrictions, including a June 1 through June 30 fishing closure.
Bates Bridge
Official Idaho Fish and Game access roughly 4 miles west of Driggs on the east bank of the Teton River.
Harrops Bridge
Official Idaho Fish and Game bridge access in Teton County with a gravel boat ramp and day-use rules.
Rainey Bridge / Cache Bridge corridor
Listed in Idaho Fish and Game's Upper Snake access guide and useful for longer upper-valley river days.
Teton Dam
The clearest official lower-river access anchor near the St. Anthony side of the basin.
Transparent sources
Check the facts behind the plan.
Last material review: 2026-06-02
flowRiverReports: Teton River near St. AnthonyflowUSGS monitoring location: Teton River near St. AnthonyflowUSGS monitoring location: Teton River above South Leigh Creek near DriggsregulationIdaho Fishing Planner: Teton RiveraccessIdaho Fish and Game access: Harrops BridgeaccessIdaho Fish and Game access: Bates BridgeaccessIdaho Fish and Game access: Teton DamaccessIdaho Fish and Game Upper Snake access guidebackgroundIdaho Fish and Game Teton River 2021 SummarysafetyNational Weather Service forecast point near St. Anthony
Common questions
Before you leave.
What is the most useful Teton River gauge?+
For this full-river page, start with RiverReports and USGS 13055000 near St. Anthony, then compare it to USGS 13052200 near Driggs if you are choosing between upper and lower valley water.
Can I keep cutthroat trout on the Teton River?+
No. Current Idaho Fish and Game rules say there is no harvest of cutthroat trout on the main-stem Teton River.
When should I skip the Teton River?+
Skip when the valley is running hot, low, or weedy enough to flatten the trout water, or when all-day wind will keep you from fishing the meadow seams cleanly.