Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - October 27th, 2014

Get your fingerless gloves out, as well as your fleece hat and your fleece neck gator. Cold weather fishing is here! That means fewer anglers, shorter fishing windows, but at least a few more weeks of incredible hatches and gluttonous fish that are looking to pile on the calories before winter. The Brown Trout will also be coming out of their spawning season relatively soon, which means they haven’t eaten for some time and the cold water will turn them back the awesome predators they are!

The hatches are going to begin tapering off to the point where only the Baetis is left for the year and the coming week is rich in Baetis weather. Make sure you have your size 22 and 24 BWO patterns no matter what river you decide to fish.

Now is also the time to begin getting ready for Nymphing season. This is generally the time frame between later fall and the holidays when our first big winter Midge hatches begin to happen on the Big Wood and the South Fork of the Boise. We call it Nymphing season simply because there are just few to no hatches of any insects after Thanksgiving. We are reduced to Nymphing until those Midges really start coming off in the winter snows.

Nymphs to have in your fly box include Prince Nymphs in large sizes, like a 10 or 12. Swing these on a tight-line letting them tumble along the bottom. Throw a mend in the line and let the fly swing up to the surface. Keep your tip down and hold on as the fish cannot resist this “Emerging” quality to your offering. You should also have Black Backed Hares Ear Nymphs in Zug Bugs in a variety of sizes and of course Copper Johns and Brassies.

It is also a great time of year to buff out your Streamer box. Along with the standard Wooly Buggers in Olives and Blacks you should have Coffie’s Sparkle Minnow in a variety of colors. Fishing Streamers also means you need to beef up your leaders and tippets. Be sure to have plenty of 9 foot 2X Fluorocarbon Leaders and Tippets in size 2X and 3X.

Fishing Streamers in the Big Wood and Silver Creek is a great way to catch the biggest fish in those rivers. The more adverse the weather conditions, the better the fishing is going to be!

Happy Fishing Everyone!