Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - November 17, 2015
The streams are at their brightest when the sun shines on a winter’s day. Perhaps the reflection of light off of the snow makes the bottom sparkle. Maybe the lack of moss on the rocks and a summer of polishing makes them shine. Regardless of why, it is a beautiful thing to see. Although beautiful, the next week or so promises less light and some cloudy weather. The good news is this also means low pressure and great fishing.
We are still too early for massive Midge hatches, but the Nymphing on almost all our rivers is in full swing. Fishing standard nymphs as well as anything bright like an egg color is going to produce fish. We are seeing fish schooling up into winter holding groups. If you catch one fish in any particular area, plan on catching several more. Don’t move on too quickly from productive spots.
The weather in the South Valley has been warm and mild, so if you aren’t ready to fish in the snow yet, look to Silver Creek and the South Fork of the Boise.
Silver Creek, upstream from Highway 20, closes at the end of this month. There is still time to find decent Baetis hatches between now and then. Just try to find the calmest and warmest days. If nothing is working on the surface and the weather goes bad, fish Streamers. With the Brown Trout coming off of the spawn they will be eager to fatten back up. The rest of the Creek, downstream from Highway 20, remains open until the end of February and should fish very well with streamers coupled with cloud cover this week!
If you really want to get the last of the hatches for the 2015 season, the South Fork of the Boise is the place for you! Milder days are producing nice rises of big bows on Baetis! No need to get there too early. 11:00 is plenty early with most action peaking around 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. If you go, be sure to check the weather and road conditions. Being at the bottom of that hill when the snow flies can lead to tire chains and 4-wheel drive.
Enjoy the pre-holiday quietude on the rivers this week! We should have excellent fishing on all our area rivers as long as anglers are willing to fish subsurface. Big Midge hatches are coming so if you are a fry fly junkie – you won’t have long to wait!
Happy Fishing Everyone!