Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - April 20, 2015
We have a month to go before the new fishing season is upon us. Exciting times at Picabo Angler as we receive summer merchandise, get our guide roster completed and begin to watch “The Creek” closely! It is safe to expect another early Brown Drake hatch this year as the conditions right now are well aligned with last year. It may be a blessing the opener is on the 23rd of May. If the opener was another week or two later, there is a chance we’d watch the Drake with cameras instead of fly rods. It’s hard to fathom us fishing the Drake in 30 or so days…
The past few seasons the end of May has been prime time for the Drake, but then there is the Farmer’s Almanac, which is essentially predicting the Drake for June 1st through the 4th this year. This is still a week or two earlier than the norm and if I had to make a wager, I’d be hard pressed not to agree with the Almanac. We’ll keep you posted here as we get closer to opening day. In a few more weeks we’ll kick some nymphs out of the silt and see how mature they are.
On calm days on the Creek we are already seeing Callibaetis. This insect fished well the first few weeks of the season last year. Be prepared for a banner year of Callibaetis. Kilpatrick Pond fished very well with Callibaetis last season, just after the restoration project was complete. With another full season under the belt we can expect great things here this year as well! The cold water coming out of the bottom of the Pond also had a positive effect on the Creek downstream. Combined with the work of other landowners like John French, the Creek’s hatches seem to be a bit more prolific in the lower reaches than they have been the past 10 or 12 years.
If you’re going to fill your fly box for the Creeks opener, have Baetis, P.M.D, Callibaetis, large Ants and Beetles, Brown Drakes, and a few Mouse patterns. We encourage you to come down early this year and walk the banks of Silver Creek. The fish are boiling most days and a few minutes down here will fill your soul and send you home eager to buff out your gear!
Please help us support good fish health this summer! Land them quickly, release them gently!
Happy Fishing Everyone!