Sun Valley Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report – April 9th, 2018

Snowpack levels in the Wood River valley and adjacent drainages continue to hover around 100% of normal. Current snowpack levels are: Big Wood River – 97%, Little Wood River – 94%, Big Lost River – 104%, and Salmon River – 109%. Coupled with good base flows and carryover from 2017, the outlook for water flows on our local rivers remains promising.

Silver Creek, the Big Wood River, and the South Fork Boise River below Anderson Ranch dam are closed and will re-open on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Steelhead season is in full swing, and our guides have been plying the waters of the Salmon River upstream of Challis. Fish are spread out along the river system. To date, approximately 250 steelhead have been trapped at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery in Stanley. Flows on the Salmon are a bit higher than normal (1,360 CFS below Yankee Fork), and steelhead are on the move. Anglers have had success swinging black, blue, and purple spey flies, streamers, and egg-sucking leeches on medium-weight sink tips and drifting large stonefly or egg patterns. The steelhead have not been fussy when it comes to fly pattern; the key to a successful outing is covering water and finding fish. When fishing closer to Stanley, avoid spawning steelhead and look for more active fish in pockets, riffles, and runs.

Fishing on the Big Lost River below Mackay Dam remains excellent. The river’s rainbows have completed spawning and are actively feeding throughout the river. Both midge and Blue-Winged Olive activity has been excellent. Look for midges to start late morning or early afternoon, with BWOs following for the remainder of the day. Don’t fish the lower Lost without Tie-Down Midges (20-22), Baetis Film Critics (18-20), and red and black zebra midges (18-20)!

The countdown to Opening Day at Silver Creek is at 48 days! It will be here before you know it, so now is the time to prep your gear and get the right flies for the early hatches on the Creek. Stop by the shop or give us a call, and we’ll get you set up with the right PMD, Blue-Winged Olive, and Brown Drake patterns that you’ll need for the upcoming season.

Keep tuned in to our blog and social media for upcoming information on Opening Day festivities at Picabo Angler. This year will be bigger and better than ever!

Happy Fishing Everyone!