Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - April 19, 2016

There is a lot of water moving through the valley, the reservoirs are filling and anglers are anxiously awaiting the May 28th Opener! With the winter season ending and 100%+ snowpack, anglers can expect some of the best conditions we’ve had in a while. IN the meantime, the flows are high and dangerous. Please stay away from the banks of these rivers and without question leave your dog at home if you go have a look.

The Lost River remains the best and just about only game in town. It is a great game though! We have been seeing prolific Baetis hatches in the afternoon hours. This means have a nice selection of dry flies and Pheasant Tail Nymphs.

Reservoir fishing is slower than we would hope, but that is due to all the water getting dumped into them. Not a bad problem to have! Try your best to find clean(ish) water and fish it hard. Magic Reservoir is probably best near East and West Magic, while Mackay Reservoir seems to always have a nice spring fishery near the back of the reservoir where the water comes in. Anglers are doing pretty well with Smallmouth Bass fishing on Anderson Ranch Reservoir and of course Carey Lake is open and a good local spot for Bass and Bluegill.

With the melting snow, very adventurous anglers can begin looking at the Alpine Lakes. We are nearing a day when the trails will open enough, and just enough ice will melt near the inlets of these lakes to produce some of the year’s best Mountain fishing. This is all elevation dependent, as some lakes may not Ice off until June. Google Earth is a great place to start when making the decision to explore the mountains to our north. If you are interested in fishing alpine lakes, or your just looking for a good fishy read, check out Gary Lafontaine’s famous book Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes. It is an incredible book about fishing alpine lakes, exploring them, goat packing into them and of course diving under the ice to see how the fish react to flies dragged across clear as a window ice.

No matter where you decide to go please be safe this time of the year. High flows, muddy roads, crazy weather all come into play in the spring. Try to fish with a friend and enjoy this awesome time of the season!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 29, 2016

With only a few days left in the season on many rivers, it is time to get creative! The Big Wood River is closed to all fishing on April 1st. Silver Creek is also closed to all fishing. Both rivers will open back up May 28th this year. Plan on the Big Wood being muddy for the opener as spring runoff should peak sometime in May. Silver Creek should be phenomenal on the opener!

In the meantime, the Lost River remains open to fish all year. Reports have been getting increasingly better on the Lower Lost. When the wind is down the Midge and Baetis fishing has been excellent. When the wind comes back up the fishery can be downright difficult. When this happens switch to Nymphing techniques and cover the water thoroughly and be prepared to use a variety of flies. Be sure to have some Pheasant Tail Nymphs to cover the Baetis and plenty of Zebra Midges for the Midge days.

Places to consider for the next few weeks include Carey Lake. This is an excellent time of year to catch a mess of Blue Gills for a fish taco fry. Small nymphs stripped through the water is all one needs. If you are in the area, the Little Wood in the desert stretch can be an o.k. place to wet a line and catch a few trout. It’s never gangbusters in this stretch, but it is beautiful and a great place to spend an afternoon.

Carp fishing in the Snake is going to get better and better as the weather gets nicer. Get your Google Earth on and search for the shallow water flats found all over the Snake River reservoirs. Try to pick the calmest days so that you can see the fish working.

The Reservoir fishing in both Mackay and Magic should be getting really good. Warming water gets those reservoir fish hungry and thinking about the pre-spawn. They will want to fatten up. Fish near the river mouths and even near seasonal Creeks. Anderson Ranch Reservoir and the Little Wood Reservoir are also great places to check out and catch a variety of fish.

Reservoirs can be fished from a boat, float tube or just off the bank. If you head out on the water, take a friend. Beware of the wind, and have proper floatation and emergency flares and whistles, just in case. Always check the weather first and have fun!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Overlooked Fun!

Several times a summer we like to take a night off from Trout fishing and pursue Bass. Carey Lake, found just a few miles from Silver Creek is a super easy place to go do this. The Bass are not big, but they love to hit poppers fished on the surface, stripped hard with lots of noise and bubbles. They demolish these pieces of cork and feathers and each one will make you laugh harder than the one before. A canoe or drift boat is all you need. Motors are not allowed on Carey Lake. Fish poppers or frog patterns on a 5 foot 1X leader. The lower the light, the better the fishing. Mornings could be good as well.

Carey Lake is actually divided between the “Lake” and the canal system, which is where we fish. To reach Carey Lake, drive to Picabo, continue on Highway 20 until you reach the town of Carey. Take a left. Go through town and as you leave town on the right you will see signage for the lake. Turn right and drive 40 yards to the boat ramp, which is a small concrete ramp. There is also a pit toilet there. Don’t be discouraged by the moss and algae you see, there are many opens places to fish once you leave the boat ramp area. Fish any of the canals and have a great time!