Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 16, 2015

Spring has sprung in the Sun Valley area. With the consistent change to spring like weather comes new opportunities! Steelhead season is underway in the Stanley / Challis area. Early snowmelt and warm days have brought the river up, thus bringing the fish up with it. This doesn’t necessarily mean a prolonged season in as much as it means an earlier end to follow the early beginning. If you love chasing these Sea-Run Rainbows now is your time. We have guides available should you need a lesson or just want that extra set of eyes and knowledge for the day!

The Big Wood has continued its temperamental nature that has been common place since the recent forest fires throughout the drainage. Recent rains have blown it out, and this will continue with most big storms, but expect some o.k. fishing towards the end of the month, as long as clear skies prevail. There is a little bit of fishing to be had below Magic Reservoir, in the Big Wood’s canyon stretch, but the area is not quite as fishy as it has been in years past.

The Lower Lost is the place to be for most anglers right now. Pre-spawn is in full-swing and is timed nicely with frequent lunch time Blue Winged Olive action on the surface. If the fish aren’t working the surface, a nymph combo is a great choice. Think small Pheasant Tails to copy the Baetis (BWO) nymphs and try Red colored anything (Copper Johns and Zebra Midges) to imitate the midges and the eggs that early spawners drop throughout the river. This is a great day trip, and until anglers can drive over Trail Creek Summit, Picabo Angler is open daily with a great fly selection, gas, groceries and lunch. Stop by for a latte as well. We’re truly a one stop shop for anglers!

The South Fork of the Boise continues to fish o.k. as well. Sporadic Blue Winged Olive hatches as well as some good Midge action are enough to bring a few fish to the fly. It hasn’t been gang busters, but it is a beautiful time of the year down there, and always a few degrees warmer as long as the wind doesn’t blow.

This is also an EXCELLENT time of the year to begin prospecting our local stillwaters, like Magic Reservoir or the Little Wood. Carp fishing the Snake is also very good right now, as fly anglers take advantage of another prespawn opportunity!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - February 16th, 2015

Sunny days are upon us this week and anglers can count on the fish reacting to it in some places. The best fishing will most likely take place on our freestone streams and tail-waters, where riffles and other surface features will give the fish a place to hide under the bright light. The sun will also mean high pressure and slightly cooler days than the last few weeks. Expect decent hatches of Midges on the South Fork of the Boise, the Big Wood and the Big Lost River.

Anglers fishing the Big Wood River may also see decent occurrences of the Little Black Stonefly. If you see these guys crawling around on the banks, try swinging flies like Hares Ears and Prince Nymphs on a tight line. It is a fun technique and will almost always produce the biggest fish of the day. Simply cast across the river, or slightly upstream, without a strike indicator on the line. Instead put a touch of weight about 12 inches above your fly. Let the fly sink as it comes even and then past you with the current. Once the fly gets near the end of the line, throw a upstream mend in the line to get the fly to swing slowly. At this point the fly should come tight and the line, and as it is swinging across the river, the fly should also move from the bottom of the river, toward the surface. This will give the fly the appearance of emerging, and will in turn trigger the prey drive in the fish and get them to attack!

Silver Creek should continue to fish well. The daytime temps last week were high enough to form decent Midge hatches, and anglers in some places on the river were treated to rare winter dry fly activity on the Creek. Streamer fishing is still the way to go if you want to target the biggest fish in the river.

With clear skies, this will also be an excellent week to strike out for the South Fork of the Boise and the Lost River. If you head for the SFOB load for bear, as this river in the winter is anyone’s guess as to what may be taking place. Midge Dries, Nymphs and Streamers could all come into play.  On the Lost, take all your same flies you would fish on the Big Wood in the winter. Be sure to have some Baetis dries as well…just in case.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report Oct 10, 2013

Cold, crisp, calm, fall days have set in on Silver Creek. The Fall Baetis hatches are blanketing the water shortly after lunch time. The Mahogany Duns are mixing in to this blend and driving the fish crazy with each short appearance. There may not be a better time in the Silver Creek Valley. The days are filled with Moose sightings, and huge Brown Trout moving up the river to spawn. The sunsets are seemingly having a competition with the sunrises for best event of the day. Anglers are finding joy as the season winds down with each cast and presentation that ends with trout heads breaking the surface to inhale their offerings.

With conditions being what they are on surrounding rivers, Silver Creek is a bit busier than normal due to other local rivers not fishing, couple that with the pond project that is underway and one can easily deduce that it is not a normal fall for fishing. This is not to say we are under duress, it is just a cycle that we anglers are a part of and should accept as added challenge to a sport full of a variety of challenges. If anglers will choose to be kind to one another, communicate well and even help their brothers and sisters of the long rod, then we can all count of joyous days in the field!

Another great place to find a connection to trout and the wilds of Idaho is the Lost River. The Lost below Mackay Reservoir continues to fish well. Baetis and Nymphing with small red bugs will take fish until the first real snows begin to fly around here. The Baetis are showing after the day warms up a bit and it is not a bad idea to have a few different sized form 16 down to a 20. If the hatch doesn’t come off, try Nymphing with Red Zebra Midges, San Juan Worms, Red Copper Johns or any of your favorite nymph patterns. If you want more challenge than fishing with an indicator, the Lost is an excellent place to sight nymph large Rainbows sitting in shallow water. If you want to try this, the key is to move VERY slowly up the river. Have good polarized glasses and look into the shallows for trout moving side to side taking nymphs. It is an incredible fun and rewarding way to fish, especially when there is no surface activity!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report, October 1st 2013

Fall has arrived in Sun Valley and on Silver Creek. The evidence is in the bugs and fish. Brown Trout pairs are moving through the river as they get ready to spawn and many of the big fish are coming into the open as the drive to reproduce makes them leave the safety of the cut banks. This is a great opportunity to see the biggest fish in Silver Creek in the middle of the day. Mahogany Duns are trying to hatch daily, despite the inclement weather and the first fall Baetis are hitting the water. Both of these hatches drive the fish crazy and the “Educated” fish in the river suddenly act, well, less educated.

Keep an eye on the sky and be ready for those cool, crisp fall days that are coming. These days should light the Creek on fire with rising fish. If you go, take Mahogany Duns in size 16. Simple patterns are best, like Thorax patterns or CDC Biot Fan-Wing patterns. We have some great flies here at Picabo Angler and we also have a new fireplace in the store! Its great place to warm up after a few cool hours on the stream or whenever the need strikes you. Stop by for a bite and a thaw! We also have a huge selection of fall Baetis flies and guides standing by to take you and yours fishing on any of our major rivers.

Unfortunately the Big Wood River and the South Fork of the Boise remain unfishable, but don’t let this stop you from fishing other rivers. The Lost is fishing great with Baetis and a lot of Nymphing. If you fish subsurface on the Lost, keep the color red in mind. The fish key on this color as Kokanee that have spilled through the dam lay their eggs and then die. Both the flesh of the Kokanee and their eggs have red hues to them and the fish get used to seeing it. If you go to catch the fish rising on Baetis, take small flies in 20 and 22s. Have a few larger just in case. Hatch Matchers, Parachutes and Hackle Stackers are all excellent choices.

Finally, keep in mind the severity of the weather lately and couple it with the change of season, and it’s a no brainer to go into the field well prepared. Always bring extra food, water, a change of dry clothes, and also not a bad time to throw your sleeping bad in the truck for the winter!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report, Sept. 4th, 2013

The hatches on Silver Creek the past few days have been less than spectacular, but this is being made up for with spectacular afternoon Hopper fishing. We’ve been waiting awhile for the fish to really lock on to these terrestrials and it seems as though they finally have! The key to fishing the Hopper on Silver Creek is to cover water, fish BIG foam patterns and use a stout 2X Fluorocarbon Leader measured to 9 feet. The other terrestrial that is getting a lot of attention lately are large black ants. The fall is the time to see large numbers of flying ants, so we expect this action to continue and get even stronger!

The Big Wood is beginning to fish well, with all the access opened back up. It’s not a bad thing that the fish received a few weeks of rest in the middle of the summer. Now it’s time to get ready for excellent fall fishing with the Western Red Quill, the October Caddis and the Fall Baetis. All of these insects should begin to show up with cooler nights ahead. In the meantime a Dave’s Hopper fished in the fast water is an excellent choice. *NOTE: The Big Wood blew out today 09/02/13 from the ash left from the Beaver Creek Fire. Expect these conditions to last at least a few more days.

The Lost River is still the best game in town, with Trico and Baetis swapping turns as the dominant hatch of the day. The afternoons are primarily Nymphing time with some opportunity to cast Hoppers in the seams and skate some Crane Flies.

The South Fork of the Boise below Anderson Reservoir remains closed by the Forest Service, due to the recent fires. In any case, this is a great time of the season to be fishing. School has started and the weekdays are very quiet out on the rivers. Take advantage and make sure you gear up for the coming autumn hatches: Red Quill, Fall Baetis, October Caddis, Mahogany Dun and Flying Ants.

The past weekend was the opener for Forest Grouse and Doves. The Forest Grouse population seems to be very strong with large coveys of birds being reported. The Dove opener went well with many hunters reporting limits and near limits. The warm days may keep a few of these birds around, so what is normally a two day season for us, before the Dove head south, may last longer this year! We are certainly off to a good start to the season!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!