Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - June 14, 2017

THE SUN IS OUT! A slow return to summer temperatures means we can expect a slow return to the epic fishing we saw on Silver Creek the first two weeks of the season. Plan on seeing a large variety of bugs and plenty of rising fish with each warming day.

Anglers should expect to see quite a few Green Drakes on the Creek this week. The Brown Drakes are all but gone for the season, but with the warmth, if we saw a freak occurrence some nights this week, we would not be surprised. The PMD “Pale Morning Dun” should also begin to come off in force this week. The Callibaetis action remains strong as well as the small Baetis “Blue Winged Olive” hatches and spinner falls.

Terrestrials are still a great bet and a few Damsel flies should appear with the sun. Baby Hoppers have made their way onto the scene and we should be able to cast smaller patterns in the next few weeks. The Streamer action on the Creek has been really good under the cloudy weather, but bright sun is the forecast, so this action may drop off a bit.

Elsewhere, our freestone rivers, the Big Wood and Upper Big Lost remain really high and really dangerous. Flows should increase all week. Stay away from this water, and be sure to keep your dog miles from this mess! If you want to swim them, take them to a local lake, pond or reservoir.

The South Fork of the Boise flows have been dropped some. The outflows below the dam could increase if the flows coming in increase, so keep your eyes on the CFS before you make the commitment to go. If the flows haven’t been stable for a day or two, it’s probably not going to fish well. If the flows remain constant, we may begin to see the Salmon Flies on the lower river.

Reaching way out, the Henry’s Fork and the Owyhee are two outlying rivers from our area, but they are at least fishing. For up to the minute reports on the Owyhee you can check out Idaho Angler in Boise, and the Trout Hunter in Island Park can fill you in on everything Henry’s Fork.

Magic Reservoir continues to fish well and it is a nice alternative and change from fishing the same areas until the waters drop on our local rivers. Finally, we are blessed in the sense that we may not have a lot of places to fish, but Silver Creek has been a world class fishery since opening day!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - May 30th, 2017

The fishing is fine on Silver Creek these days! After a wonderful opening weekend we were able to see just how positive the influx of water has been for the Creek. Anglers reported decent numbers fish being caught, but more than anything was the overwhelming volume of anglers talking about how big and how strong the fish in the Creek are right now. The months of flooding water must have put a lot of forage in the river for these fish. One angler after another keeps asking why the fish are so much bigger than last year!

The fishing is starting mid to late morning, although it should be earlier over the next week or two as daytime temperatures rise. We have been treated to Baetis hatches, PMDs and Callibaetis. The Brown Drake hasn’t appeared as of this writing, but that could change, so be ready!

The river should be very quiet the next few weeks as we await the 4th of July holiday. Anglers can find some fishing on the South Fork of the Boise, the Owyhee and the lower Henry’s Fork as well, but Silver Creek is certainly fishing the best of all of these.

The evenings on Silver Creek have seen very few anglers and this should be the norm until the Brown Drakes start, but even then, anglers that want peace and quiet will find plenty of both on the Silver Creek Preserve stretches of the river in the evenings.

If you come to the Creek, dress warm under your waders, as the water is nice and cool this season. If you have a float tube, it will open up a lot of water for you, as the depths are making fishing from the bank and tubes a little easier than trying to wade some spots.

If you are headed to the South Fork of the Boise, plan on big flows, and right now the best thing is to keep very experienced oarsmen on the sticks. The river is powerful at high flows and it’s narrow enough, there leaves little room for error.

Fishing the South Fork of the Boise with big Stonefly Nymphs will produce a few strikes. Red Copper Johns are also a good idea and you may get lucky enough to find a rising fish or two in the back channels. Ants are a great bet if you can find these subtle risers.

We’ll see you in Picabo for the Drake Hatch soon! Get ready!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Second Christmas Comes to Picabo on Saturday!

Opening Day on Silver Creek is May 27th! That is this Saturday! There is nothing better than Opening Day in Picabo, it feels just like Christmas Morning, so why not Second Christmas in Picabo, Idaho! 

Join Picabo Angler for Opening Day, this Saturday for our free BBQ at 11:30 - until it's all gone! There will be art by Ed Anderson and Bern Sundell as well as Fly Casting with our guides, and a whole lot of friends, fun and a celebration of Second Christmas 2017 in Picabo!

WAIT! Let us not forget Second Christmas Eve!!!! That's right, on Friday, May 26th from 5 - 9 we will have special guest Hank Patterson here to speak about his talent and how he has mastered the Creek, we think....! We will also have the brilliant musician Travis Ward from Boise. We will have Art from both Ed Anderson and Bern Sundell. Idaho Angler will also be in attendance to talk all things Owhyee River and Boise River The casting course will be set up as well with our guides on hand!

We will have several great raffles for Reel Recovery and the admission to see Hank is free, with donations gladly accepted!

We are excited to see you! 

Silver Creek and Carey Lake in Flood Stage from the Air.

We took these images on Sunday. The Creek peaked a few days earlier around 420 CFS. These pics reflect 377 CFS. We expect this to be a very healthy flushing for the Creek and there should be little to no residual effect for Opening Day. It's going to be a great season!!!!

Silver Creek, Idaho - Like You've Never Seen Before! (click photo to scroll images)

Picabo "Drake" Water

"S-Turns"

The Creek has been rising and taking over the valley. The waterfowl are loving it and the fish must be seeing a lot of food!

Sun Valley / Picabo Area Fishing Update - June 10, 2016

Silver Creek continues to be one of the only games in town for anglers. The good news is the fishing is still great! The wind yesterday kept the hatches from bringing a lot of fish to the surface, but anglers in the Sloughs did well. Guide Chad Chorney put some of his guests on beautiful Rainbows despite the wind. 

The weekend should be cooler on the Creek. Expect more Baetis and a continuation of PMD madness! The Green Drakes are showing more and more as well as the Blue Damsels. 

Ants and Beetles are still your best friend when things get tough on the river. 

Our other local rivers remain high, off color and dangerous. Hopefully  cooler temps will brig the flows down and we can be fishing these rivers sometime next week. We'll wait and see and report back on Monday.

Have a great weekend. Be safe. Be kind. Have fun!

Brown Drake Update - May 31, 2016

A strange Drake season continues to baffle us. The bugs are here but the hatch is moving up river in the most condensed fashion I've ever seen. Anglers in the right zone are reporting epic fishing, while anglers that may be 1/2 mile a way are seeing very little.

There was a medium to fair Spinner Fall in the Picabo Bridge area last night, until one big gust of wind put an end to it. The lower Creek never really saw "The Show" that we are used to seeing. INstead a slow 4 or 5 day trickle of insects was the new norm. 

The Hatch epicenter was without a doubt the bottom end of Point of Rocks (Silver Creek East) last night. A major emergence took place in that area. Without question there will be a big Spinner Fall at Point of Rocks and the lower end of the Willows. This will be the true "Show." 

Picabo Angler will be open until 8:00 p.m. We have plenty of Drakes, Beer, Ice and Food!

Brown Drake Update - May 30, 2016

The Brown Drake emerged with some vigor on the Creek last night. A fair spinner fall was followed by a very late emergence on the lower stretches. Expect the Drake action to peak sometime in the middle of this week. 

Point of Rocks saw some Drakes last night, but the center of the action remains slightly down stream. This could change tonight as a hot day is going to turn the river into shuck stew at dark. I don't think there is going to be a bad place to be tonight. 

Like always, we ask that everyone please be kind, communicative and generous with fellow anglers. It's a great chance to back log some great karma!

Have a ton of fun!

John

Spring Weather and the Brown Drake

We received the following question through the interwebs today. We figured it was a very good question and one many anglers are curious about. So everyone thank Thayne, for putting this out there:

"I know we are still several weeks away from talking drakes but I was curious how conditions compare to last year for Drake timing. Has your spring been a little behind compared to last? Thanks again!"

Soooo, Drake timing. The big question! This spring Picabo has been more "normal" than it has been in sometime. We are bouncing back and forth between cold, warm, wet and dry. The saying about wait five minutes and the spring weather will change in the Rocky Mts. is spot on this year. Despite the rapid change, we haven't had any crazy events like heatwaves or weeks of rain. 

The past few seasons the Drake has gone off around May 25. Last season it went on the 23rd, then paused two days, then exploded on the 25th or 26th, just after opening weekend. It did trickle off the Friday night before the season opened!

This year the opener is on the 28th. The Drake is traditionally a June 7 - 12 kick off date when things are normal. We are crossing our fingers that is the case this year.

With that said there is no way in hell I won't have Drake patterns in my box the night of the 28th whether we've seen the bug or not. We will have our full selection out on the opener. 

(Don't forget Friday the 27th, Hank Patterson will be here showing "Mystery of the Cuttyrainbrown Trout." at 8:30 in our airplane hangar. Bring a chair! We will also have our traditional opening day BBQ on Saturday!)

Check back with us frequently. I'll go kick some Drake Nymphs up in the next few days and see how mature they look and how high up in the mud column they are. 

With 100% snow pack and a great season last year, things are looking wonderful for the coming year!

See you at the end of the month!

John Huber

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - February 2, 2016

This is one of those weeks or two week periods where we like to say, “They don’t call it Sun Valley for nothing!” Bright, sunny days should not hamper the fishing as the fish still have to eat. What it does mean is that stealth is as important as any part or your fishing repertoire.

We are at a point in the winter season, where most fish have seen at least a few winter flies. They will continue to eat the Midges, but with less abandon, while they search for the true flies and trailing shucks amongst the foam lines.

The sky may be sunny this week, but you may want to layer up just so that you can creep up the snowy banks on your hands and knees in order to get the best casting position available. This holds true when Nymphing in shallow water, thin riffles and tail outs of pools. It is even more important is you are going to stalk rising fish.

For one reason or another it is an easy thing to let your guard down in the winter. Perhaps the easy nature of the fishing, at least in early winter, or perhaps it’s the starkness of it all. In either case, take a fly angler, put them in a dark green parka and silhouette them against the snow.  It is easy to see why you need to stay behind the rising fish while keeping a low profile.

Bright days on the Big Wood River generally means shorter fishing windows because of colder temps. If you are eager to get out the door before the temps hit a reasonable mark think about using the clear skies to travel.

If you don’t have the whole day, think about hitting Silver Creek with Streamers. The Waterfowl Hunting season is over and the Creek is very quiet right now. The Creek is open to fish downstream of Hwy 20. Think about fishing the Willows and Point of Rocks. Snow Shoes are not a terrible idea if you want to get well into the access points.

If you have more time, look at the South Fork of the Boise and the Lower Lost Rivers. The South Fork can have some decent Midge hatches, and is a good place to go for big fish. The lower Lost is similar, although maybe a bit more Nymphing in the bright sun. It is also a great place to catch huge Rainbows!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 24, 2015

Cooler night are becoming the norm as we approach September. What this means to the angler is prolific fishing, as fish feel the change and begin looking to fatten up for the winter. Brown Trout and Brook Trout are getting ready for their spawning season, so they will become even more voracious eaters as they try to pack on the calories for the several weeks of spawning and fighting.

On the Creek the Mouse fishing remains red hot and the best way to land that “fish of a lifetime.” Callibaetis and Trico are still present in numbers large enough to get the fish up and we can expect the Baetis hatches to begin growing with the approach of autumn. Hoppers and Ants remain the best Terrestrials to throw, and between you and I and all the other readers, I would have no hesitation only throwing a Flying Ant pattern morning, noon and night for the rest of the warm summer days we have!

The Big Wood remains a viable fishery when we go a few days without storms. Trico is still the best morning activity, with Hoppers being the afternoon bug of choice, and Caddis or Rusty Spinners in the evening.

The Upper Lost River is fishing really well with Ants and Hoppers as well as prolific midday Baetis hatches. There is plenty of walking to do between holes, but anglers willing to put in maximum effort will catch plenty of nice sized fish.

The Lower Lost flows continue to fluctuate with 400 CFS the level at the time of this writing. Crane Flies and Trico remain a constant, but the higher flows limit the access and the areas where fish will rise. If you go, be flexible, ready to move and think about fishing lower in the system where some of the water gets diverted.

The South Fork of the Boise remains at drift boat levels with Pink Albert and Hoppers like a Club Sandwich being excellent choices. 

Rounding out the month, Grouse Hunting opens on the 30th and Dove season on the 1st of September. Grouse numbers look fantastic this year, but we aren’t seeing a lot of local Doves. Hunters may want to get a bit farther south for Dove limits.

Finally, there is a lot to do right now from Panfish at Carey Lake all the way into the high-country where Brookies and Cutts are on the cusp of the August spawn at altitude! Get out and EXPLORE!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 3, 2015

August is upon us, and after a quick heatwave, this week’s temps are looking very comfortable. This is great news for fish and angler alike. We still have low water conditions in most areas, but this is the norm in August. This simply means we have slightly more technical fishing than the rest of the summer and the daily windows push toward the low light of dusk and dawn.

The Trico spinner fall continues all over the Sun Valley area and is fishable on almost all our waters. Silver Creek is the epicenter of the Trico and the mornings when it is not showing in large numbers, other insects and hatches are taking its place. The Baetis has been prolific in the mornings and if you don’t have Hatch Matchers in your fly box, you may be missing the single most important pattern on Silver Creek this season. The P.M.D. activity remains sporadic with some very intense hatches lately.

The afternoons on the Creek are still dominated by Damsel Fly activity, although the Hopper action is really starting to pick up. Callibaetis are still the mainstay of fish in the sloughs as well as ants. The Flying Ant action valley wide has been epic this past two weeks and we see no reason it shouldn’t remain our best bug.

The evenings on the Creek are the normal smorgasbord of all the bugs, and if you are lucky and stay late enough you can witness the Trico emergence. You’ll know you are seeing it, when the fish are going nuts on what looks like a surface devoid of insects. We also cannot say enough about how good the Mouse fishing is this season. It’s the closest we’ll get to all out “Mouse Hatch” conditions.

Elsewhere, the Big Wood continues to fish well early and late. Small mayflies in the a.m. are complimented by decent Caddis in the p.m. If you plan to fish in the afternoon, it’s a Dave’s Hopper with a Pheasant Tail dropper. Streamers have also been effective for taking bigger fish, but anglers need to also use this technique when the light is low.

The Lower Lost continues to be great with Trico and Crane Fly activity. This activity, coupled with wadable flows makes for a great experience, but you had better get out of bed early to make the drive worthwhile!

We love fishing in August! Dust off your Hopper Patterns and get ready for an epic month of casting flies!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - July 13, 2015

Summer continues to pass with one odd weather system after another. There has certainly been an effect on the fishing, although not in a negative way. We just need to get used to seeing things like Tricos at 2:00 p.m. or Callibaetis at 7:30 a.m. How about Pink Alberts on the South Fork before Salmon flies? The only predictable thing happening right now is the unpredictability. This in turn has really made for a fun year. The right place at the right time is a mantra all anglers should adopt right now! The only way to overcome all this unpredictability is to stay on the water all day, and at least half the night. There are worse things…

When the summer weather does act normal, plan on Tricos on Silver Creek, mixed with PMD and Baetis. This event happens when the air temps hit 70 degrees. Be on the Creek early for the day’s best mayfly activity. If you plan to stay past lunch the best hatch of the season continues to be the Damsel Fly. Look for wind breaks behind the cattails, and weed patches sticking up with trout stacking up behind them.

On our freestone streams, the Wood and the Upper Lost, expect to fish small attractors and cover lots of water. The morning activity has the most bugs, but fish will come the surface all day. Really concentrate on the banks and shaded zones when the sun is high.

The South Fork of the Boise continues to be a head scratcher with Salmon Flies reported to Indian Rock, but not much above. By the time of this writing (and reading) expect the Salmon Flies to be somewhere between Indian Rock and the Dam. Pink Alberts have started in the afternoon, although the intensity still needs to build to get the fish feeding on them.

The Little Wood continues to fish very well above the reservoir. Big attractors are the way to go when the sun isn’t on the water. Scale back a few sizes if you are fishing midday.

A quick words on our guide staff: We believe in putting the angling public first at Picabo Angler. With that said, be sure that none of our guides can be found repeatedly hitting the same spots daily. We want to share great fishing with everyone! Like our guides always say – Guiding is a skill set, not a spot.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Silver Creek Video Primer #6

This is the last installment of Silver Creek Access Point Video Primers. The Walk and Wade section of the Nature Conservancy is among the best fisheries in Idaho and one not to be missed by fly anglers. IN this video we take a quick look at the area and summarize the hatches and events that take place here.

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August, 18, 2014

This has certainly been the most interesting summer we’ve had to write about in a long, long time. A little bit of everything from too little water and too much water. We’ve had fire and rain to beat the band. Mother Nature has been challenging fly anglers all summer. The one consistent has been the quality of fishing in Silver Creek. With the Big Wood blowing out seemingly weekly, and with the South Fork of the Boise turning into a big question mark, it has been nice to see the best hatches in a decade on the Silver Creek!

The Trico spinner fall is as good as we’ve seen it in many seasons. This seems true of Silver Creek, the Lost River, the Big Wood and just about anywhere fish swim locally these days. Anglers can expect several more weeks of this, and with the steady weather expected over the coming weeks, we may finally get into a pattern of fishing, more akin to what we are used to seeing. Fishing the Trico is fun, rewarding and an event that will keep anglers coming back over and over.

If you haven’t fished the Trico on Silver Creek, try and come this week. You will see a show that will make you want to master the art of fly angling. The Spinner Fall has been starting about 8:30 and fish are eating them soon thereafter.

To review: Spinner Falls are different insect events than Hatches. The Spinner Fall is the event that takes place after the insect hatches from the water. The insect heads to the river bank, shucks a layer of skin and within a few hours to a day the bugs return to the water. They will mate in the air over the water commencing the Spinner Fall. Once they have mated they will fly like a quickly moving cloud up the river. Eventually they run out of gas, they lay their eggs in the water and die at the surface. This is when the fish key on them, vacuuming the dead bugs from the surface. It is a must see event for all fly anglers.

Looking forward, it’s time to stock up on Hoppers, Mahogany Duns, and the tiny Fall Baetis. This can be a tough fly to find at many shops toward the end of the season. A size 24 can be hard to find and hard to see, but they are the key to a good day fishing in the cool of autumn!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 11th, 2014

It is easy to see why we are catching so many fish using Ant patterns on Silver Creek. Just swing down to the Creek on most nights lately and you can see the Flying Ant spectacle that has been going on for a week or so. Last Friday night there were so many Ants in the air over Hwy 20 we had to drive at 40 mph to avoid hitting the multitude of bird, mainly Nighthawks, which were eating them. Subsequently the fish were also eating them on the river. We saw the Ant hatch last week and it went unreported, as the nature of the Flying Ant hatch is short, maybe a day or two – Except this year. The event has become a nightly phenomenon and the fishing is unbelievable well into the darkness. Ants are also being joined by large Baetis and Callibaetis spinner falls! If you aren’t fishing the Creek up until dark, you are most likely missing the best action of the day. Couple that with this summer’s Super Moon and start asking yourself if you should be throwing your sleeping bag in the truck as well!

During the day fish are starting to eat everyone’s favorite terrestrial, the Hopper! Massive amounts of Hoppers are making their way to the river’s edge and the now higher water on the Creek is working out great for anglers. Grassy riparian areas are beginning to flood keeping Hoppers on the grass tops and making them susceptible to getting blown into the river, or jumping in when the birds try to nab them! Every year we preach the same thing when fishing Hoppers – Forget what you know about tippet sizes on Silver Creek. Fish 2X Fluorocarbon Leaders tapered to 10 feet. The fish eating Hoppers can be big and toothy. The Fluoro material will not get cut by their teeth AND we promise you, fish are not leader shy when eating a Hopper on Silver Creek. Cast close to the bank, try to get long drifts tight to the grass, and then when they eat, let them have it, and then LET THEM HAVE IT! Be ready for big strikes and big fights out of the fish. The heavy leaders will also help you wrangle the fish out of the weeds and land them quickly.

Trico is still the morning show on the Creek, and with the Hopper action picking up, there is no reason an angler can’t fish from dark to dark on the Creek right now! Have a great time!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

SILVER CREEK UPDATE - JULY 15, 2014

SILVER CREEK UPDATE

Picabo Angler has just been told by the Nature Conservancy that on Thursday, July 17 the Nature Conservancy’s Silver Creek Preserve will be closed to fishing from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. until oxygen levels in the river return to safe levels for the fish.

Fishing can take place on the Preserve after 10:00 a.m.

What this means to the angler: This closure is only on the Silver Creek Preserve. The water from Kilpatrick Bridge downstream remains open in the morning. The Fish and Game stretches known as Silver Creek West and Silver Creek East (The Willows and Point of Rocks) remains unaffected by this closure, as well as the Picabo Bridge area. The good news for anglers is the fishing has been strong in the mornings and late in the evening all through the lower river. Trico action is strong at Point of Rocks and Caddis along with multiple Mayfly spinner falls are bringing big fish to the surface in the magic hours of twilight. Hopper, Damsel Fly and Mouse fishing on the lower river are always inspiring!

We just walked the lower river behind Picabo Angler fly shop and saw no sign of fish kill. We saw several large, healthy fish laying on the bottom. We will continue to monitor this stretch as it should be the first effected by any type of mortality due to water temps or lack of oxygen.

Anglers can also be sure that the fish will be active in the afternoon on the Silver Creek Preserve after 10:00 a.m. and after being left alone all morning. This means Callibaetis, Damsel Flies and Hoppers should be loaded in your fly box. Take advantage of an opportunity to fish over unpressured fish that have eaten the morning away without a fright. You just may find that Callibaetis, the hatch overlooked by many anglers headed home before it starts in the afternoon, is spectacular! Join us for lunch at Picabo Angler and check out our Callibaetis selection, then head to the river with a few. You’ll not be disappointed.

We will let you know as soon as the time closure is lifted and we have asked the Nature Conservancy for historical perspective on previous closures for the same reasons. We will update you as soon as we know that time frame.

If you fish in the afternoon, please fish the heaviest tippets you are willing: 5X and 6X for Callibaetis is appropriate and 3x and 2X are perfect for Hoppers and Damsels. Try and fish with a 4 weight or better to land fish promptly and please don’t take them from the water. Just remove the hook with the fish underwater. Revive all fish that seem weak or stressed for as long as they need you.

Finally, our guides are working away on all our area waters! If you want the best guide for your time and dollar give us a call. 208.788.3536. We will be happy to take you and yours on Silver Creek, the Big Wood, the Big Lost, and the Salmon! All our guides are Local and highly experienced.

Happy fishing everyone!

John, Nick, Bob and Nate

10 Great Reasons to Visit Picabo This Weekend!

#10 Breakfast at Picabo Angler is really good and the closer one eats to the Silver Creek the better Everything tastes!

#9   The Trico spinner fall has begun and the fish are in pods eating them!

#8   The Picabo Flee Market / Garage Sale is this Saturday!

#7   It’s always 10 degrees warmer here than up in the Valley!

#6   From Picabo you can fish Silver Creek, the Little Wood, and the Big Wood all in the same day!

#5   Lunch in Picabo means the best Burgers and Pulled Pork in Idaho!

#4   Wildlife Viewing; Moose, Deer, Elk, Beaver, Otter, Waterfowl, Insects, Birds of Prey,    Wildflowers…

#3    Fly Fishing, Birding, Painting, Photography, Canoeing, Hiking, Picnicking!

#2    Brown Trout on Mouse Flies!

#1    Sunrise and Sunset!

Picabo Angler Nick Anderson with a Mouse caught Brown 2 nights ago.

Word Association and Q & A with Picabo Anglers Friends and Family

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!