Sun Valley Fishing Report - July 31, 2016

A fair to good Trico spinner fall greeted anglers this week, but whatever the Trico activity lacked was more than made up for by the single greatest Damsel Fly day I've seen in 25 years on the Creek. By noon fish were podding behind weed beds and erupting on every Damsel they could get. Fish were taking Damsels off of floating pieces of plants and algae, they were charging into the weed beds to knock the bugs off. A spectacular show! 

Between groups of fish feeding on Damsels, pink bodies Hoppers were the rage! The biggest fish were looking for them and eating them with no subtlety. 

There is no reason this action shouldn't continue through these hot days ahead. Cover yourself up head to toe with Sun Gloves, a Sun Mask, Long Sleeves and a full brim hat. You will stay cool and be able to witness this midday madness! It is some of the best fishing of the year on the Creek and some of the easiest!

John

Sun Valley / Picabo Area Fishing Update - June 16, 2016

The afternoon show continues on the Creek. There has been some action in the morning hours, but nothing like what we've seen in the afternoon. Four or Five in the afternoon seems to be when things are really percolating. Yesterday we had a nice rise at about 2:30 p.m. 

Green Drakes are still showing, as well as PMD. The Baetis will come and go randomly. 

The Big Wood and other freestone rivers are dropping quick and should be fishable soon!

The South Fork of the Boise is also turning on after lunch. Caddis, Pink Alberts, Cicadas and Salmon Flies are all in play. The flows have leveled off and the fishing should be really, really good, very soon.

John   

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - October 14, 2014

With true fall weather upon this week, expect true fall fishing. The daily hatch and spinner fall windows are going to be much shorter, but the action could also intensify within those windows. This is also a time of year to start going back to some big bushy dry flies on our freestone streams. The H and L Variant and the Royal Stimulator are must haves on the Big Wood and the upper Big Lost right now. The fish have seen plenty of October Caddis and Western Red Quills to turn them back on to the biggest dry flies!

To the west the South Fork of the Boise is very wadable and the fishing is o.k. Take a lot of small nymph patterns and Fall Baetis patterns if you go. Be patient and try a variety of techniques and flies. Be ready to adjust day to day as well. The fly that may be hot on a Friday may be a dud on a Saturday. Be flexible and enjoy one of the most scenic places we fish in the fall!

Silver Creek continues to shine and the cool fall days this week are really going to get things percolating on the Creek. Mahogany Duns love cool bright days and in turn the fish love Mahogany Duns! This is a great hatch and a productive one for anglers. Hoppers are still working and the early morning seems to be the best time to throw them. If you get to the Creek before the daily hatches, try a big foam hopper in the gray of the morning light. You may be surprised. If the wind comes up on you during the afternoon look to throw Ants and Beetles in the wind chop in the middle of the river. Again, you may be surprised by the size of the fish that will come up for something small and black. The particular pattern isn’t that important, just have something you can see in the chop in a size 16 or 14.

Duck and Deer season opened this week, adding to the beauty of this time of the year, but with that said, anglers should take a little caution and think about wearing a few brighter colors to the rivers for the rest of the month. Leave the tan coat at home in favor of your red one! Nothing to worry about, just a precaution.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - September 29, 2014

Mahogany Duns and masking hatches are something I write about every year. It is that important to anglers on Silver Creek, and it is also a glaring example of something we fly anglers hear all the time, but don’t see all that often.

The masking hatch, simply put, is a hatch of insects that you can see very well on the water, but in fact the fish are eating and keying on a much smaller bug, or as is the case with the Mahogany a larger bug but a difficult bug to see due to its dark color. In fact the best way to see the Mahogany Duns is to look at the water with the glare in order silhouette their dark bodies.

We see this a lot with Micro-Caddis and Flying Ants as well. These are insects that hatch in huge numbers, the fish love them, but we rarely see them on the water very well, as our eyes are drawn to more abundant bugs or brighter colored ones.

So, with this said, when you are on Silver Creek this week, be prepared to see A LOT of Fall Baetis throughout the day. You may even see Trico and Callibaetis, but the one to watch for is the Mahogany Dun. It is a true Mahogany color, it is about a size 14 and it is a plump insect. Everything a fish getting ready for winter needs. This bug will come in waves so be ready for it!

Morning Hoppers are not a kind of Hopper, but the time of day to be throwing Hoppers right now! Before the hatches start and before most anglers arrive on the Creek is the time to be casting your big Hopper patterns. The biggest fish are still out cruising from the night before and haven’t gone to hidey-hole on the bank for the day. They are out and about for one reason, and that is to find something BIG to eat before the bright light of the day begins.

Finally, the Brown Trout population in Silver Creek is getting ready to spawn. This means fish looking to eat before they spawn, and fish that will be voracious after they spawn. Spend some time Streamer fishing this week and you may be pleasantly surprised. Even in the middle of the day!

Enjoy the fall colors and enjoy one of the greatest times of the year to be a fly angler!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - Sept. 22, 2014

The fall hatches are upon us! Some of the best hatches of the year are ramping up this week and last and they should continue well into the month of October. Brown Trout are in pre-spawn mode and Browns and Rainbows alike are feeling the cool nights dropping the water temps thus sending them into a hurry up and get fat before winter mode! This means hungry fish and fish that have been putting their guard up all summer are now letting it down, because soon enough there won’t be hardy any significant hatches to dine on besides the minute winter Midge.

On the Big Wood there are three significant hatches. The smallest event, as well as the spottiest along the river is the October Caddis. This hatch is found best, north of Ketchum and although you won’t see a lot of the insect flying you will see a lot of their shucks on the rocks. Royal Stimulators, Orange Stimulators and Royal Trudes fished in medium sizes are all a good bet to match this bug. Beadhead Hares Ears are an excellent nymph choice to imitate them.

The Fall Baetis is the other wonderful hatch on the Big Wood. This bug will blanket the water on warm fall afternoons. Fish your Silver Creek patterns for this insect.  Size 20 – 22 is about right. Gulper Specials, Parachute Adams and any extended body BWO pattern is the way to go on this hatch. Plan if fishing 6X as well.

The third hatch is the Western Red Quill or Hecuba. This is a big bug! We like fishing our leftover Green Drake patterns to match this hatch. If you see a big emergence of this bug, you may also see your best day on the Big Wood this year!

On Silver Creek the Mahogany Dun is starting to show. This insect likes bright, cool, fall days and can be found in excellent numbers throughout the system, especially on the lower reaches of the Creek near Picabo. The fish get really greedy when this hatch starts. It normally blends in with the Fall Baetis on the Creek, so if you are fishing this hatch be very ready to switch quickly back and forth between the Mahogany and the Baetis. Having two rods rigged is not a terrible idea. The fish will switch back and forth as the Mahogany Dun will come and go in waves throughout the steady Baetis hatches.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - Sept. 16, 2014

With a return to summer like conditions anglers can expect to turn there “hatch” clocks back a little bit and expect another week or two of summer hatch reprisals. We can expect a good week of Trico action as warmer mornings should spark this spinner fall back into larger numbers. If nothing else, the spinner fall will be more predictable.

The other insect that should bring fish to the surface this week are the Grasshoppers! Frost will kill a lot of these terrestrials, but the warm days this week should make for some pretty reliable Hopper fishing throughout the Silver Creek system! We’ve been seeing a lot of the black bodied Hoppers with Red abdomens and the fish have been taking them really well.

The other terrestrial that is really catching a lot of fish is the Ant. Small, Cinnamon Flying Ants and equally small Black Flying Ants have been terrific as the fall progresses. These little bugs are showing in the heat of the day and well into the evening. They aren’t present every day, and when they are they normally show up as a “masking hatch” during the Callibaetis activity. If you see a fair amount of fish rising, but you don’t specifically see them eating a particular bug, then chances are you are seeing the flying ant masking hatch. Essentially the fish are eating a little bug anglers have trouble seeing, while many other larger bugs are out on the water, but the fish are still preferring to key on the little insect.

The Callibaetis remains the biggest and best hatch on Silver Creek right now. Fishing this mayfly all day will bring plenty of fish to the surface. Try the slow moving water stretches for the best action.

The Big Wood is coming to life again, with the first signs of the Western Red Quill. The best fly for this hatch is the Hair Wing Colorado Green Drake. Yes, this may sound odd, fishing Drake flies we normally use in June, but when the Quill is on the Big Wood, we’ve hardy found a better fly to imitate this large Drake sized mayfly. Expect October Caddis north of Ketchum any day now and the Fall Baetis will return with cooler temperatures.

The Lost continues to fish well with Trico and Baetis, and of course any red colored nymph as the Kokanee begin to spawn and die, filling the system with red eggs and red flesh from these spawned out fish.

Finally, great times for upland hunters as Chukar and Huns open for hunting on the 20th!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone.

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - September 8, 2014

While we begin to string clear and temperate fall days together it becomes easy to get lost in the rhythm of them. It is not a stretch to think they will last forever and winter will never come, but she will. One morning you’ll walk out to your porch or truck and you will pick up your frozen wading boots. You will notice that day while fishing, the afternoon just won’t quite warm up. You’ll go to sleep that night thinking the hatches weren’t very strong. The next morning you’ll awaken to 4 inches of snow. You’ll probably shrug and head to the tying bench to start cranking out Midge patterns for the rest of the winter.

We’re not there yet! We are just at the beginning of these great fall days. The cool days this week and the warming weekend could produce a change in our insects as we await the Western Red Quill on the Big Wood, the Mahogany Dun on Silver Creek and the Fall Baetis on every river in the Rocky Mountains! Be sure you have all these flies in your fly box over the coming days and weeks.

The greatest show in the Valley these days has been the Callibaetis hatches on Silver Creek. This noon time insect is causing quite the buzz as anglers are starting to plan their days around this speckled wing mayfly. The best part is we are seeing this incredible fishing on the slow waters of Silver Creek and especially in Kilpatrick Pond where all the restoration work happened last Fall and Winter. Anglers were worried that the hatches may be diminished after the removal of the silt, but alas, this has not been the case. In fact the hatches are outstanding and we can’t even imagine how good this Callibaetis hatch is going to become in the years to come, as the pond settles into a seasonal natural rhythm!

Don’t forget that Hopper season is still upon us and despite less than stellar fishing on the lower part of the Creek, big fish are still taking this fly from the desert stretch of the Little Wood all the way through the Silver Creek Preserve. Fish this fly with confidence and attrition and you’ll most likely be rewarded with your biggest fish of the season! We love to fish big foam Hoppers on the Creek and 2X or 3X fluorocarbon tippets!

Happy Fall Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - September 3, 2014

The early fall is upon us as day time temperatures have set a course for the 70’s. This means it is time to get serious about transition. The Mahogany Dun, Western Red Quill, October Caddis and Fall Baetis are about to start showing up. We may not see these insects this week, but you had better get them in your fly box.

The hatch heard around the valley this week is the Callibaetis. This speckled wing mayfly has been setting the afternoon fishing on fire when the wind allows. The slower parts of the Creek, mainly the float tube sections are the place to find the biggest numbers of this insect. Generally the best part of this activity begins shortly after lunch.

The Hopper fishing on the Creek is also getting better and better. When the wind picks up during the Callibaetis, don’t hang up the fly rod. Just beef up your tippets and blind fish Hoppers into the wind chop and along the banks.

Ants and Beetles remain a strong fly to fish on the Creek and as the fall progresses, the Ants will become the dominant fly of the two. Every fall we see the Ant hatches pick up a lot of fish. The Ant fly can be a great choice when you are totally stumped.

The Big Lost is continuing to fish Very well this summer. The Trico and Baetis are still the mainstay below the dam and through the town of Mackay. The Upper Lost also continues to produce nice fish on small attractors. The Ant fly is deadly on the Upper Lost this time of year.

The South Fork of the Boise has not been showing its true colors lately with meager hatches of Pink Alberts. With the return of the sun, perhaps this hatch will pick back up. The river was given a good flush the past few weeks, and hopefully these increased flows will have moved some of the debris blocking the river channel in multiple places.

Grouse hunters had a banner opening day. Lots of hunters reported shooting limits and the rest of the fall looks just as good. The flip side to this great hunting is the major lack of Doves. There have been a few decent reports of good Dove hunting, but they are spotty. Moving forward hunters will be treated to more openers as Chukar, Huns and Sage Grouse seasons are right around the corner!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 25, 2014

When was the last time you broke out your fingerless fishing gloves, a neck gator and a hat when you were fishing Idaho in August? Who would have thought it would come to pass this season? Ideally we are trending back to a more normal August this week, but at this point we could have a snow-nado for all I know!

So, short of a Snow-nado, forest fire, flood or some other trick Mother Nature has rolled up her sleeve, perhaps we can get back to some summertime hatches and world class fishing. Silver Creek has benefited a great deal from the cloud cover and the extra water in the system and with the return of the sun we can expect the return of the Trico spinner falls, the Hopper action and Callibaetis afternoons. This may ramp back up slowly, but the fish should be hungry and ready to take advantage of some lighter conditions and more consistent hatches.

For those of you with guns and dogs, the beginning of the Upland season starts this week. Grouse opens on Saturday and the word is that there are a lot of Grouse this fall! This is a great bird to hunt in the cool forest early in the morning while we wait for temperatures to come down. Hunters can avoid rattlesnakes and overheating dogs by taking advantage of this time of the day at this time of the year.

Dove hunting opens on Monday! If you haven’t checked yet, Idaho Fish and Game announced this:

The Fish and Game Commission has approved liberal limits in response to new harvest strategies for North America's most abundant game bird. The daily limit for mourning doves will be 15, and the possession limit will be 45. The season will last 60 days, from September 1 through October 30.

The new harvest strategy approved by the Pacific Flyway Council is designed to conserve mourning dove populations while minimizing annual regulatory change. While this may be confusing to Idaho hunters in the first year, in the long run the goal is to provide more consistent seasons and limits in the future.

Great news for Dove hunters and foodies alike, as Dove is certainly one of the best tasting game birds out there. We are coming quickly into the finest time of the season for outdoors people in Idaho. So get out there and cast and blast this weekend. Be sure to have all your licenses updates and be sure to have your migratory bird stamp for Doves!

 Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

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!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 4, 2014

Anytime you have a sport where the rules are dictated by Mother Nature you will have to learn to take the good with the bad. What is happening this week with the weather is a great example. If you love to fish Silver Creek then you can look at the cooler temps and the rain and rejoice in the flows coming up, better oxygen levels for the fish, and cooler water. This all spells great fishing this week and even into next week. Now, on the other hand if you love to fish the Big Wood, than this weather is making things a bit hit and miss. Mainly, is the river going to be fishable or not after one of the many thunderstorms we have been experiencing?

Not a terrible dilemma having to choose between two wonderful fisheries, and if you can’t make that decision, then stop trying and just head over to the Lost! The upper and lower Lost River systems are at their peak right now. Big fish are being caught above the reservoir, although you need to be willing to hike a lot of water to catch more than one or two. Small attractors are all one needs. Parachutes, Trudes, and Stimulators are a good starting point. Have some good sized PMD patterns as well. The fish are often keying on a variety of yellowish mayflies and a standard Thorax PMD will fill the bill for almost all of them. 

The lower Lost River is fishing well when the sun gets the Tricos going. Baetis and Crane Flies are also on the menu below Mackay Dam. Expect this action to continue for most of August. If you do go to match these hatches, be ready to small. The Trico in the next valley over is tiny! Size 22 and 24 Tricos are not out of the ordinary here. We have purchased quite a few patterns here at Picabo Angler specifically for this Lost River dilemma. Stop in next time you’re fishing the Creek and we’ll show you some.

With the Creek coming up to near normal levels we are expecting the return of the hot weather to bring us the first really solid Hopper bite of the season! Be ready with your favorite foam patterns once we get back into a rhythm of sun and wind.

Bird hunters, it’s time to get your gear out. GO over everything and fill in what you need. It is also time to go bust a few clays at one of our local gun clubs. Hunting season opens at the end of the month!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

August Fishing Outlook

It doesn’t take long to deduce that August will be a great month to be fishing. A pleasant mix of technical fly fishing opportunity and easy “get your fly in the water” types of fishing will be readily available.

Expect fisheries like the Big Wood and the Big Lost to become much trickier to fish as low flows will force anglers into thinking harder about leader length and tippet diameters. Leaders will need to be extended and tippet sizes dropped. It will also be important for anglers to try and be in the right place at the right time. Giving more and more thought to fishing early in the morning and late in the evening. Flies like Elk Hair Caddis and Rusty Spinners should be thick in your fly box. Tricos on these rivers is also outstanding, although the sizes are minute. Make sure you have the smallest Tricos you can tie or buy and also see! Size 24 is not too small for Tricos on the Lost River!

For anglers with an urge to be out at midday the less technical Hopper / Dropper set up is all one will need for August to move up and down local rivers with success. The average size of aquatic insects certainly gets smaller as the season progresses, but anglers can always count on the Hoppers getting bigger and lasting until our first few hard frosts. On the Big Wood no Hopper beats a traditional Dave’s Hopper.

On Silver Creek the big Trico Spinner Falls should continue well into the month. Baetis and PMD will also have their low light moments, but the Callibaetis should begin to take center stage. Damsel flies and Hopper action will pick up. Look to fish into the evening for some of the season’s best fishing on the Creek. The Kilpatrick Pond area should continue to be a cold water sanctuary for fish, although flows should be coming up soon and the water cooling as the aquifer gets a subtle recharge form the earlier spring runoff.

August is also a time to begin looking at high mountain streams and alpine lakes. Take advantage of the cooler altitudes and get up in the mountains. Easy hikes like Baker and Norton lakes can be done in a half day or longer. Other lakes like Kane or Hansen Lakes take longer and are great places to spend a night or two. If you fish these lakes take small streamers in olive, lots of bushy dry flies with yellow bodies and all your favorite hopper patterns.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t be discouraged by the August Doldrums. The fishing will be slower in the afternoons for the next month. Time your fishing to low light if you can and be prepared for more technical fishing, but if you can’t get out at low light, don’t hesitate to get out and fish anyway, just be prepared for the conditions. We are entering a month of two very different styles of fishing.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - July 21, 2014

Expect another great week of fishing, as flows remain high enough in most rivers to provide excellent opportunity prior to the low summer flows that will eventually bring many fisheries to a more technical point.

On Silver Creek, the fishing remains incredible in the mornings and right on into the lunch hour. The Silver Creek Preserve remains closed to fishing until 10:00 a.m. but the rest of the river is open and the hatches and spinner falls have been fabulous. The mornings are bringing varying degrees of Trico activity, followed promptly by Baetis and PMD flurries. Once this action ends, anglers can immediately cut back their leaders and tie on Blue Damsel patterns. This has been a very good fly in the late mornings and afternoons.

The Big Wood and Upper Lost River are fishing very well right now, with a slight lean toward becoming low light fisheries. The mornings and evenings are producing rising fish and the afternoons become a time to search with big dries and maybe a dropper underneath.

The Lower Lost is fishing well and earlier in the season than mot years. The low flows mean easier access for anglers. Small nymphs like Pheasant Tails and Red Copper Johns are producing nicely. Have a variety of sizes in Parachute Adams if you go as well. Skating Crane flies is another exciting way to fish the Lost. We are carrying the new foam bodied Mackay Special here at Picabo Angler, and if you haven’t fished it, we recommend you give this a try!

The Little Wood is a river we haven’t written about much this season, as the recent fires and low flows have made the desert stretch a non-event and the upstream waters above Little Wood Reservoir have a seemingly small population of fish this summer. It’s still a great place to go for some quietude and to cast big dry flies to fair sized fish.

The South Fork of the Boise has been fishing very well. The Pink Albert hatch has been coming on stronger and with a few stoneflies, hoppers and cicadas, the banks are fishing well on some days. There is still no camping allowed and the access points are different and dictated by new rapids, so fewer anglers are floating than in years past. The weekdays can be a very good time to explore the South Fork. The float from the Village Put In down to Indian Rock has been a good bet. If you go, be safe and scout the water before you float it!

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

June 26, 2014 Fishing Report Weekend Update

The weekend should be a fun one for fly anglers around the valley. A little bit of cloud cover should make the fish a bit bolder on Silver Creek and should also ramp up the BWO activity. The Callibaetis is really starting to come on strong as well. Things to expect would be small Trico spinner falls and a lot of fish focusing on Damsel Flies! The fish have been slashing at Damsels for several days now, so we expect this action to continue.

On the Big Wood the Green Drake is coming on stronger and stronger. This is a super fun fishery when this hatch is on. The fish aren’t Silver Creek size, but they are eager to eat the Green Drake! Sunday may be a better day than Saturday as the weather should be hotter and the Drakes love to hatch in the heat!

So, if you plan to fish both days, think Silver Creek on Saturday and the Big Wood on Sunday. Have a great weekend and come see us in Picabo!!!

June 23 Fishing Report

Green Drakes on the Big Wood and more and more fishable water appearing every day means happy anglers throughout the Wood River and Silver Creek Valleys.  The heat of summer is finally upon us and with it comes a return to almost all our fisheries. The freestone streams like the Big Wood and the Upper Lost are entering one of the most prime times of the season to fish them! Stoneflies and Green Drakes are the bugs with a mix of Caddis and BWOs also.

Expect the Green Drakes to begin moving north on the Wood. Anglers have been seeing a few mid-valley, but it is early enough they could show anywhere on the river given the right day. Keep in mind the Green Drake is a fair weather insect that likes to hatch in the heat of the day. Often this happens in the afternoon around 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. Sometimes it will be earlier on a really hot day. Another thing to keep in mind is the Green Drake likes to spin in the early morning coolness. 8:00 a.m. is not uncommon. The Drakes spin over heavy fast water and the fish know it. If you see a lot of Drakes flying in the a.m. and you don’t see a lot of fish taking them then try this: Take a Colorado Green Drake and pull the wing apart so it looks like two wings. Then soak the fly and even put a little split shot above it. Now place an indicator on the line and fish the drowned dry fly like a nymph. Fish the fast water and especially the water where the rapids slow to deep or glassy water at the end of the fast water!

Silver Creek is fishing better and better as the more consistent warm days are making for more consistent hatches and spinner falls. The Baetis and PMD are still the two main bugs out there, but the Hoppers and Trico are coming on strong. The evening Caddis action has been getting fish to the surface as well. Skating a Goddard Caddis is our favorite technique when we see lots of Caddis activity on the Creek.  

It’s a great time of year out there! There are lots of places to fish and anglers can spread out all over the valley. We expect some great fish this week. If you get a great pic, send it to us for our blog at info@picaboangler.com.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fishing Report June 16, 2014

The rain and the wind and the clouds are making for some uncomfortable fishing right now, but the fishing remains good. Bigger fish are on the prowl under the low light of the heavy clouds, so fish accordingly. Streamers and Mice are great choices.

Temperatures will be returning to normal this week and subsequently the fishing should follow. This is not to say the fishing has been bad, quite the contrary. The fishing in the cloudy and sometimes damp weather lately produced a lot of big fish, it just didn’t produce big hatches. Perhaps the colder, windy days will “reset” the season and our hatches will begin coming off a little less early!

On the Creek this week, we are expecting our fist small Trico spinner falls mixed with Baetis. If you see temperatures getting over the 80 – 85 degree mark, this is a real possibility. The Baby Hoppers should also begin coming into play on all our area waters this week. When we say Baby Hopper that means a size 14! That is small for a Hopper, but big compared to all the other food the trout are eating.

The return to sunshine should also mean a return of stronger PMD action as well as Baetis. The mornings are a great time to fish, but be sure this season on Silver Creek the best rising fish action is taking place during the magic hours before dark.

The waters across the area continue to fall as river after river comes into shape, ever so slowly. The Big Wood and Upper Lost Rivers are fishable in some areas, and less so in others. Fish with big bushy dry flies and bead head nymphs dropped under them. The Green Drake should also begin to show in decent numbers this week as falling water and hot days are the perfect recipe to see this hatch!

On the other end of the spectrum we have rising water on the South Fork of the Boise. This is endlessly interesting as we’ve known what to expect on the South Fork for the last 25 years. This year, we know very little. Not many boaters have been over there yet, as we have zero reports. The forest fires created so many slides into the river the boating is not at all like it used to be. Those of us that have rowed the river with one eye open for the past few decades have to relearn and pay very close attention to the river now. If you go, take Salmon Flies, Caddis and Cicadas, but make sure your first trip is more about safe boating than catching a whole bunch of fish. Get comfortable with the river, then get to fishing!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fishing Report – June 13th, 2014

There is plenty of change happening out there today and it’s all good for anglers! Silver Creek is continuing to percolate and the flows have increased enough to cover a lot of the mud bars and shallow zones. This trend should continue, although slowly, it is at least heading in the right direction.

The South Fork of the Boise is also seeing change this week, as the waters are brought up from the dam we will get our first real look at how last year’s fires have affected the floating. If you go, take nothing for granted, and if you float scout the river by car first! Expect Salmon Flies, Cicadas and Caddis.

The Big Wood continues to drop slowly and clear up a little. The flows are still strong, but our guess is that we are a week to 10 days from great Green Drake action on the river.

The Upper Lost also continues to drop and anglers looking for quietude may find a few places to cast a line, but we’re far from seeing the first - best fishing up here this season.

The Lower Lost remains high and only fishable in a handful of high water spots.

It’s a time of change with a lot of fisheries just opening up for the first casts of the season. Get out there and enjoy it!