Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun valley Area Fishing Report - January 31, 2018

There are certain winters on Silver Creek where conditions line up to create very good fishing. We haven’t had one of those winters is quite some time, but this winter things have lined up nicely on the Creek. Duck season has ended on the river so things are once again quiet and the river has been relatively abandoned.

Daytime temperatures are getting high enough to create the perfect amount of daily back runoff to put a little tint in the water. Anglers that have fished the Creek extensively under these conditions know what a treat is can be. The turbid water keeps the big fish feeling safe and out in the open. This gives anglers with Streamers a perfect opportunity to fish the Creek in a way we rarely get too much of the season.

Fishing with unweighted Streamers is pure visual joy on the Creek and the next best thing to watching the dry fly take in the summer. Silver Creek fish make their presence known when they are after bait and the hardest part of fishing this way, is not setting the hook too soon, with the anticipation caused by the waking fish chasing the fly!

If you fish the Creek, you have until the end of February to get your licks in. The Creek is open to catch and release fishing downstream only from the Hwy 20 Bridge. Streamer fishing is where is at. Basic Black Buggers and Mini – Zonkers are a great choice. The key to catching fish is not the fly nearly as much as location. Stay on the move!

If a predatory fish in the Creek wants to chase your Steamer (bait representation) they are not going to be fussy about it. Be sure to keep the fly moving slow enough that they can see it, but fast enough they can’t analyze the fly. This may take some trial and error, but you’ll figure it out as soon as you hook that first one.

Try to stick to Fluorocarbon leaders in the 0X to 3X range. Having a length to 9 feet is just fine. The lack of stretch in the Fluorocarbon will lead to more hook ups as the hook will bury quicker in the fishes mouth without the leader stretching before the hook has time to penetrate. These leaders are more expensive, but they last twice as long and based on hook rates, they are worth the extra money when Streamer fishing the Creek!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fly Fishing Report - January 3, 2018

There is no end in sight to this spring like weather. There is a chance for snow over the weekend, but probably not enough to influence the fishing. If anything it may dampen the urge to travel to the lower Lost River or the South Fork of the Boise. The good news is, when its 40 degrees outside in January, you won’t have ice freezing in your guides!

The fishing on the Big Wood has been generally good, although the constant high pressure and bright sun make for diminutive Midge hatches on most days. Trying to find that classic winter day with Midges lining the banks and fish heads up everywhere is hard to come by. The good news is, with less than stellar skiing conditions we have a bunch of great winter fisheries to fall back on!

If we do get a short low pressure system in over the weekend, anglers may find the conditions right for some great dry fly activity. If you see heads up try Griffiths Gnats and Tie-Down Midges fished in tandem. If nothing else the cloud cover should provide a darker day and perhaps get some of the bigger fish out in the open and moving about the river systems. This could be especially true on Silver Creek, where a darker day should turn the Streamer fishing on.

The weekend system should be brief, so be prepared for more of the same the rest of the time. Expect Nymphing with Midge patters like Zebra Nymphs and Brassies to take fish and have some Streamers to fish in brighter patterns on the bright days. Mini Zonkers are one of our favorites on any of our area rivers.

If you fish the Creek, be aware that Duck Hunting season is still happening for a few more weeks, so please don’t approach areas where you see decoys in the water or hear shooting. The Creek is open to catch and release fishing downstream from the Highway 20 Bridge.

With the holidays complete, we know a lot of anglers will be heading to the Salt Water in the coming months to chase flats species. Picabo Angler has a ton of experience in this warm water arena and we are happy to help advise you on your trip, build you a trip, or even host you and your small group to one of our favorite destinations! Get out there and explore!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - December 27th, 2017

Happy New Year from Picabo Angler! Cold days are upon us, but the fishing is great! With little snow to speak of fly fishing our local waters is a great fall back in the Sun Valley area. The rivers are open to catch and release fishing and the anglers that have taken advantage of this are catching some nice sized fish.

The Big Wood is a wonderful winter fishery. The fish have begun rising to winter Midge hatches and the biggest fish are coming to Streamers and Nymph rigs with regularity. Expect fishing windows to last from about 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Find the slow moving water and watch the heaviest foam lines and back eddies. The rising fish are found in thigh deep water where they gather and slowly move their way toward shallower lies as the hatches progress. Fish Streamers virtually anywhere with a focus on water without heavy currents. The same can be said for Nymph set-ups. Fish double Nymph rigs under strike indicators and keep on the move until you start hooking up! If you find one, you’ll find several as they are much less solitary in the winter and tolerate each other a lot more.

Silver Creek remains virtually untouched so far this winter. The Streamer fishing here can be great and can often produce and anglers biggest fish of the season. If you head down here toward Picabo, keep in mind that the river is only open downstream of the Highway 20 Bridge and only open to catch and release fishing. Large streamers fished on the swing will take a few fish. Try to target fish with bright colors on bright days and darker colors on darker days. No weight is necessary as the fish will happily chase your Streamer just under the surface and the visuals when fishing here can be really exciting. Anglers will often see the wake and the take when the fish strikes.

The Lower Lost is a bit of a drive away, but with the current conditions, storms and drifting snow don’t seem to be a factor. Make this trip around through Picabo and we can show you the flies and even send you down the road with lunch in hand!

The lack of snow and easy winter driving also make the South Fork of the Boise an attractive place to fish until the first big storms arrive. Use the all the same flies you would fish on local rivers. Zebra Midges, Streamers, Brassies and Tie-Down Midges are all excellent choices!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - December 7, 2017

Cold days and short fishing windows are the norm right now, but the rivers are wide open and seeing very, very little angling pressure. This is a good time to get out on the water, as the day time temperatures are rising above the freezing mark, making fishing comfortable throughout the afternoon.

Silver Creek is now closed upstream of the Highway 20 Bridge. This includes the Double R Ranch as well as the Silver Creek Preserve. The river does remain open from Highway 20 downstream for catch and release fishing. It will remain open until the end of February. Streamers are really the best way to fish the Creek this time of the year. Think about using dark colors on dark days and bright colors on bright days. Cast your streamer to the far bank and retrieve it slowly. With the water turning colder, the fish will be more inclined to chase something they can catch without a huge expenditure of energy. Some days, just let the fly swing without stripping it. You may be surprised by the difference. In any event, the fish will want a certain speed and action, so keep adjusting until you find it. Once you know how they want the fly presented, stick to it!

The Big Wood is one of our best “offseason” fisheries, as it rarely freezes and the fish tend to pod up into winter holes. Look for slow moving, waist deep water is a good start. The fish should mostly be in the center of the runs, avoiding the fast currents, unless the big Midge hatches are going, in which cast look for the fish in the heads and tails of the pools. Fish Streamers and nymphs. A two Nymph rig under a strike indicator is a great way to go. Try Brassies and Zebra Midges.

The Lower Lost is still fishing decent and there is hardly anyone fishing it. The drive is enough to keep most anglers away, and throw in a dash of cold weather and you can have it to yourself! It is primarily a Nymphing river this time of the season. Normally the same flies you would use in the winter in the Big Wood will work just fine on the Lower Lost.

Finally, the South Fork of the Boise can be a nice excursion on a sunny day. Again, the same winter Nymph selection is all you need!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report

February 15, 2017

Our wintery mix continues with precipitation, snow, rain, and temperatures that hover around freezing. This mix of weather will make for an equal mix of great, decent and slow fishing. It is all going to depend on your timing. The end of this week and the beginning of the weekend should bring some clouds and low pressure. This should put the fish on the bite and should also spur on the Midge activity, hopefully making for some nice surface opportunities with a Midge dry fly.

If you choose to wait until the sun is out, be prepared to fish a little deeper with Nymphs or Streamers. The bright sun definitely makes the fish a bit more shy, or on Silver Creek, a lot more shy. If this is the case, you need to go to where the fish is. This may mean they are finning tight to structure or sitting in the bottom of a deep hole or they are under a cut bank.

When the fishing is tricky under bright light it is the angler willing to set up differently for each situation that will excel. The flip side to that coin is to rig up something you are confident in and fish it through all the water types, with a goal of staying on the move and covering more water, and less “situations.”

While we move closer to spring, be prepared for some serious volume of water moving through our systems. Currently there are many reservoirs draining, or about to be drained to make room for the spring run-off. This could mean we are cut off from many of our favorite late winter fisheries, like the Big Wood canyon below Magic Reservoir, the South Fork of the Boise and the lower Lost River. So far these rivers remain fishable, but it is advisable to check the CFS on the USGS website before you go.

Any true flows below Magic Res require a boat to fish most areas as the riparian area here comes right to the water’s edge, the South Fork of the Boise needs to be around and below 300 CFS for the best wade fishing, and the lower Lost needs to also be around 300 CFS and lower for safe and productive wade fishing.

One quick caution: With rain coming this week, stay away from the Big Wood River where the steepest slopes are. We had avalanches cross the river in several places last week. No matter where you choose to fish this week, be safe and have fun doing it!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report 

February 7, 2017

A very slow melt has begun near Sun Valley. This should really get the fish on the bite and turn our local fly fishing into something special as we head toward spring. The warming water may get a few fish even thinking about the spawning season. Midge hatches should really pick up and the Little Black Stonefly may make an earlier than normal appearance.

Silver Creek remains open for catch and release fishing below the Highway 20 Bridge. Streamers are the way to go. Non-weighted is your best bet. Fish with olive and black colors, or a Sparkle Minnow. The Creek has received very little pressure this winter and the next 3 weeks could be very good!

If the warming days begin to tint the rivers, don’t be discouraged. The fish are aggressive in the late winter and early spring, so even though the water may be off color, that doesn’t mean the bite won’t be on!

The nymph fishing on the Wood is very good right now, with a combination of Copper Johns and Midge imitations like Zebras Nymphs, Brassies, and Hare’s Ears. Fish these at one and a half times the water depth of the area you are fishing. The New Zealand Strike Indicator is a great tool for quick depth adjustments. This Strike Indicator set up moves up and down the line freely and quickly without having to take the Indicator off and then back on again. It floats really well and anglers won’t notice it when they are casting as it is nearly imperceptible on the line.

The Streamer fishing is also very good on the Big Wood these days. The Wood River Sculpin is the target for these fish and most Streamers fished in an Olive color will get the biggest fish in the system chasing! If you haven’t tried Streamer fishing the Wood, this is a great time to get out there and do it, and also a great time to learn Streamer fishing if you have never done it!

Finally, the dry fly fishing on the Wood, the Lost and the South Fork of the Boise should begin to really to perk up. Expect these hatches to continue growing through the month of March! It’s a great time to be out there right now, as many techniques are catching fish and the weather is warm enough for things to be very comfortable winter fishing!

Happy Fishing Everyone!