Pee-Ka-Boo is a Native American word meaning "Shining Waters."
Picabo Angler is a destination: A full-service fly shop & outfitter located on the banks of world-renowned Silver Creek
Below is a two page image of John Huber in the current summer issue of Anglers Journal. The image was taken on the Double R section of Silver Creek during last year's mega-moon.
Two page image of Picabo Angler's John Huber in the summer issue of Anglers Journal. Photo: Nick Price
Here is our latest Silver Creek access primer and it's on The Willows access point. We have done these videos starting at the farthest downstream public access (Priest Rapids Video Primer #1) and we are working our way upstream showcasing all of the public access points on Silver Creek.
Below is our 3rd video on Silver Creek access points. This video is on Point of Rocks. Check it out.
Below is a short video primer on the farthest downstream fishing access on Silver Creek called, Priest Rapids. This is our first video in a series that showcases all of the different public access points on Silver Creek. Priest Rapids is completely different both aesthetically and hatch wise than what people ordinarily think of as Silver Creek. It flows over basalt and has a much steeper gradient making for pools and fast water and pockets. See the video below for more...
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!
More warm days, some cloudy weather and a little bit of snow melt will all contribute to good fishing this week. Thus far it has been a very mild winter for our local fish populations. This is probably not a bad thing after a stressful summer for them. With the ash from the fires of two years ago in the Big Wood, the drought that hit Silver Creek hard and the flooding and landslides that covered the South Fork of the Boise, perhaps it’s not a bad thing that our fish get a little bit of a reprieve and some time to catch up on fat stores for the rest of winter.
Nymphing and Streamer fishing are still the name of the game. Think about primarily fishing nymphs and tandem rigs of nymphs when the sun is out. When the cloud cover gets heavy, especially on Silver Creek, get your Streamers out and plan on catching the rivers biggest fish!
The rivers get busier during the holidays, so if you like your winter solitude, try to get out there this week and this weekend. It is also the time of year when Fly Fishing Guide Rates drop quite a bit. Down here in Picabo we run half day trips for $300 for 1 or 2 guests, all inclusive. We also offer a great opportunity to fish some great private water.
While the warm weather persists, it does open up a great opportunity for Chukar hunting the nearby ridge lines. There are plenty of birds out there this year, and the low hills are also full of Hungarian Partridge. If you’ve never upland hunted, this would be a perfect week to get out there and give it a try. You may need to find a friend with a hunting dog, but hey, it’s Sun Valley, we all own hunting dogs!
The Ducks and Geese are a little scarcer and spread out lately. Once we get some colder days again, the waterfowl hunting should pick back up. In the meantime, small water techniques are probably the best. Use very few decoys, call softly and be VERY well concealed in whatever blind you are using. It is tricky hunting right now, be very comfortable temperatures. For the best action head down to the Snake until we freeze back up and the hunting returns to Silver Creek.
Happy Hunting and Fishing Everyone!
As a guide, I am often amazed at the look of someone's face when I comment that the fish he or she has just caught is a male or a female. "How can I tell?" they immediately ask while examining the underside of the fish for an obvious visual cue. Below are a couple of images that explain the difference. Note, it is often more difficult to determine a trout's gender when it is still a juvenile, ie under 9 or so inches.
Here is a female Brown Trout caught recently on the Big Wood River below Magic Reservoir. Note the size of the jaw in relation to the size of the fish. Also important to note is the rounded shape of the jaw on a female trout. While hard to see in this image, the anal fin on a female Brown or Rainbow Trout will be slightly concave and a male's anal fin will be slightly convex. Looking at the jaw generally does the trick though and the short rounded jaw on a trout is the tell-tale sign of a female.
photo: john huber
Here's an example of a male Brown Trout. Note the elongated jaw and even the convex anal fin. Males also often have a slightly longer lower jaw. The jaw on the male brown is not short and rounded at all... An elongated jaw on male trout and male salmon as well is called a Kype. The older the male trout becomes, the more elongated Kype it will have. The above image was taken on Silver Creek.
photo: nick price
The Past 2 Weeks and the Next 2 Weeks
It has been nothing short of a whirlwind 2 weeks here on Silver Creek. The fly fishing from opening day thus far has been incredible. Right off the bat anglers were generally very happy with the results of the Kilpatrick Pond project. A considerable amount of fish were caught in the pond and things are looking great. Once the vegetation has grown in and up, we will be witness to a spectacular fishery that is as equally beautiful!
Picabo Angler was the place to be when anglers weren’t on the water. Chef Kellen Richard through down some great BBQ. The sun was shining, guides were casting rods with people, a few beers got drank and the overall feeling was one of celebration!
Then Monday night happened. John Huber and Nick Anderson waited by the river for the Brown Drake. The hour of 10:30 p.m. came and went, and then at 10:35 p.m. the river erupted in a huge Brown Drake emergence. This was the second earliest most anglers had ever seen the Drake.
The early Drakes hit springtime wind and cold for the next week or so and the hatch came off slowly and moved very slowly up river. Friday after the opener was the first huge spinner fall, then again on Sunday. The hatch then moved into the Willows and Point of Rocks this last week, and truly exploded into full Brown Drake madness. The spinner falls continue as of the writing of this Friday, June 06. The Hwy 20 area should be exceptional at least through this weekend!
So what’s to come? We have already seen a volume of Trico on the water at night, so definitely expect to be fishing those massive spinner falls by the end of June. The Baetis has come on very strong this week and the PMD continues to come in waves. Expect the Callibaetis activity to pick up also. Beetles have been excellent lately as has the Mouse fishing at night!
A few things to keep in mind for the Creek, Hoppers should come early and we have some great baby Hopper patterns. There is also a 12 year Miller Moth hatch happening, so big imitations of Caddis at night may draw some big strikes! The Prairie Caddis hatch is also gaining steam so make sure the Goddard Caddis is in your fly box for any early morning or late evening fishing.
So far the fishing has been fantastic and we don’t see anything in the future that would prevent this from continuing! We’ll see you in Picabo!
We’ve been getting a lot of questions from anglers this week about the Brown Drake hatch. So here is a list that is derived from simple FAQs we receive.
Ten Things We Know (or not) About the Brown Drakes.
1) The Brown Drake Spinner Fall is the event anglers see as the sun is setting.
2) “A” Brown Drake Emergence takes place on a small scale during the Spinner Fall.
3) “THE” Brown Drake Emergence happens after dark. Normally close to 11:00 p.m.
4) The biggest fish in the river will wait until the Emergence, and darkness to fall, before rising.
5) Spinner Falls happen during the daytime when dark clouds roll in, the fishing can be unreal.
6) The crack of dawn is another time to see a few Spinners on the water.
7) The Hatch takes place in the Picabo Bridge area and moves upstream toward the Willows daily.
8) Two weeks is a normal duration for the hatch. Peak activity lasts about 7 days.
9) Once it is dark anglers can fish 2X tippets. Fish 3X and 4X when it is light out.
10) This is one of the only insect hatches that will bring Silver Creek’s biggest fish to the surface.
Jake Blume and a great 11 pm Silver Creek Brown caught on one of Picabo Angler's beats. To reserve a private section of Silver Creek call Picabo Angler at: 208.788.3536.
Here's a video on the restoration of Silver Creek on the Double R Ranch:
Below is a large panorama of the Kilpatrick Pond. The image was taken yesterday, 4-29-2014. The islands have been planted and will obviously take some time to fill in.
Opening Day of fishing--May 24th--is less than a month away.
Kilpatrick Pond. Late April, 2014.
photo: Nick Price