Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 8, 2016

The sun rises over the flats and we can see tails sticking out of the water in many places. There must be 20 fish up on this flat alone. The wind is down today so the movement of cruising fish is easy to see. We begin to creep up on the closest targets for an accurate cast. My first attempt is off the mark and the fish turns and heads for a channel. My cousin on the other hand puts his fly right between the fishes and eyes and within seconds his 7-weight is arced over as the fish freaks out in shallow water and the fight is on!

How many planes did we take? How much sunscreen did we use? How much did all of this cost? Well, to be truthful, we didn’t get on a plane, I forgot my sunscreen and bought a small tube at the Flying J and the cost was a ½ tank of gas, a sixer of beer and two roast beef sandwiches.

We are on the Snake River fishing for Carp today. My cousin had spent the week before going over Google Earth looking for potential flats we could wade along the Snake River looking for these fish that love to feed in the shallows. These areas are not hard to find. Boat ramps, scenic overlooks, riverside trails and access via boat all represent easy opportunity to test your saltwater skills right here in Idaho.

Fly selection requires you bring your nymph box to the river with you. San Juan Worms, Damsel Nymphs, Leeches, small Buggers and anything else you can imagine living in the river mud are effective on Carp. A nine foot, fluorocarbon Leader tapered to about 8 pounds will hook plenty of fish. Consider even longer leaders on really calm days.

Be sure that Carp are not easy to catch. Their reputation implies that they are, but just take a fly and give it a shot. You may just find that the selective nature and hard fighting ability of these fish is worthy of your attention. You may also find upon returning home, that they may need even more of your attention on ensuing days.

Keep your eyes on the wind down south. If you see some days where the gusts are staying below 10 mph then you are probably going to be able to find plenty of targets. Carp fishing has been one of the most active areas in the fly fishing industry the past few years, and for good reason. Check it out!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - January 13, 2016

The return of low pressure this week should make for outstanding fishing throughout the Sun Valley Area. Light snow falls should signal excellent dry fly opportunities and Nymphing along with Streamer fishing should easily fill in the gaps when the fish aren’t looking to devour Midges off of the surface.

The Big Wood should be on fire this week with perfect conditions for big Midge hatches. Flies consists of the usual winter assortment. Have Zebra Nymphs, Tie-Down Midges, Griffiths Gnats and your favorite Streamers, even if that is a simple olive colored Bugger.

Driving conditions have improved enough that a trip to the South Fork of the Boise is possible, just keep an eye on the conditions before you leave. It’s all the same bugs you’d use on the Big Wood. There has been plenty of anglers down there, so a midweek excursion would be your best bet.

The Lower Big Lost River is another winter gem worth making an effort to get to. The difference on the Lost is you have the town of Mackay and a great opportunity to stay a night and fish multiple days. Mackay has a few nice little hotels and enough places to eat and supply, that the Lower Lost is actually very, very user friendly in the winter! If you want a little break from Sun Valley, this is a quick easy trip and all the same flies you’d use on the Big Wood.

Finally we still have an active, yet untouched fishery on Silver Creek these days. Perfect conditions in the open water below Hwy 20 exist and no one has been ripping Streamers through this water! Non-weighted Streamers are the fly of choice. A small bead is plenty of weight. Fish midday and start near the Hwy. Work your way downstream over the course of the day, both walking and driving to access points. You should end up near the Picabo Bridge before the day is over.

If you see a lot of cars near the Point of Rocks parking lot or Silver Creek East, don’t fret as these are mostly trucks for Duck Hunters. Please give these guys and gals a wide birth if you see them. Most weekdays you won’t see anyone. The waterfowl season closes on the 29th of this month, which gives us yet another month on the Creek where fishing is the only activity. The Creek remains open below Hwy 20 for catch and release fishing until the end of February.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fishing Report 6/30/13

It's super hot here. Over 100˚ in Picabo today and low 90's in Sun Valley. The weather is slated to stay hot at least through Tuesday.  

A very terrestrial summer is ahead of us! The dry spring and projected heat for the next few months bodes well for trout anglers and fish alike when it comes to big fly opportunities this summer.

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Bent rod on The Big Wood River. Note the water level and clarity. 

First, there are ants everywhere. Ants are turning up in all kids of places, most are small, but if these little ones are prolific, chances are the flying ants will be as well. Keep some patterns in your box, because this activity can pop up at any time this summer, on any day, morning, noon or night. Once fish lock on Ants hitting the water, it’s hard to get them to look at anything else.

Next is the Cicada. The Cicada population is big this year, and should only get bigger. These tree dwelling terrestrials make fish crazy and fat at the same time. You can find Cicada action on almost all rivers, with the South Fork of the Boise and the Big Wood being some of the best places. Cicadas love the heat and get louder and louder as summer moves forward. They fall in the rivers quite frequently and represent and enormous amount of calories to a trout. This is another fly not to leave home without!

Finally, the baby Hoppers have hatched and from what we can see there is a massive amount of them. The dry ground most likely helped this hatch, and the dry summer coming up is going to force these insects to the river’s edge in search of greener grasses. Anglers can plan on fishing baby hoppers within the next 2 to 3 weeks and adults soon after. The bulk of what we have seen are pale yellow and tan. Hoppers work on all our area waters. The Dave’s Hopper is excellent on the Big Wood and Upper Lost, and foam patterns like the Club Sandwich or the Morrish Hopper are excellent choices on Silver Creek the South Fork of the Boise and the Salmon River.

One thing you can be sure of is there will be a Hopper shortage when it comes to fly inventories this season. The major fly tying companies are still playing catch up from last year, so many shops are low on inventory across the board. We ordered early and have plenty of selection so come by Picabo Angler and we’ll help you get set up for all the above mentioned terrestrials.

Big Wood River:

It's Green Drake madness up and down the Big Wood River at the moment. We are likely to have about 7 more days at the least of off the charts fishing on the Wood. There are a few Golden Stones, Yellow Sallies and #12 Caddis but the fish have been all over the fast-water-loving Green Drakes.  The Green Drakes are a #12 and depending where you are on the river the good stuff has been happening from around 11 to 2 pm. The evening Green Drake spinner fall and Caddis has also been good. The flow on the Big Wood River at the moment is 498 cfs with a mean flow of 1,120. The water is clear and wadeable but still swift.

Silver Creek:

With the super hot weather we are having at the moment theh fishing on Silver Creek has not been consistent. There are still Baetis, Pmd's, Callibaetis and a few Green Drakes. The warmer it is the earlier you should plan on being on the water. While the timing has not been like clockwork, there has been enough bug activity prior to 12:30 or 1 to make the trip worthwhile. The Callibaetis in the pond areas has generally been pretty good between 12:30 and 2 and even earlier on the hottest days. Bring Beetles, ant, and small hoppers as well.  Or..., better yet, come on down for the evening Caddis and or Pmd thing and have most of the Nature Conservancy to yourself. If you come for the evening hatch bring long sleeves and lots of Deet.

Big Lost River:

The flow on the Lower Big Lost was bumped back up to 575 cfs today with a mean of 904 cfs. The clarity on the Lower Lost is great but the current is fast and hard to wade. There have been Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones, #14 Caddis, and Pmd's on the water during the course of the day. Should you head that way be armed with 3x and 4x and lots of basic nymph patterns like Copper Johns and Pheasant Tails and Lightning Bugs.