Sun Valley Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report – April 9th, 2018

Snowpack levels in the Wood River valley and adjacent drainages continue to hover around 100% of normal. Current snowpack levels are: Big Wood River – 97%, Little Wood River – 94%, Big Lost River – 104%, and Salmon River – 109%. Coupled with good base flows and carryover from 2017, the outlook for water flows on our local rivers remains promising.

Silver Creek, the Big Wood River, and the South Fork Boise River below Anderson Ranch dam are closed and will re-open on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Steelhead season is in full swing, and our guides have been plying the waters of the Salmon River upstream of Challis. Fish are spread out along the river system. To date, approximately 250 steelhead have been trapped at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery in Stanley. Flows on the Salmon are a bit higher than normal (1,360 CFS below Yankee Fork), and steelhead are on the move. Anglers have had success swinging black, blue, and purple spey flies, streamers, and egg-sucking leeches on medium-weight sink tips and drifting large stonefly or egg patterns. The steelhead have not been fussy when it comes to fly pattern; the key to a successful outing is covering water and finding fish. When fishing closer to Stanley, avoid spawning steelhead and look for more active fish in pockets, riffles, and runs.

Fishing on the Big Lost River below Mackay Dam remains excellent. The river’s rainbows have completed spawning and are actively feeding throughout the river. Both midge and Blue-Winged Olive activity has been excellent. Look for midges to start late morning or early afternoon, with BWOs following for the remainder of the day. Don’t fish the lower Lost without Tie-Down Midges (20-22), Baetis Film Critics (18-20), and red and black zebra midges (18-20)!

The countdown to Opening Day at Silver Creek is at 48 days! It will be here before you know it, so now is the time to prep your gear and get the right flies for the early hatches on the Creek. Stop by the shop or give us a call, and we’ll get you set up with the right PMD, Blue-Winged Olive, and Brown Drake patterns that you’ll need for the upcoming season.

Keep tuned in to our blog and social media for upcoming information on Opening Day festivities at Picabo Angler. This year will be bigger and better than ever!

Happy Fishing Everyone!
 

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 21, 2018

This past weekend’s snowfall brought our snow pack up to 90% of average in the Big Wood drainage and 98% of average in the Big Lost drainage. There is more precipitation in the forecast this week, so keep your fingers cross that we keep adding to this total! With residual water still in the aquifer we are heading for another outstanding summer on Silver Creek and other area rivers.

The Steelhead have arrived in Stanley. Expect the numbers to increase by the day. We are currently running guide trips on the water between Challis and Torrey’s Hole if you are interested. Our guides can teach you the traditional ways to swing flies, cast two handed rods or fish the regional strike indicator method used closer to Stanley. There are a few fish in the Sawtooth hatchery as of this writing.

We are on the last week and half of fishing the Big Wood River and the South Fork of the Boise. On the Wood, Midges and Little Black Stone Flies are the fish’s mainstay right now. Expect great dry fly and Streamer action. Fish nymphs if you must, but anglers willing to walk, and slowly hunt for rising fish will most likely find them. If you head to the South Fork, Nymphing may be more productive. If you go, keep in mind fish will be migrating toward spawning grounds. This normally means an upstream push of fish as they stage up for prespawn mode.

The Lost River remains open to fishing all season, with no closures. The tailwater area in Mackay is fabulous Spring time water. Expect Midges and maybe an afternoon Baetis hatch on the right day. Walk the river slowly and look for fish sitting on gravel bars near the drop in points of the runs. Be careful to stay of fish that may be using gravel areas for Redds. These are spawning beds and are they clearly distinguishable by the clean swept gravels on the bottom. If you see clean gravels in an area the size of a serving platter, don’t walk in these areas, and don’t mess with the fish if they are sitting on these beds.

We are entering a great time of the season, where exploration pays in big ways. Prespawning fish are generally big and aggressive and they can be found in big groups in a variety of areas. Get out there and find them!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

April 13th, 2017

The recent cooler nights have opened up a little more fishing opportunity this week, but don’t expect it to last as the true spring run-off is around the corner. Fresh snow on Galena made more than one Steelhead angler smile as they drove to the Salmon feeling pretty good about the water clarity. Despite a tough season, anglers are still catching fish in the Salmon when the water conditions allow.

If you head up that way, and have never been, just treat it as glorified trout fishing, with larger rods. Using strike indicators fished over large trout nymphs, colorful Steelhead flies and even some Saltwater flies, will get fish to bite. Walk sections of river, and literally look for the fish laying up. Once you find one, get that fly to the fish’s nose and you have a great chance to catch a Steelhead in Idaho!

Keep an eye on the flows before you go. Avoid going after any large spikes in the CFS. Be very careful wading and avoid fish sitting on Redds please.

The Lost River is also having moments of fishing well for the conditions. Again this is a river you want to be sure to check the CFS before you go. It is a long way to drive to find out the flows came up and you have no options but to turn your wagon around.

Moving closer to spring we encourage anglers to get out and explore. There are many great places to take a fly rod in the spring. If you get to a point where you are just struggling to find places to fish, think about getting Google Earth out.

Google Earth is a wonderful way to find fisheries and out of the way places. Google Earth had personally led me to 12 pound Bonefish, numerous Baby Tarpon spots and Snook spots. It has allowed me to find trails and more importantly routes without trails into world class Idaho fishing. You are only limited by your imagination. If you can’t fish now, how about planning a route into a high mountain lake this summer? How about looking for trails into nearly inaccessible canyons? They are there. You just have to find them. Take your sense of adventure to your computer for a few hours and you may be blown away by the adventure you can find there!

Google Earth is a free download, it is easy and quick, and a great way to plan a fishing adventure!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fly Fishing

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report, March 15, 2017

Spring is slowly arriving in the Wood River Valley and with the arrival of warmer days comes the arrival of rising waters. We are approaching the last few weeks to fish on the Big Wood River and the timing is about right, as the river probably won’t stay in great shape much longer!

Silver Creek remains closed to all fishing until May 27th.  We floated the Creek this weekend. The majority of the fish were upstream of the Sign in Cabin on the Nature Conservancy. They were eating huge size 14 Baetis. We are sometime away from fishing here, but things are looking very, very good! The Big Wood will remain open to Catch and Release fishing until the end of March. The South Fork of the Boise and the Lost River are also open to Catch and Release fishing, although both come with their own challenges. The Little Wood is also open to fish in the spring.

If you decide to fish the Big Wood, the normal Midge hatches are in play and the addition of the Little Black Stones has the fish looking for slightly bigger meals. Large Prince Nymphs and smallish Girdle Bugs will get the job done. Fish these flies close to the banks and always stay ready on the lift…when you go to pick the flies out of the water. The fish are very much keyed into the motion of this fly. If you fish the Midge hatch, the normal flies like Brassies and Zebras are in play and big Griffith’s Gnats and Tie-Down Midges will suffice for the fish eating off the top.

The Lost is running high enough to make wading challenging and slightly dangerous. If you try to fish the Lower Lost, wear your wading belt very tight, fish with a friend, tell someone where you are and just use common sense when moving up and down the system. Take the same flies you would have for the Big Wood, but include small Parachute Adams, in case of Baetis hatches.

The South Fork of the Boise is fishing day to day. Recent conditions included some mud flowing into the river. The distance is far enough that it’s a roll of the dice, but we expect the fishing to remain strong and most likely worth the effort.

Steelhead are slowly moving up the Salmon and fly anglers are beginning to explore the waters here and are catching the occasional fish!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - April 19, 2016

There is a lot of water moving through the valley, the reservoirs are filling and anglers are anxiously awaiting the May 28th Opener! With the winter season ending and 100%+ snowpack, anglers can expect some of the best conditions we’ve had in a while. IN the meantime, the flows are high and dangerous. Please stay away from the banks of these rivers and without question leave your dog at home if you go have a look.

The Lost River remains the best and just about only game in town. It is a great game though! We have been seeing prolific Baetis hatches in the afternoon hours. This means have a nice selection of dry flies and Pheasant Tail Nymphs.

Reservoir fishing is slower than we would hope, but that is due to all the water getting dumped into them. Not a bad problem to have! Try your best to find clean(ish) water and fish it hard. Magic Reservoir is probably best near East and West Magic, while Mackay Reservoir seems to always have a nice spring fishery near the back of the reservoir where the water comes in. Anglers are doing pretty well with Smallmouth Bass fishing on Anderson Ranch Reservoir and of course Carey Lake is open and a good local spot for Bass and Bluegill.

With the melting snow, very adventurous anglers can begin looking at the Alpine Lakes. We are nearing a day when the trails will open enough, and just enough ice will melt near the inlets of these lakes to produce some of the year’s best Mountain fishing. This is all elevation dependent, as some lakes may not Ice off until June. Google Earth is a great place to start when making the decision to explore the mountains to our north. If you are interested in fishing alpine lakes, or your just looking for a good fishy read, check out Gary Lafontaine’s famous book Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes. It is an incredible book about fishing alpine lakes, exploring them, goat packing into them and of course diving under the ice to see how the fish react to flies dragged across clear as a window ice.

No matter where you decide to go please be safe this time of the year. High flows, muddy roads, crazy weather all come into play in the spring. Try to fish with a friend and enjoy this awesome time of the season!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - April 13, 2016

There is a lot of wonderful spring weather headed our direction this week! There is a limited amount of fishing to be had, but what is out there is a real treat. The Big Lost River is the only river system that remains open to fishing. It is a long drive to get over there, but the fact that the Baetis hatches are prolific and the big fish are up eating them coupled with the fact you can stop at Picabo Angler for breakfast, flies, licenses, beer, gas and a brown bag lunch make it all worthwhile!

If you head over to the Lost, be ready to see a few more anglers than normal, especially on the weekend. It is one of the only open places to fish, outside of Steelhead on the Salmon or Carp on the Snake. If you go, just be polite, ask your fellow angler where they are headed and then fish accordingly. There is plenty of fishable water on the Lost, but it is a narrow river channel. Be polite and respectful and help your fellow angler have a great time. It will add to your experience as well.

If you go, have plenty of Baetis flies in your box. Gulper Specials, Transitional Duns and Parachute patterns will all do the trick. Plan on fishing with 6X tippets and preferably a soft rod, to protect those light tippets. There is also a chance to see Midge hatches too, so don’t put that fly box away for the winter quite yet. If you have to fish subsurface, be sure to bring plenty of Zebra Nymphs for the Midge imitation and plenty of Pheasant Tail Nymphs to replicate the Baetis.

The Salmon River has been blown out lately, and although there is some fishing to be had upstream of Valley Creek, most of the fish in that area are in full blown spawning mode right now. Keep in mind these fish swam through many, many dams and swan 900 miles UPSTREAM to spawn. Keep this in mind when you see fish paired up or in their Redds, and leave them alone.

Elsewhere, we have some great reservoir fishing on Magic and the Little Wood. Try fishing from the banks or a float tube if you need a quick fix. Carp fishing on the Snake is always fun when the weather turns nice and be sure to keep your eyes on low lying lakes as the ice begins to come off!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 16, 2016

The weather keeps coming and with it comes the water our fish so desperately need all summer! Great news for fish and anglers alike! With nighttime temps in the 20s for the coming week, we should be holding onto this snow until the end of the month.

On the Big Wood anglers should expect a return to winter fishing conditions. Expect exceptional Midge hatches accompanied by the Little Black Stones. Be prepared to nymph and fish the dry. Standard winter patterns are all you need; Zebra Nymph, Brassie, Tie-Down Midge and Griffiths Gnat. If you start before the hatches try Streamer fishing. The pre-spawn Rainbows should be very aggressive right now.

Silver Creek remains closed, but the water levels are to the tops of the banks, giving the Creek a good flush. Expect an amazing Opening Weekend down here in Picabo!

The Lost continues to fish well. Bring all your same Big Wood River patterns and enjoy some of the season’s best fishing near Mackay for the next month or so. Don’t forget the Lost can be a great fall back for Steelhead anglers when the Salmon decides to blow out. That shouldn’t be the case this week as temps remain cold and the forecast isn’t showing a lot of precipitation.

Steelhead should be getting on the move up on the Salmon River with a little influx of moisture and daytime temps warm enough to melt some snow off the banks and giving the fish the sign that it’s time to start moving up the system. Fishing should be better closer to Challis the next few weeks than the upstream portion, but the fish are where you find them!

Anglers fishing the canyon water below Magic Reservoir have been treated to some excellent fishing. It may not be fast and furious, but it is a good place to try for some big fish, both Browns and Rainbows.

Watch the wind in Hagerman for the calm days. Those days are ideal for sight fishing Carp in shallow water. Bring “hook up” patterns like you’d fish for Bonefish. Damsel Flies tied with small bead chain eyes are very effective.

One thing is for certain this time of year, angles have decisions to make! There is a lot to do and a lot of room to do it. Get out there and enjoy yourself this spring. It is a time of year full of surprises and world class fishing!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - April 13th, 2015

There is some pretty fine weather in the forecast this week. Warm days give fly anglers a great chance to explore. With temperatures in the mid-seventies down on the Snake, and a bright sun to go with it, the Carp fishing should be excellent! Use your favorite Damsel Fly Nymphs, tied upside down so that the hook point rides sticking up. Find yourself some Carp along the banks, bays and backwaters of the Snake and try to present your offering right on their noses. Fishing a 10 foot length of 2x Fluorocarbon is about right with minor adjustments for water clarity and finicky fish.

The reservoir fishing should pick back up if the wind will stay down a bit more this week, than last. A calm, warm day on Magic, the Little Wood or even Anderson Ranch for some Bass can be one of the most fun days anglers can have on the water. Take long leaders and your favorite streamers and enjoy the tight-line retrieve and take!

The Lost River and the Little Wood River remain open for fishing. The spawning activity on the Lost should be increasing in the coming days and weeks, so please be careful about not walking on the Redds of spawning fish. On calm days expect to fish Baetis Dries on the Lost and when the wind comes up plan of Nymphing. The Little Wood is primarily a place to cast Streamers right now, with a little bit of opportunity to cast some Nymphs.

There are still a few Steelhead to be caught on the Salmon River, although one can expect angler numbers to spike with the beautiful weather! If you go, be aware the fish are well into their spawning activity now, so be aware of their Redds also.

Spring is such a great time of the season here. Take advantage of the weather and the opportunity to explore! Search the Malad River and Billingsley Creek, try to time ice-out on the low elevation lakes, and look for arrowheads and morels while you look for fish! The Bass fishing on Carey Lake has been good, Fish Creek Reservoir may still hold a few surprises, even try little Brook Trout in Lake Creek, which can become an adventure in the spring! We are also on the cusp of the new season, so if you tie flies, now is the time! P.M.D, Baetis and Brown Drakes will all be upon us soon!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 30, 2015

It is time that time of year for anglers to branch out! With Silver Creek, the Big Wood, and the South Fork all closed for the next few months, anglers can chose to fish a bit closed than normal to one’s fellow fishermen, or get out and explore places that would otherwise go unfished.

Steelhead season is still going strong on the Main Salmon from Challis to Redfish. Anglers have enjoyed a great early season run, and we can expect this to continue and begin to taper off in the next few weeks. Sight fishing is the name of the game here, with more traditional “down and across” methods being employed in more of the downstream waters.

The Big Lost River remains open year around now. The fishing here has been great, with daily Baetis hatches greeting anglers and fish alike. Expect to see a few more anglers on the water as rivers close to spawning. Also, plan on seeing a few more fish sitting on Redds over the next couple of weeks. Work hard to avoid walking over these spots and fishing to the fish that are using them. Baetis hatches should continue and should remain strong in this spring like weather.

Getting out to explore is a great idea for many anglers, especially since it is easy for fly anglers like us to get into certain places that fish well, and not want to leave. This is absolutely one of our favorite times of the season to pursue Carp on the fly near Hagerman. The Snake River has all kinds of great places to fish for Carp, and normally anglers can have these places all to themselves. If you go, take a boat or just walk and wade the many flats that are easy to find along the rivers many reservoirs. Damsel nymphs are amongst our favorite flies for Carp.

Magic Reservoir, and places like Fish Creek and Little Wood Reservoir are also excellent places to fish in the spring. The fishing at Seagull Point on Magic has been very good this year. Anglers can employ the use of floatubes, boats, or just bank fishing. Use stout rods in 5 and 6 weights, and beef up your tippets to 2X and 3X fluorocarbon. A favorite fly in a Green Woolly Bugger, fished on a tight-line strip. You don’t have to be very deep. Most of the fish will forage in the top 12 feet of the water column! Have fun looking at new water this week, and let us know how we can help you find success on our many stillwaters!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 23, 2015

Beautiful spring like conditions persist this week. Warm, overcast, to partly cloudy days spell Baetis on the rivers we can fish! Expect some limiting conditions to continue as far as water quality goes the Big Wood, and closures for spawning fish in other areas begin at the end of the month.

The early run of Steelhead continue to find their way to the Stanley area. The fishing has been very good this season with the early run of fish making for fewer anglers. Locals have done very well, and most likely anglers that are waiting or have waited for the April time frame, may be a little too late for the best of the action. For now though, get up there if you want to catch one of these Sea-Run Rainbows.

The Big Wood is most likely going to continue to run off color. Maybe, the last few days of the season will provide some opportunity. But right now the best bet for Big Wood anglers is to head for the water in the canyon blow Magic Reservoir. Although, not easy fishing, the quality of the catch can be outstanding. Plan on streamers, and perhaps some decent dry fly action with Midges and Baetis.

The South Fork of the Boise continues to fish in a fair fashion. With a little bit of Baetis and Midges being the main hatches. When in doubt, a red nymph like a Copper John, will bring a few fish to the net.

The Lost River remains the best fishery we have right now. The increased pressure from anglers is something you should plan on, but also plan on great hatches of mainly Baetis with some Midges. The spawning action on the Lost is also picking up, so please be aware of the Redds, in the river. These are the gravel depressions that appear white or “fresh” as the Rainbows have swept the gravel clean to deposit their eggs. One misstep onto a Redd can destroy hundreds to thousands of trout eggs. It is probably best to not fish the fish seen “sitting” in these Redds as well, as they need every last bit of energy they have to complete their spawn and recover before the water gets too high. This same activity takes place with the Steelhead on the Salmon, so if you fish in Stanley, please be aware of the fishes activity you are fishing to.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - March 16, 2015

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!

Salmon River Steelhead

The Upper Salmon River upstream of Challis, Idaho is just starting to consistently fish well. This is really the time to head up there if you are thinking of getting a shot at an early spring Salmon River steelhead. While the season stays open through the entire month of April, the first two weeks of April is generally the best window. Below is an image of a fish caught yesterday on the Salmon...

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Salmon River Steelhead. 2014

Also, while there are just two days left on the Big Wood River (The Big Wood closes on April 1st and re-opens the Saturday of Memorial Weekend in May) the Lower Big Lost River stays open year around and this is the best time of year on the Lost. It's midge and baetis madness with more baetis on the cloudier days.