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.
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.