Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - February 8th, 2016

Warm days are upon us and the nighttime temperatures are not very low either. This means fish will feel the changing water temperatures and you can count on the fact that they will begin to act like pre-spawning fish the moment they do. What this means to the angler, is a voracious bite while the temperatures remain warm. This is not to say the fish will dig spawning beds or anything like that. The warm pre-spawn simply means the fish will begin to recognize spring is right around the corner and they will want to put down as many calories as they can before they begin to think less about food and more about reproduction!

Nothing will change for the angler as far as flies and tactics go. Continue to use Brassies, Zebra Nymphs, Hares Ears, Griffiths Gnats, Tie-Down Midges and Buggers. Continue to fish the same winter water type. Do expect a longer fishing window as well as a higher catch rate.

If you are a beginner this is a great time of year to get out and learn. There are fewer anglers, the fish are ready to eat your fly, and you can get away with a few more mistakes. The fact that you will get so much opportunity to hook fish, means you will have more opportunity to learn how to hook, fight, and release fish. You can do this without worrying if you lose one, because you’ll be able to hook another soon!

Warm days also make this a great time to travel to our more distant rivers like the Big Lost around Mackay and the South Fork of the Boise closer to Mt. Home. Excellent driving conditions and clear roads are an invitation to fish out and about.

Silver Creek is an excellent place to fish on warm winter days as well. The temperatures are supposed to remain in the low 40s during the day. This means a little tint to the water and therefore excellent streamer fishing. Fishing remains open this month downstream of Highway 20 and it is all Catch and Release. Access points are the Highway, Silver Creek East, Silver Creek West and Picabo Bridge. Fish dark colored streamers if the water gets really tinted. If there is some clarity try brighter flies like Sparkle Minnows and White Buggers.

Get out there and enjoy the great winter fishing and the warming days as we make the turn toward springtime!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Anglers Journal 2015 Summer Issue

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.

View fullsize

Two page image of Picabo Angler's John Huber in the summer issue of Anglers Journal. Photo: Nick Price

Ladies' Fly Fishing Clinic

Working for the Picabo Angler has been an incredible experience. There are locals that I see every day and visitors just passing through, folks who have made fly fishing their lives and others who know very little about the sport, energetic youngsters still figuring out who they are and grandparents wiser than their years.   Regardless of where each person is on their journey through life, I am overwhelmed by the kindness and camaraderie that enters the store every day. There is something special about coming to work in the morning and not feeling like I’ve left home.

Of course, not everything can be perfect all of the time! Although there is the occasional female angler that comes into the shop, as a young woman I am often discouraged by the lack of ladies involved in the industry. From an outsider’s perspective, I’m sure that fly fishing can appear to be an elitist sport dominated by men; those of us who are on the inside, though, know how far from the truth that perspective is! Anyone can pick up a rod, learn how to cast, and begin the life-long love affair that is fly fishing.

Not wanting to pass up an opportunity to get more gals involved, I jumped on the prospect of running a fly fishing clinic catered to women when John Huber made the suggestion earlier this summer. Within a day of announcing it, the first clinic was completely booked; I was thrilled to see so much interest! After a few weeks of careful planning and consideration, I met the group of six women at the shop on Saturday for what I hoped would be an adventure that would spark in them the same love for the sport that I hold. The nervousness I felt leading up to the clinic dissipated almost immediately when I saw how excited the group was to finally learn how to fish without depending on other people for help with rigging, knot tying, reading water, etc.

We spent the morning going over basic terminology, entomology, wading safety, knots, and we practiced casting on the lawn before heading over to the Double R fishing club for a delicious lunch by the creek. It was such a treat to sit around a picnic table and get to know those women; the way that our group meshed was extraordinary, and each personality complimented the rest. Once we were on the water, I was blown away at how seemingly effortless it was for them to incorporate what they had learned just a few hours earlier. There were times when they had questions, but the majority of the time each woman had a stretch of water to herself to tune out any life stressors, find her rhythm, and just be. Watching those six women stretched out over hundreds of yards along the river, casting well and genuinely enjoying themselves was a sight I doubt I will forget. Here and there, one of the women would have a strike and the resounding chorus of support from the rest of the group brought smile after smile to my face. I was reminded that fishing isn’t all about catching fish; rather, it is a time to take a break from our busy lives, connect with nature and enjoy a moment in time that is utterly peaceful.

Time absolutely flies when you’re having fun. 6:00 PM rolled around and we said our goodbyes, but made plans to meet up again soon for an evening of fishing… Just two days after the clinic, I checked my inbox and was delighted to hear that the ladies were practicing casting on their own time. I expected a degree of enthusiasm after the clinic, but this has truly exceeded my expectations.

For all of you ladies out there who are hesitant to get into fly fishing, I strongly encourage you to reach out to us here at Picabo Angler and leave us your contact info, so that we may reach back to you when we pick a date for our next women’s clinic! Fishing can do wonders for one’s soul.

Hope to see you out on the river soon!

- Phoebe Bean

Little Wood Reservoir

We have been in the super well needed rain cycle here and our streams are going up in water volume and the landscape is turning into a marvelous spring-green with loads of wildflowers popping up at mid to lower elevations. Pictured below is the Little Wood Reservoir.

View fullsize

Little Wood Reservoir. Photo: John Huber

Silver Creek Brown Drakes

We are now less than ten days away from opening day and we thought yesterday would be a perfect time to look for Brown Drake nymphs behind Picabo Angler on Silver Creek. While wading Silver Creek and seining for Brown Drake nymphs there were a bunch of Baetis on the water and a few callibaetis as well. And..., yes, fish were up feeding on the surface.

The water flow on Silver Creek at the time of writing this is 115 cfs. The mean for today is 121 cfs.

Our Brown Drake patterns--along with many others--just arrived and we are fully stocked. It's our guess at Picabo Angler that the Brown Drakes will get started, much like last year, somewhere near the end of May.

View fullsize

Brown Drake (Ephemera Simulans) Nymphs. Silver Creek. Photo: Nick Price

Silver Creek Video Primer #6

This is the last installment of Silver Creek Access Point Video Primers. The Walk and Wade section of the Nature Conservancy is among the best fisheries in Idaho and one not to be missed by fly anglers. IN this video we take a quick look at the area and summarize the hatches and events that take place here.

Silver Creek Access Primer #5

Here's video #5 in our series of Silver Creek access points. This one is on the Nature Conservancy & Float Tube section. Check it out:

Silver Creek Access Primer #3

Below is our 3rd video on Silver Creek access points. This video is on Point of Rocks. Check it out.

Silver Creek Access Primer #2

Below is another short video primer on a Silver Creek access point. This video is on the Picabo Bridge access. This is the farthest downstream public access for Brown Drakes and a great one to know about if you plan on fishing Silver Creek early in the season. The season opens, by the way, on May 23rd and we will be stocked with all of the Brown Drakes, PMD's, Caddis, Beer, Ice, etc that you'll need so come on down.

Silver Creek Access Primer #1

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...

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report--December 11th

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!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - Sept. 16, 2014

With a return to summer like conditions anglers can expect to turn there “hatch” clocks back a little bit and expect another week or two of summer hatch reprisals. We can expect a good week of Trico action as warmer mornings should spark this spinner fall back into larger numbers. If nothing else, the spinner fall will be more predictable.

The other insect that should bring fish to the surface this week are the Grasshoppers! Frost will kill a lot of these terrestrials, but the warm days this week should make for some pretty reliable Hopper fishing throughout the Silver Creek system! We’ve been seeing a lot of the black bodied Hoppers with Red abdomens and the fish have been taking them really well.

The other terrestrial that is really catching a lot of fish is the Ant. Small, Cinnamon Flying Ants and equally small Black Flying Ants have been terrific as the fall progresses. These little bugs are showing in the heat of the day and well into the evening. They aren’t present every day, and when they are they normally show up as a “masking hatch” during the Callibaetis activity. If you see a fair amount of fish rising, but you don’t specifically see them eating a particular bug, then chances are you are seeing the flying ant masking hatch. Essentially the fish are eating a little bug anglers have trouble seeing, while many other larger bugs are out on the water, but the fish are still preferring to key on the little insect.

The Callibaetis remains the biggest and best hatch on Silver Creek right now. Fishing this mayfly all day will bring plenty of fish to the surface. Try the slow moving water stretches for the best action.

The Big Wood is coming to life again, with the first signs of the Western Red Quill. The best fly for this hatch is the Hair Wing Colorado Green Drake. Yes, this may sound odd, fishing Drake flies we normally use in June, but when the Quill is on the Big Wood, we’ve hardy found a better fly to imitate this large Drake sized mayfly. Expect October Caddis north of Ketchum any day now and the Fall Baetis will return with cooler temperatures.

The Lost continues to fish well with Trico and Baetis, and of course any red colored nymph as the Kokanee begin to spawn and die, filling the system with red eggs and red flesh from these spawned out fish.

Finally, great times for upland hunters as Chukar and Huns open for hunting on the 20th!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone.

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August, 18, 2014

This has certainly been the most interesting summer we’ve had to write about in a long, long time. A little bit of everything from too little water and too much water. We’ve had fire and rain to beat the band. Mother Nature has been challenging fly anglers all summer. The one consistent has been the quality of fishing in Silver Creek. With the Big Wood blowing out seemingly weekly, and with the South Fork of the Boise turning into a big question mark, it has been nice to see the best hatches in a decade on the Silver Creek!

The Trico spinner fall is as good as we’ve seen it in many seasons. This seems true of Silver Creek, the Lost River, the Big Wood and just about anywhere fish swim locally these days. Anglers can expect several more weeks of this, and with the steady weather expected over the coming weeks, we may finally get into a pattern of fishing, more akin to what we are used to seeing. Fishing the Trico is fun, rewarding and an event that will keep anglers coming back over and over.

If you haven’t fished the Trico on Silver Creek, try and come this week. You will see a show that will make you want to master the art of fly angling. The Spinner Fall has been starting about 8:30 and fish are eating them soon thereafter.

To review: Spinner Falls are different insect events than Hatches. The Spinner Fall is the event that takes place after the insect hatches from the water. The insect heads to the river bank, shucks a layer of skin and within a few hours to a day the bugs return to the water. They will mate in the air over the water commencing the Spinner Fall. Once they have mated they will fly like a quickly moving cloud up the river. Eventually they run out of gas, they lay their eggs in the water and die at the surface. This is when the fish key on them, vacuuming the dead bugs from the surface. It is a must see event for all fly anglers.

Looking forward, it’s time to stock up on Hoppers, Mahogany Duns, and the tiny Fall Baetis. This can be a tough fly to find at many shops toward the end of the season. A size 24 can be hard to find and hard to see, but they are the key to a good day fishing in the cool of autumn!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 11th, 2014

It is easy to see why we are catching so many fish using Ant patterns on Silver Creek. Just swing down to the Creek on most nights lately and you can see the Flying Ant spectacle that has been going on for a week or so. Last Friday night there were so many Ants in the air over Hwy 20 we had to drive at 40 mph to avoid hitting the multitude of bird, mainly Nighthawks, which were eating them. Subsequently the fish were also eating them on the river. We saw the Ant hatch last week and it went unreported, as the nature of the Flying Ant hatch is short, maybe a day or two – Except this year. The event has become a nightly phenomenon and the fishing is unbelievable well into the darkness. Ants are also being joined by large Baetis and Callibaetis spinner falls! If you aren’t fishing the Creek up until dark, you are most likely missing the best action of the day. Couple that with this summer’s Super Moon and start asking yourself if you should be throwing your sleeping bag in the truck as well!

During the day fish are starting to eat everyone’s favorite terrestrial, the Hopper! Massive amounts of Hoppers are making their way to the river’s edge and the now higher water on the Creek is working out great for anglers. Grassy riparian areas are beginning to flood keeping Hoppers on the grass tops and making them susceptible to getting blown into the river, or jumping in when the birds try to nab them! Every year we preach the same thing when fishing Hoppers – Forget what you know about tippet sizes on Silver Creek. Fish 2X Fluorocarbon Leaders tapered to 10 feet. The fish eating Hoppers can be big and toothy. The Fluoro material will not get cut by their teeth AND we promise you, fish are not leader shy when eating a Hopper on Silver Creek. Cast close to the bank, try to get long drifts tight to the grass, and then when they eat, let them have it, and then LET THEM HAVE IT! Be ready for big strikes and big fights out of the fish. The heavy leaders will also help you wrangle the fish out of the weeds and land them quickly.

Trico is still the morning show on the Creek, and with the Hopper action picking up, there is no reason an angler can’t fish from dark to dark on the Creek right now! Have a great time!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Area Fishing Report - August 4, 2014

Anytime you have a sport where the rules are dictated by Mother Nature you will have to learn to take the good with the bad. What is happening this week with the weather is a great example. If you love to fish Silver Creek then you can look at the cooler temps and the rain and rejoice in the flows coming up, better oxygen levels for the fish, and cooler water. This all spells great fishing this week and even into next week. Now, on the other hand if you love to fish the Big Wood, than this weather is making things a bit hit and miss. Mainly, is the river going to be fishable or not after one of the many thunderstorms we have been experiencing?

Not a terrible dilemma having to choose between two wonderful fisheries, and if you can’t make that decision, then stop trying and just head over to the Lost! The upper and lower Lost River systems are at their peak right now. Big fish are being caught above the reservoir, although you need to be willing to hike a lot of water to catch more than one or two. Small attractors are all one needs. Parachutes, Trudes, and Stimulators are a good starting point. Have some good sized PMD patterns as well. The fish are often keying on a variety of yellowish mayflies and a standard Thorax PMD will fill the bill for almost all of them. 

The lower Lost River is fishing well when the sun gets the Tricos going. Baetis and Crane Flies are also on the menu below Mackay Dam. Expect this action to continue for most of August. If you do go to match these hatches, be ready to small. The Trico in the next valley over is tiny! Size 22 and 24 Tricos are not out of the ordinary here. We have purchased quite a few patterns here at Picabo Angler specifically for this Lost River dilemma. Stop in next time you’re fishing the Creek and we’ll show you some.

With the Creek coming up to near normal levels we are expecting the return of the hot weather to bring us the first really solid Hopper bite of the season! Be ready with your favorite foam patterns once we get back into a rhythm of sun and wind.

Bird hunters, it’s time to get your gear out. GO over everything and fill in what you need. It is also time to go bust a few clays at one of our local gun clubs. Hunting season opens at the end of the month!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

August Fishing Outlook

It doesn’t take long to deduce that August will be a great month to be fishing. A pleasant mix of technical fly fishing opportunity and easy “get your fly in the water” types of fishing will be readily available.

Expect fisheries like the Big Wood and the Big Lost to become much trickier to fish as low flows will force anglers into thinking harder about leader length and tippet diameters. Leaders will need to be extended and tippet sizes dropped. It will also be important for anglers to try and be in the right place at the right time. Giving more and more thought to fishing early in the morning and late in the evening. Flies like Elk Hair Caddis and Rusty Spinners should be thick in your fly box. Tricos on these rivers is also outstanding, although the sizes are minute. Make sure you have the smallest Tricos you can tie or buy and also see! Size 24 is not too small for Tricos on the Lost River!

For anglers with an urge to be out at midday the less technical Hopper / Dropper set up is all one will need for August to move up and down local rivers with success. The average size of aquatic insects certainly gets smaller as the season progresses, but anglers can always count on the Hoppers getting bigger and lasting until our first few hard frosts. On the Big Wood no Hopper beats a traditional Dave’s Hopper.

On Silver Creek the big Trico Spinner Falls should continue well into the month. Baetis and PMD will also have their low light moments, but the Callibaetis should begin to take center stage. Damsel flies and Hopper action will pick up. Look to fish into the evening for some of the season’s best fishing on the Creek. The Kilpatrick Pond area should continue to be a cold water sanctuary for fish, although flows should be coming up soon and the water cooling as the aquifer gets a subtle recharge form the earlier spring runoff.

August is also a time to begin looking at high mountain streams and alpine lakes. Take advantage of the cooler altitudes and get up in the mountains. Easy hikes like Baker and Norton lakes can be done in a half day or longer. Other lakes like Kane or Hansen Lakes take longer and are great places to spend a night or two. If you fish these lakes take small streamers in olive, lots of bushy dry flies with yellow bodies and all your favorite hopper patterns.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t be discouraged by the August Doldrums. The fishing will be slower in the afternoons for the next month. Time your fishing to low light if you can and be prepared for more technical fishing, but if you can’t get out at low light, don’t hesitate to get out and fish anyway, just be prepared for the conditions. We are entering a month of two very different styles of fishing.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

July 14, 2014 Sun Valley Area Fishing Report

Sometimes the fishing around here is so great, there just isn’t enough word count for a good report! Here we go anyway! TRICO! The heat and the cyclical nature of the Trico hatches and spinner falls over the years have met perfectly this summer. It is safe to say the SHOW is back in the Creek. Many an angler has seen the Trico madness on Silver Creek, and many an angler has decided to make the Sun Valley area their home because of it.

If you have not experienced the Trico Spinner Fall on hot summer mornings on Silver Creek, this is the time! The volume of insects can be comparable to the Brown Drakes, only smaller in size. Almost every fish in the river comes to the surface to eat this tiny mayfly, couple the intensity of the fish mopping the surface of bugs, with the technical side of trying to get them to eat your offering, and you have a recipe for fly angling at its highest level. If you want to learn more, come on down to Picabo and visit with Bob, Nick or John and we’ll set you up for a crazy morning of fishing! If you’ve been at it for a while, and need a “better” fly than the one your casting, we have a few staff favorites that will help get the deal closed on some of the Creek nicest fish. Expect a solid month of this activity. Now, would be a good time to ask your boss for an afternoon shift. Once the air temps hit 70 degrees, its game on!

Looking elsewhere, the Big Wood and the upper Lost are putting on their own morning show, with a variety of spinner falls. Green Drakes, PMD, Trico, Little Yellow Sally, Golden Stones, and more are all present on most days. Expect the action to start around 8:30 and last a solid 2 hours. After that, big flies like Cicadas, Turks Tarantula and Stimulators will still bring fish up. Normally, we’d suggest a dropper fly, but with fishing this good, anglers may want to take advantage of the fish looking hard at the surface this time of the year.

Finally, the South Fork of the Boise is fishing pretty well and we’ve seen a few rafts tackling the new rapids below the boat launch. We still haven’t seen a hard sided boat go down, but we’re sure someone has tried it. SCOUT IT FIRST! Wear you vest, and Please be safe. Oh, and take your Pink Alberts.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

June 23 Fishing Report

Green Drakes on the Big Wood and more and more fishable water appearing every day means happy anglers throughout the Wood River and Silver Creek Valleys.  The heat of summer is finally upon us and with it comes a return to almost all our fisheries. The freestone streams like the Big Wood and the Upper Lost are entering one of the most prime times of the season to fish them! Stoneflies and Green Drakes are the bugs with a mix of Caddis and BWOs also.

Expect the Green Drakes to begin moving north on the Wood. Anglers have been seeing a few mid-valley, but it is early enough they could show anywhere on the river given the right day. Keep in mind the Green Drake is a fair weather insect that likes to hatch in the heat of the day. Often this happens in the afternoon around 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. Sometimes it will be earlier on a really hot day. Another thing to keep in mind is the Green Drake likes to spin in the early morning coolness. 8:00 a.m. is not uncommon. The Drakes spin over heavy fast water and the fish know it. If you see a lot of Drakes flying in the a.m. and you don’t see a lot of fish taking them then try this: Take a Colorado Green Drake and pull the wing apart so it looks like two wings. Then soak the fly and even put a little split shot above it. Now place an indicator on the line and fish the drowned dry fly like a nymph. Fish the fast water and especially the water where the rapids slow to deep or glassy water at the end of the fast water!

Silver Creek is fishing better and better as the more consistent warm days are making for more consistent hatches and spinner falls. The Baetis and PMD are still the two main bugs out there, but the Hoppers and Trico are coming on strong. The evening Caddis action has been getting fish to the surface as well. Skating a Goddard Caddis is our favorite technique when we see lots of Caddis activity on the Creek.  

It’s a great time of year out there! There are lots of places to fish and anglers can spread out all over the valley. We expect some great fish this week. If you get a great pic, send it to us for our blog at info@picaboangler.com.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fishing Report June 16, 2014

The rain and the wind and the clouds are making for some uncomfortable fishing right now, but the fishing remains good. Bigger fish are on the prowl under the low light of the heavy clouds, so fish accordingly. Streamers and Mice are great choices.

Temperatures will be returning to normal this week and subsequently the fishing should follow. This is not to say the fishing has been bad, quite the contrary. The fishing in the cloudy and sometimes damp weather lately produced a lot of big fish, it just didn’t produce big hatches. Perhaps the colder, windy days will “reset” the season and our hatches will begin coming off a little less early!

On the Creek this week, we are expecting our fist small Trico spinner falls mixed with Baetis. If you see temperatures getting over the 80 – 85 degree mark, this is a real possibility. The Baby Hoppers should also begin coming into play on all our area waters this week. When we say Baby Hopper that means a size 14! That is small for a Hopper, but big compared to all the other food the trout are eating.

The return to sunshine should also mean a return of stronger PMD action as well as Baetis. The mornings are a great time to fish, but be sure this season on Silver Creek the best rising fish action is taking place during the magic hours before dark.

The waters across the area continue to fall as river after river comes into shape, ever so slowly. The Big Wood and Upper Lost Rivers are fishable in some areas, and less so in others. Fish with big bushy dry flies and bead head nymphs dropped under them. The Green Drake should also begin to show in decent numbers this week as falling water and hot days are the perfect recipe to see this hatch!

On the other end of the spectrum we have rising water on the South Fork of the Boise. This is endlessly interesting as we’ve known what to expect on the South Fork for the last 25 years. This year, we know very little. Not many boaters have been over there yet, as we have zero reports. The forest fires created so many slides into the river the boating is not at all like it used to be. Those of us that have rowed the river with one eye open for the past few decades have to relearn and pay very close attention to the river now. If you go, take Salmon Flies, Caddis and Cicadas, but make sure your first trip is more about safe boating than catching a whole bunch of fish. Get comfortable with the river, then get to fishing!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

June 10th Sun Valley Fishing Report

Update: We saw a few things yesterday that we want to update here in the Sun Valley fishing area. First and most important, a very small, size 18 Hopper came bounding through our fly shop office yesterday afternoon. This is significant, in the fact that our door is a few hundred yards from the Creek.  Once the Hopper hatch starts it progresses quickly. With the dry conditions we can also expect to see Hoppers riverside very soon. We have some incredible Baby Hopper patterns in the shop this year. The Hopper hatch is often overlooked, but with the prevailing wind conditions thus far in May and June, expect the Baby Hopper to be a major food source for Silver Creek trout in the next few weeks!

The other thing we saw in the heavy wind last night was a plethora of Miller Moths being blown into the Creek from streamside bushes. The fish were on them quickly when they hit the water. We have some Spruce Moth and big Caddis imitations that should cover this insect. If you are on the Wood or other freestone stream, think about a big Gray Wulff!

View fullsize

Baby Hopper Patterns