Sun Valley Fishing Report - August 24, 2016

The fishing all around Sun Valley is pretty darn good right now. Slightly milder temperatures have been great for anglers and fish alike. We are slowly approaching our fall hatches, but as of now, it’s still summer as far as the fish are concerned!

The fishing on Silver Creek is great in the mornings when the wind stays down. The Baetis emerger has been the main bug, with some Tricos showing in certain areas. If you want to fish them and can’t find them, you need to explore! If the wind does come up, there is still great opportunity to fish Callibaetis, Hoppers and Damsel flies in the middle of the day. In the evening the Baetis are the main targets of trout, and when the sun goes down and its dark (about 9:30) the Mouse fishing is getting better and better.

The Big Wood continues to fish best during the morning and evening hours. Rusty Spinners are a great choice in the evening as well as Elk Hair Caddis. Trico is the morning faire and Hoppers rule the afternoon. Small attractors and small nymphs are also a great way to search the water. Stay on the move and make sure you have your Flying Ant patterns as they can sometime dominate the river this time of the year.  

The Upper Lost is fishing very well with small dries, but plan on walking a lot between fish. The low flows move fish into the most obvious holding water with plenty of shallows between those areas. A size 16 Royal Trude is your best friend on the Upper!

The Lower Lost is fishing o.k. with Trico in the mornings. It can be very good, but really depends on the day. Some days the bugs hit the water en masse and other days they show in the air, but never really seem to make it to the water in numbers large enough to get the fish up. Crane Flies are still in play and the water is at a wadable level these days. Anglers wait all year to move easily in the Lost River system. From here on out it should get easier and easier.

The South Fork of the Boise is still fishing at driftboat levels with Pink Alberts and Hoppers. This is a good time of the season to “show them something different.” If you have a favorite nymph or dry, give it a try! They’ve seen plenty of standards at this point!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fishing Report - August 11th, 2016

Slightly milder temperatures are on hand this week, which will make fishing slightly more comfortable. The hatches are spotty, but still around. It seems to be a matter of standing in the right place!

The Trico on the Big Wood is small, but the Spinner Fall seems to be increasing, while over on Silver Creek the early Trico season, is beginning to wane a little bit. It really depends where you are on the Creek and more specifically which bush you are fishing behind.

Hopper fishing continues to pick up everywhere from the South Fork of the Boise, to the Upper Lost, to the Lower Big Wood. Expect this action to continue into September and it should get even better and better as summer progresses.

The Damsel Fly activity remains really strong, with most anglers complaining about getting strikes without hook-ups. WAIT! Let them eat the fly, vanish, count to three, sing the Star Spangled Banner, whatever it takes to slow your hook set down. Then set the hook with vigor! This means heavy tippets to 3X. Stop worrying about tippet shy, let the fish have the fly and have it all the way under water until they are gone, then SET THE HOOK HARD!

Baetis in many ways, and on many mornings, has been the star of the show. Prolific numbers of Baetis have had the fish percolating most mornings. A Rusty Spinner can be the best fly in your box during these events. Hatch Matchers are also a great fly to have ready. Fish them small, and very dry. Make sure your fly is sitting on its hackle tips.

Callibaetis is still present in the slough and the action should continue to pick up into August. Expect late morning and early afternoon activity in the slow water sections of the river, including both sloughs on the Nature Conservancy.

Caddis is the name of the game on the Upper Lost and Big Wood in the evenings. Have a decent selection of Elk Hair Caddis and stay late.

The Flying Ants are back for the summer. DO not overlook this hatch. It may be in its beginning stages, but if we get to a point like last summer, the Flying Ant may become the one dry the fish will key on for weeks at a time. We brought in a lot of Flying Ant patterns this season, for this reason!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

John

Sun Valley Fishing Report - July 29, 2016

The Big Wood River is a great place to be on a hot day. The shady canopy always offers anglers a respite from the sun. The best way to stay cool though is to fish Patagonia style. Meaning fish early and later.

The moment it is light enough to move about the river is the moment you want to be fishing. Start your day with Streamers or Hoppers as you await the morning hatches. This is a good time to fill your lungs with cool morning air and let it into your pores. Trico action starts after the first rays of sun hit the water and the air temperatures get to 70 degrees. 

Siesta and lunch are the second activity of the day while the temperatures climb and the fish also go into a "siesta" mode. 

Start your day back up in the early evening. Again start with Hoppers and have your Caddis and Rusty Spinners ready for the evening rise. If you've saved enough energy and your feeling really fishy, head to the Creek with your Mouse Flies! 

John

Sun Valley Fishing Report - July 20, 2016

Anglers, we are entering another transitional time of the year again. The waters are dropping fast and the rivers that were barely wadable a few weeks ago are now approaching levels where stealth and fly pattern are important. With the coming heat we can expect the fishing windows to also become early and late. The good news is we are starting to see the beginnings of a really good Hopper year. This will keep the afternoons interesting!

Silver Creek is fishing very well with Trico and Callibaetis right now. There are some PMD opportunities still, but the Trico is heavy in the early morning and lasting until 11:00ish. The Callibaetis is also showing in the morning and can be a game changer on Kilpatrick Pond. In the afternoon hours, Streamers in the pond or Hoppers in the river are the main players.

The Big Wood is about to go into the August doldrums, meaning it is also going to start fishing early and late. If you head out in the evenings the Caddis activity will build and the Rusty Spinner fly can be your best friend for the next 2 or 3 weeks. During the day, think about fishing Hopper / Dropper combinations. Dave’s Hopper is the best Hopper on the Big Wood. Fish a Prince or Hares Ear Nymph underneath it.

The Little Wood has fewer mosquitoes then a few weeks ago, but by all means still go there prepared for the onslaught, no matter the time of the day. Be fully covered up and have spray. Short of that and it’s not worth the agony. If you get a bit of a breeze and you are prepared it is doable.

The South Fork of the Boise is fishing O.K. with Caddis at night and Pink Albert action building during the days. If you are fishing Pink Alberts pay very close attention to the shallow water and also know that the Pinks emerge with their wing fully exposed before they swim off the bottom of the river. Have flies to match this accordingly.

The Upper Lost is still fishing very well with large attractors and Hoppers. The Streamer fishing is also very good, but decreased flows should knock that action back a bit. Plan of Little Yellow Sallies and Flying Ants to become the main hatches this coming week and beyond.

The Lower Lost will come on strong as the waters drops moving closer to the fall!

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Sun Valley Fishing Report - July 12, 2016

We begin our return to summer temperatures today. Plan on Trico activity on Silver Creek to really ramp up as we head closer to the weekend. The Hopper activity on the Creek, although not red hot yet, is as good as we've seen for a few years. The Baby Hopper flies are bringing fish to the surface on the windy afternoons, and there seems to be plenty of those lately!

Cool nights are really helping keep water temperatures in the perfect range on the Creek. This is spurring on great hatch activity and is great for the general health of the fish! 

Our freestone streams remain in great shape and are fishing really well with Stimulators, Parachute Adams and other small attractor flies. Standard nymph patterns are also taking plenty of fish.

Get your sun screen and bug spray back out for the week. It is going to be a good one!

Sun Valley / Picabo Fishing Update - June 27, 2016

What a great week to be a fly angler in Idaho! Rivers are coming into shape all over the place. Major hatches are starting on many of these rivers and the fish have yet to see a fly! 

Silver Creek is going to be an early and late show with the heat this week. The midday hours should produce some really decent Blue Damsel fly activity on the afternoons when the wind stays down. The Mouse fishing remains very good!

The South Fork of the Boise should come to life with Salmon Flies this week as well an uptick in the Baby Hopper action. It's a good time to have your large foam flies out!

The Big Wood should erupt into full blown Green Drake madness this week! I can think of few other places I'd rather be fishing right now. 

The Upper Lost is coming into form quickly. Dropping water and massive amounts of insects make the exploring "up top" as fun as it gets! 

There is a lot to do. Play hookie and go do it!

John

Sun Valley / Picabo Fishing Update - June 24, 2016

A fun weekend is ahead of us. There is a lot of exploring to do on all our area waters. Pick what you like to do best and get out there! 

The Big Wood is coming into shape quickly and anglers are beginning to catch fish and see Green Drakes in the Bellevue area. 

The Upper Lost is clearing and right behind the Big Wood for fishability. 

The South Fork of the Boise and the Salmon are both floatable and are fishing well, with better fishing still to come. 

Yesterday, I asked our guide Andrew Thomas to fish with me and also to start in the middle of the day under bright sun. The results are in...(If you'd like to set up a guide day with Andrew give me a call! 208.788.3536

John

Sun Valley / Picabo Fishing Update - June 23, 2016

There is a quietude in fly fishing that can often be left behind or forgotten as we wait out he Spring Runoff on our freestone streams. We fish together on our spring creeks and tailwaters within close proximity of one another and we get used to it.  This weekend should be the first real dose of getting out, getting spread out and finding those quiet moments in our sport once again.

Silver Creek was a challenge for most anglers yesterday. The Creek and the fish are readjusting to the heat, but as the action slows for the moment on the Creek, the excitement of other fisheries opening is palpable. The Creek will show her true colors again at a moments notice, so stay ready and be willing to look outside your normal fishing box. 

The freestone fisheries like the Upper Lost, the Wood and the Little Wood are right there...on the cusp of some great fishing. Expect a crazy good 2 weeks on these streams beginning this weekend ! Have your fly box ready with Big Flies! Be safe! Enjoy your quietude!

John

Sun Valley / Picabo Fishing Report - June 21, 2016

The last week of muddy water is upon us. Stay patient people! Looking at the CFS (Cubic Feet Per Second) graphs this week, the flows are no longer making the big downward and upward swings. The graphs are now showing the flows adjusting with nighttime and daytime temperatures. This means the volume will begin to decrease at a slower pace, but the water should begin to clear rapidly.

Once again, when you decide to get out on our freestone streams. Wear a tight wading belt, fish with a friend and PLEASE leave your dog at home. Every year dogs perish the high flows of the Big Wood. Don’t let yours be next.

Looking ahead to clear water have your Green Drakes ready, as well as your Stimulators and your favorite dropper flies, like Copper Johns, Prince Nymphs, and Pheasant Tails. Try to find soft water in side channels and along the banks. The river is most likely going to fish best very low (South of Bellevue) and very high (North of Ketchum).

Silver Creek continues to fish very well. The afternoons are still where it’s at for the best hatches and most fish rising. PMD, Callibaetis, Green Drakes, Blue Damsel, Baetis Spinners, Ants and Beetles are all important to your fly box. Looking ahead, get your Trico selection in order. They are anywhere from two weeks to one month away. Baby Hoppers are also starting to appear in good numbers, so be sure to add that fly box to your bag!

The South Fork of the Boise continues to baffle us like always. Caddis are prolific at night, but not a lot of fish eating them. The big foam flies will work one day, then not another. Salmon Flies have yet to make a serious appearance, although this week that hatch should begin with some vigor. The best fly continues to be Salmon Fly nymphs fished deep, or Copper John / Small Stone Nymph combinations, also fished deep.

Finally, the Little Wood should begin to fish soon, although right now the mosquitos in the vicinity are trying to compete for your blood and they are all winning! If you go when the water drops to fishable flows, be sure to target the middle of the day and bring bug spray and appropriate clothing! Green Drakes and Stimulators are the flies for this area, just scale everything back a size or two, including leader length and fly size.

Happy Fishing Everyone!

Opening Weekend and Brown Drakes - May 29, 2016

THANK YOU ANGLERS! 

We wanted to say thank you to all of you for all of your generous support these past few days. Our dream of a quality fly shop focused on the Creek and Kindness could not happen without you! 

By Saturday afternoon the crowds had left the Nature Conservancy waters and the Creek blew up with a PMD hatch to beat the band. We would expect a similar event today. Think 3:00 - 4:00 in the afternoon. 

The Brown Drake continues to trickle off and baffle us like always. With warm days head for the next two weeks. and being that the hatch is following the same pattern as last season, expect major occurrences to take place every night in the coming week. I would be shocked if we didn't see the first major emergence tonight or Monday night. 

Thanks Again everyone and we look forward to seeing you all at Picabo Angler again soon!

John

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

Brown Drakes & Fly Rod & Reel

John Huber, pictured below in the new Spring issue of Fly Rod & Reel, casts during a blizzard brown drake spinner fall last year on Silver Creek. This was arguably the heaviest of all the spinner falls last year. Location: Between Point of Rocks and The Willows access points on Silver Creek.

This hatch is likely to come off early this year which could very well mean sometime right around or just after the May 23rd opener.

View fullsize

John Huber during a Brown Drake spinner fall from heaven on Silver Creek last year. Fly Rod & Reel Spring 2015 issue. Photo: Nick Price

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.

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 - September 29, 2014

Mahogany Duns and masking hatches are something I write about every year. It is that important to anglers on Silver Creek, and it is also a glaring example of something we fly anglers hear all the time, but don’t see all that often.

The masking hatch, simply put, is a hatch of insects that you can see very well on the water, but in fact the fish are eating and keying on a much smaller bug, or as is the case with the Mahogany a larger bug but a difficult bug to see due to its dark color. In fact the best way to see the Mahogany Duns is to look at the water with the glare in order silhouette their dark bodies.

We see this a lot with Micro-Caddis and Flying Ants as well. These are insects that hatch in huge numbers, the fish love them, but we rarely see them on the water very well, as our eyes are drawn to more abundant bugs or brighter colored ones.

So, with this said, when you are on Silver Creek this week, be prepared to see A LOT of Fall Baetis throughout the day. You may even see Trico and Callibaetis, but the one to watch for is the Mahogany Dun. It is a true Mahogany color, it is about a size 14 and it is a plump insect. Everything a fish getting ready for winter needs. This bug will come in waves so be ready for it!

Morning Hoppers are not a kind of Hopper, but the time of day to be throwing Hoppers right now! Before the hatches start and before most anglers arrive on the Creek is the time to be casting your big Hopper patterns. The biggest fish are still out cruising from the night before and haven’t gone to hidey-hole on the bank for the day. They are out and about for one reason, and that is to find something BIG to eat before the bright light of the day begins.

Finally, the Brown Trout population in Silver Creek is getting ready to spawn. This means fish looking to eat before they spawn, and fish that will be voracious after they spawn. Spend some time Streamer fishing this week and you may be pleasantly surprised. Even in the middle of the day!

Enjoy the fall colors and enjoy one of the greatest times of the year to be a fly angler!

Happy Fishing and Hunting Everyone!

Sun Valley Opening Day Fishing

Opening Day is Saturday! In Picabo it may as well be Christmas Morning and we might all as well be twelve years old. That’s the kind of buzz and excitement level we experience on Silver Creek’s opening day. Friends and families have gathered here for the opener over generations and you should join us too.

This year will be extra special with the new pond project completed and the huge amount of new fishing opportunity it represents. Rarely does a fishery see the massive improvement Silver Creek experienced over the off season. We asked some of the Valley’s best anglers what they would tell someone heading to Silver Creek for their first opening day experience and this is what they had to say.

John Huber: “I would tell anglers to head for the Creek in the evening. The hatches will be stronger and there will be half as many people fishing. Wait, I guess I’d head to the Creek in the afternoon, eat BBQ, say hello to fishing friends, and then head for the water.”

Nick Price: “Forget about fishing the opener during daylight hours and spend that time hanging out at the Picabo Angler opening day BBQ instead.”

Bob Turzian: “Watch for hatches, but if you don’t see anything going on, a small soft hackle or bugger will produce strikes, especially the soft hackle which has become a great early season fly. I’d also think about fishing the upper Conservancy looking for Midges in the morning and Sullivan’s Slough for Callibaetis in the afternoon.”

Nick Anderson: “Come and have fun, enjoy the fantastic opportunity that is Silver Creek, let the fishing take care of itself, and don’t forget your glass rod!”

David James: “Be patient and enjoy the scenery.”

Tim Mansel (Idaho Angler): “Fly anglers have the opportunity to fish this world renowned trout fishery, but be sure you will have your work cut out for you.”  

One can quickly read into these bits of advice, even on opening weekend, the fish don’t all come easy! Regardless of where or when you fish Silver Creek on Saturday, be sure to stop in and see us at Picabo Angler. We will be having our traditional opening day BBQ starting at 11 am, and we will have our casting course set up for rod demos and an overall great fly fishing buzz! Pun intended. The store will be open 6:30 am to 8 pm and the weather is looking spectacular. We’ll see you Saturday!

Sun Valley Spring Fishing

While opening day of fishing in Idaho is 12 days away, we are still fishing here with the entire Big Lost River watershed open. Trail Creek Summit opened on May 1st and the water level on the Lower Big Lost is still at a very fishable level of 91 cfs. Look for the flow to drastically increase on this piece of water sometime around Memorial Weekend. The cooler days have been far better with decent Baetis and nymphing using small zebra midges, pheasant tails, rainbow warriors, etc.

View fullsize

Big Lost River Rainbow. May, 2014.