Pee-Ka-Boo is a Native American word meaning "Shining Waters."
Picabo Angler is a destination: A full-service fly shop & outfitter located on the banks of world-renowned Silver Creek
The Drakes are coming on strong. The hatch continues to blanket the river from top to bottom. Last night's action was a bit better on the lower waters, as the big fish have finally caught on to the bug. The action tonight should be off the charts, as more and more big fish leave the bottom to eat the Drake, and more and fish follow the hatch upstream. Keep an eye on the sky this afternoon and if any big clouds roll in, get on the water!
The Drake pattern seemed to normalize yesterday. There were huge Spinner Falls on the lower river and the mid-lower river. The bigger Emergence was upstream. Anglers fishing tonight should expect another huge event as the hatch begins to make its way upstream. The heaviest action should appear in the Point of Rocks area, although there should be Drakes from Picabo Bridge all the way up to Highway 20! So far all angler reports are consistent in regards to people being good to each other! Thanks Everyone! Let's continue to enjoy the Drake together as a tight knit angling community!
Mother Nature pulled a fast one on us last night. The massive spinner fall we were counting on never materialized. The stormy, windy, cool weather may have killed some of them, and the rest did there thing this morning. A few lucky anglers saw some of that action! There was a good emergence last night, and our weather is getting better. Don't give up because last night was tough. We should begin to see the show again tonight!
We continue to sit by the river each night awaiting the first big emergence of the Brown Drake. We have yet to see more than one here and one there...In the meantime the Callibaetis and Baetis hatches in the evening have got plenty of fish up. We figure we are still a few days away from any giant Spinner Falls, and of course the first big emergence will mostly happen in the dark, but that could come on any night, or maybe even during an afternoon storm...We will continue to wait and keep you posted!
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
The water is clearing fast on the Big Wood, the Upper Lost and the Little Wood! The fishing will remain a challenge as the flows begin to drop, but things will also get easier and easier with each passing day.
The return of the heat has had an influence on Silver Creek, knocking back a bit of the hatch activity, and moving the best fishing to the early morning and late evening hours. Midday activity should come on quick when the wind dies down and Blue Damsel comes out.
It's a great week to get out and explore! There is a lot of new water opening up, and even some new runs to explore as we experience our first true spring run-off in many, many years.
Have your Green Drakes, Royal Stimulators, Copper Johns, Prince Nymphs, Girdle Bugs and Streamers in your fly box! Things are about to get really good out there!
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!
Silver Creek continues to be one of the only games in town for anglers. The good news is the fishing is still great! The wind yesterday kept the hatches from bringing a lot of fish to the surface, but anglers in the Sloughs did well. Guide Chad Chorney put some of his guests on beautiful Rainbows despite the wind.
The weekend should be cooler on the Creek. Expect more Baetis and a continuation of PMD madness! The Green Drakes are showing more and more as well as the Blue Damsels.
Ants and Beetles are still your best friend when things get tough on the river.
Our other local rivers remain high, off color and dangerous. Hopefully cooler temps will brig the flows down and we can be fishing these rivers sometime next week. We'll wait and see and report back on Monday.
Have a great weekend. Be safe. Be kind. Have fun!
There is less than 2 weeks before fishing season opens. With spring run-off on our local freestone rivers expected to last into the first part of June coupled with a likely showing of the Brown Drake on Silver Creek will mean the Creek could be a busy place for a few weeks. With that said, and with not a lot to report on just yet, we’d like to take a minute and chat about a “busy” Creek.
First off let’s remember we are all brothers and sisters of the fly rod. That means at our core we fish for a lot of the same reasons. Fun, adventure, to reduce stress, to hang with friends, to search for quarry. Mainly we fly fish, because we love it and it speaks to us. It may be something slightly different that we get from the sport, but we can all agree to respect it, and each other’s reasons for doing it.
So when you encounter your fellow angler on the Creek there are two courses you can take. We can choose to be quiet and standoffish, which could lead to tension and no fun at all. The other route is to say hello, be outgoing and communicate with one another. Despite the stigma of a “solitary” sport, we still need to take a few minutes prior to that emersion to address our fellow anglers to make sure we maximize our time and fun as well as theirs!
Do you want to be the angler that stands in the sweet spot during the Drake and ropes one fish after another while those around you are getting skunked from being in the wrong place? The flip side is you could be the angler that catches a few really nice fish and then says to a complete stranger, “Hey, come on over here and make a cast!”
At the end of the day, the first angler can go brag and thump their chest about being a fishing hero, or they can be the second angler content in the knowledge that they caught great fish, and also made someone else’s night, or week, or month, or lifetime. Being able to catch a nice fish on the Creek is not easy. During the Drake it can be. It is worth sharing. You never know how your 2 minutes of grace can make years of someone else’s life better, more exciting, and full of fish tales! It is the right and kind thing to do.
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Oh March, how we adore thee! The number one month for catch rates in the Sun Valley area is upon us! The Big Wood River during the month of March may be one of the finest fisheries in the West. Massive hatches of Midges coupled with the Little Black Stones make the Wood simply magical! If you are learning to fly fish or know someone you want to get on the water for easy, rewarding fishing, the next few weeks are ideal. The same flies we use all winter are in play, Zebra Midge, Brassies, Griffiths Gnats, and Tie-Down Midges.
With the fish going into a pre-spawn mode, they will begin to eat with a little more recklessness than at any other time of the season. This means you can start bringing Parachute Adams with you and even small, sized 16 and 14 Stimulators with you to the river, especially as we head toward the end of the month.
The Big Lost River should also begin to show some fantastic fishing in the coming days and weeks. Be aware that the Lost River rainbows are a bit ahead of schedule this year. Some spawning activity is already occurring, although there are plenty of fish in the pre-spawn state ready to catch. Please be discerning where you walk and which fish you cast to. Spawning fish are not eating, so putting them through any length of fight is really putting them in a difficult position. Avoid casting to Redds, meaning any fish you see in shallow waters near gravels that have been swept clean. Use the same flies you would take to the Big Wood, although be prepared for Baetis hatches as well. This becomes more and more important as March progresses.
Silver Creek is now closed throughout its entire length for the season. The Creek will reopen the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. If you tie your own flies start cranking out P.M.D., Callibaetis, Midges and Baetis flies for the opener! It will be upon us before you know it!
Other places to fish in the next few weeks include the Little Wood River in the desert stretches near Preachers Bridge as well as the South Fork of the Boise. The Midge Hatches down there should start really ramping up and some spring Baetis is possible as well.
Finally, spring is a wonderful time of year to head on down to the Snake River and chase Carp on the fly!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
There is plenty of low pressure in the mix this week. Expect excellent winter fishing all around Sun Valley. With that said, here are a few thoughts about the coming holiday and fly fishing.
“What do I get my husband / wife / significant other/ for Christmas this year? They already have everything?”
Well. I can answer that question easily. It is free, you can wrap it symbolically if you’d like. You can write it in a card. You can verbalize it over a coffee and Baileys on Christmas morning. However you want to present this gift to the angler, you can be sure it will be among the most precious things you ever give them…
Give your fly angler – Time.
Time on the water. Time to sit on the banks of a river and think about you, while you think they are thinking about fishing. Time to leave work behind, and yes, even family for a few hours. Time to immerse themselves in a river and in a wilderness without once looking at the time to see if they need to head home. Time is what the fly angler wants and what a fly angler needs.
You really want to give your fly angler a gift? A big gift? Like a new truck in the driveway, but even better? Give them enough time to take a trip! A whole week in Cuba, British Columbia, Florida, Mexico, the Bahamas. Make it really special by assuring them their dog will be loved and fed while they are gone. Assure them that everyone at home and work will live without a daily text, phone call or email. Let them unplug from the world at home and let them plug into a world of coral reefs, foam lines, and brands of beer and rum they’ve never heard of.
There is nothing a fly angler wants more. We don’t need a fancy new rod or a reel made out of NASA left overs. We don’t need gold inlayed fly boxes or first edition fly fishing books…Given enough TIME we will fashion a fly rod out of a willow branch, make a reel out of an old coke can. We will fish with rusty hooks kept in an old chew can. We will read newspapers written in languages we don’t understand, and we will fish in muddy backwaters - if we just have enough time.
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Jack Frost and Old Man Winter teamed up this past week and made a pretty good case for staying in the house to tie some flies! Don’t fret as the conditions should change by Thursday back to what we would consider “normal” winter fishing conditions. This means we get back to fishing windows that should last from 11:00 a.m. to about 4:00 p.m.
If nothing else this past week reminded us of why we carry tire chains, extra food and water, as well as a change of clothes. Are fun level is often dictated by how prepared and safe we can be. Take this to heart and always be prepared when heading out into the wilds of Idaho. Even if you are only 4 miles from town – Town is still in the middle of wilderness!
Getting back into the swing of winter fishing, anglers should be prepared to nymph the standard winter flies. Try Zebras Nymphs and Brassies as primary flies and fish them under a strike indicator. One and a half the waters depth is the standard rule for the depth to set your indicator, or about an arm length on the Big Wood.
Approaching the Christmas Holiday means we also approach the winter dry fly season. Low pressure and warmish days could provide the first significant Midge hatches of the winter. This means fill your fly box with Griffiths Gnats, Tie-Down Midges and Trailing Shuck Midge patterns. Have some dry shake as well. If you find rising fish, use the Griffiths Gnat as a lead fly. They are easy to see and will help you locate your Trailing Shuck patterns. Tie your Trialing Shuck patterns 18 inches behind the Griffiths Gnat from the bend in the hook. Dress both flies well with a dry shake type floatant, being sure not to get any on the tail of the Trailing Shuck. You want the shuck in the water or the film on the surface. This easy target is what the fish are keying on, and is what will make them choose your fly over thousands of real Midges!
Road conditions by the weekend should be pretty decent and allow anglers to travel to the Lost and the South Fork of the Boise. Silver Creek should start producing nice fish being taken on Streamers. Remember, Silver Creek is only open from the Highway 20 Bridge downstream for the months of December through February.
Happy Fishing Everyone!
The streams are at their brightest when the sun shines on a winter’s day. Perhaps the reflection of light off of the snow makes the bottom sparkle. Maybe the lack of moss on the rocks and a summer of polishing makes them shine. Regardless of why, it is a beautiful thing to see. Although beautiful, the next week or so promises less light and some cloudy weather. The good news is this also means low pressure and great fishing.
We are still too early for massive Midge hatches, but the Nymphing on almost all our rivers is in full swing. Fishing standard nymphs as well as anything bright like an egg color is going to produce fish. We are seeing fish schooling up into winter holding groups. If you catch one fish in any particular area, plan on catching several more. Don’t move on too quickly from productive spots.
The weather in the South Valley has been warm and mild, so if you aren’t ready to fish in the snow yet, look to Silver Creek and the South Fork of the Boise.
Silver Creek, upstream from Highway 20, closes at the end of this month. There is still time to find decent Baetis hatches between now and then. Just try to find the calmest and warmest days. If nothing is working on the surface and the weather goes bad, fish Streamers. With the Brown Trout coming off of the spawn they will be eager to fatten back up. The rest of the Creek, downstream from Highway 20, remains open until the end of February and should fish very well with streamers coupled with cloud cover this week!
If you really want to get the last of the hatches for the 2015 season, the South Fork of the Boise is the place for you! Milder days are producing nice rises of big bows on Baetis! No need to get there too early. 11:00 is plenty early with most action peaking around 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. If you go, be sure to check the weather and road conditions. Being at the bottom of that hill when the snow flies can lead to tire chains and 4-wheel drive.
Enjoy the pre-holiday quietude on the rivers this week! We should have excellent fishing on all our area rivers as long as anglers are willing to fish subsurface. Big Midge hatches are coming so if you are a fry fly junkie – you won’t have long to wait!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Winter conditions have begun to prevail in the Sun Valley Area and therefore winter fishing techniques move to the forefront of the local angling agenda. Fishing windows have shifted toward the lunchtime to dinnertime window and techniques vary with the day.
Anglers need to be prepared to be versatile. Fishing dries, nymphs and streamers are all necessary for the highest catch rates despite the fly selection moving to a seasonal low. The dry flies you need to have stocked up include Baetis, Griffiths Gnats and Tie-Down Midges. Nymph selections should include Zebra Nymphs in Black or Red, Copper Johns, Prince Nymphs, Hares Ears, Girdle Bugs and Pheasant Tails. Streamer boxes should have plenty of Olive colors and some Black offerings as well. If you are fishing the Creek, have some articulated streamers.
On Silver Creek the Brown Trout are getting toward the tail end of their spawn. They should come off their Redds hungry and aggressive. Some may be tired and skinny after the spawn, so please handle them gently. Late in the day, when things warm, anglers are still finding some Baetis and Midge hatches on the Nature Conservancy waters.
The Lost River is running low and the fishing is o.k. The low flows are making the game a bit harder to play then what most anglers are used to on the Lost, but it’s still a fun challenge. Be ready for Midge and Baetis activity up until Thanksgiving. Move slowly in the water and concentrate on structure and deep water.
The Big Wood is such an awesome winter fishery, it is hard to go anywhere else! We begin our holiday guide rates this month, so give us a shout if you want a guide with you. Our guides have been bringing a lot of fish to the net lately! Nymphing has been the game as of late, but streamer anglers are going to catch a lot of fish as well!
The South Fork of the Boise has probably got the last great hatches for the season. Baetis in the late afternoon, when the temperature get above 40 degrees can blanket the river. These days are waning though, so have a good nymph selection as well. Like always, please check the road conditions before you commit to the Lost or the South Fork!
Have fun, dress warm and enjoy the beautiful setting along the river corridors right now!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Low pressure systems are upon us! Great news for anglers looking to catch great numbers of fish, just make sure you have a warm coat and a rain jacket when you head to the river! Nymphing and Streamer fishing are the techniques to go to this week, as the colder, wetter weather should effectively shut down most of the season’s hatches. If you’re in the right place at the right time you may find some Fall Baetis activity under the clouds, but don’t expect daily occurrences of this bug.
It’s not quite fall, and not quite winter, so the Midge activity we associate with the snow and the awesome hatches provided by this insect won’t materialize in numbers large enough to get the fish up. Your best fly choices are going to come from your nymph box. Red Copper Johns, Bead Head Prince Nymphs, Black Back Hares Ears, and smallish Pheasant Tails are the way to go. Fish these under an indicator and concentrate on thigh to waist deep riffles.
Brown Trout on Silver Creek are in full blown spawning mode, so be careful where you step, as not to disturb their Redds. You may also find Redds on the Big Wood. They are oval shaped and the gravels are swept clean. Now, with that said, keep in mind the river systems are filling with Brown and Brook Trout eggs, so fishing bright orange and red nymph patterns is going to bring a lot of attention to you fly.
Please keep an eye on the weather if you are going to travel to the Lost or South Fork of the Boise Rivers this week. Snow in the forecast could happen at any time. Have your vehicle winter ready!
This is certainly a week to take some time off the water and start thinking about Salt Water destinations, (Picabo Angler can help with that!) also start tying flies for winter, start replacing those old fly lines, boot laces, leaders and nets.
This is also a great week to start making that wish list for Christmas presents and leaving it in strategic places around your house or vehicle! Just saying…
Overall expect rivers void of other anglers this week, but don’t give up on excellent fishing. Fish love and respond well to low pressure systems and with the cold nights lowering water temperatures, all the fish are going to key in on getting fat for winter!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Significantly cooler temperatures have arrived in the Valley which should shorten the fishing windows quite a bit. Cold nights will send the Brown Trout into full blown spawning mode, so be prepared to see fish digging Redds, and if so, please be careful not to walk on these “trout nests.” It is also important that you head to the rivers with the ability to be flexible. The late fall weather can provide days where only Streamers are going to work, days when it’s Dry Fly madness and days where Nymphing will pay off. Be loaded for bear and make sure you are including your winter Midge selection in the bag when you go.
Silver Creek is still fishing really well with Mice and Streamers taking the pre-spawn Browns regularly. You may not catch a boat load of fish, but you may hook into the biggest and brightest fish of your season. Fall Baetis will continue to appear until the snow flies, so on calm - warmish days, be ready for this.
The South Fork of the Boise is one of our favorite Fall Baetis fisheries, and the canyon (when the wind isn’t blowing) can be a good 10 degrees warmer than the Sun Valley area. Look for the long flat glides on the river and brig all your Silver Creek flies, leaders and tippets.
The Lost River is still running very low and the river is a bit hit and miss right now. It all depends on the conditions being right. When things are calm and warm expect Baetis but be prepared for a full day of Nymphing as well. Have the color red in your selection and make sure you bring a nice selection of Pheasant Tails as well.
The Big Wood is a great option when fishing windows are short. Without the drive times to the far away rivers, fishing time may be maximized. If you need a quick fix, hit the Wood with Fall Baetis, Prince Nymphs, Hares Ears, Zebra Nymphs and Brassies.
Remember, fingerless gloves and a warm hat will extend your fishing day and make it fun and comfortable. Take the extra steps to stay warm and dry for the best time possible. Have an extra change of clothes with you and a spare car key. This is not the time of the year for shortcuts or last minute decisions. Be safe and enjoy the glorious amount of quietude on the rivers this week!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Cloud cover means Fall Baetis! Fall Baetis means blanket Baetis covering the rivers. Blanket Baetis covering the rivers means lots of big rising fish for you and me! These little aquatic insects are just one more reason we love the fall in Sun Valley. Low water coupled with this bug brings fish to the surface that otherwise we would not see most of the year.
It also means fish will be moving their feeding lanes to new areas. Anglers need to begin concentrating on the slick water tail-outs of the runs on most rivers. The diminutive size of these little Baetis means the fish need to find calm enough water to maximize their opportunity to eat them, hence spending the hatch times in the back of the pools.
Anglers that fish Silver Creek frequently will find that the skill set they have learned on this spring creek will quickly translate to success on all the area rivers when the Fall Baetis arrives. Fishing 6X tippets is nearly mandatory. Approaching the fish at the right angles and with a good amount of stealth is a must. Finally, having an excellent presentation and a light handed hook set are keys to success. Choose small patterns that you can see well and fish the softest rod you are willing.
The Mahogany Dun has been growing in numbers and regularity on Silver Creek. Expect this to continue, and most importantly be willing to switch your fly back and forth between Mahogany and Baetis Duns readily. The fish you are targeting are going to switch, so switch with them.
The Lower Lost River continues to fish really well. A little Trico activity continues as well as Baetis and Crane Fly activity. The Nymphing has been excellent as well. Fish small and red when Nymphing. A little Black Zebra Midge is also a great choice.
The Fall Baetis on the South Fork of the Boise is one of the highlights of the fishing season around here. It may begin a little later in the season than on our more local rivers, and the fire/slide activity has knocked it back a bit, but it remains a great choice to spend a fall day.
Overall this is a good time of the year to have a lot of excellent Baetis patterns and move around from river to river. The fly selection remains nearly the same on all the local waters, so get out there and experience new rivers, new runs, and enjoy the changing of the seasons!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
Perpetual autumn will never end. This is the sense that we get this time of year as we string together beautiful day after beautiful day, hatch after hatch and fish after fish until one day a dark gray sky rolls in, ushering winter to the mountains.
With the long autumn comes all the good stuff that goes with it. Upland hunters have begun Chukar and Hun seasons. The Grouse season is well underway and throughout the valley wing shooters are reporting excellent days in the field. The fall also brings on the Mahogany Dun which had finally showed up on the Creek! After a long season of watching the fish get smarter and smarter, the Mahogany Dun seems to be all that is needed to turn the fish “less smart” again. Expect the Mahogany to really pick up steam by the weekend when cooler temperatures again arrive to turn leaves yellow and remind everyone it’s firewood season.
The Western Red Quill also continues to produce spectacular days on the Wood, again bringing fish to the surface with a little more abandon, and making all of us fly anglers feel like there is hope for us in the low flows of the later season!
The biggest common thread on all our rivers right now is the Fall Baetis. This tiny insect is a favorite of local trout as the diminutive size is more than made up for by the abundant volume of insects hatching. Keep in mind when you fish this hatch, the fish are really keyed up on the movement of this little bug. The constantly swinging abdomen is a sure tell for the fish that they are eating the real thing! The best way to imitate this movement is to fish an extended body fly on an open loop, allowing the fly to swing freely on its hackle tips. Anglers can read about this technique in more detail, as well as other “tricks of the trade” in John Huber’s book Lessons of Fairsized Creek.
Our more distant fisheries, like the South Fork of the Boise and the Big Lost River are also fishing very well, although the daily windows are shrinking rapidly, forcing angler into the choice of long drive versus short hatch, or staying local to maximize fishing time.
Now, is truly one of the best times of the year to fish, and like the trout, anglers need to take advantage of the waning warm days and fish hard until old man winter decides it’s time for yet another change!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
True fall weather is upon us. It’s time to put the chains and shovel in your fishing rig, pack some extra water and non-perishable food items. Throw in your sleeping bag and extra change of clothes and travel with a full tank of gas. Now you are ready for fishing at winter’s doorstep.
The talk of the local fishing world these days is the Western Red Quill that has been bringing fish to the surface on the Big Wood for several weeks now. Expect more of this action to continue and move up the system this week. Plan on the best action closer to Ketchum than Bellevue and plan on fishing banker’s hours! Don’t go buy a bunch of new flies for this bug, just use your favorite leftover Green Drake patterns! Fall Baetis should begin to show in huge numbers under the cloud cover and inclement weather that is predicted.
On the Creek we are crossing our fingers and toes that this week’s true fall weather will bring off the Mahogany Dun in massive numbers. This hatch has been present on the Henry’s Fork for some time now, so we are due any day. Once we see the Mahogany, the Fall Baetis will come with them. In the meantime Baetis, Callibaetis, Hoppers and Ants are the ticket. The best fishing remains the mouse fishing after dark. With heavy cloud cover and pre-spawning Brown Trout both present, expect the Mousing to only get better!
To the East, the Lower Lost continues to have the best morning hatches with Trico Spinner Falls, although they should begin to wane this week and be replaced by Baetis. The Crane Flies should remain active under dry skies.
The Upper Lost is fishing well, but spotty. If you know the area well, it may be worth hitting favorite runs, but the low water makes it tough to search for fish. If you don’t know the area well, you will have to walk a lot!
Don’t stop fishing under the rain this week. Despite the rain temporarily wiping out dry fly fishing, it will bring out the biggest fish in the rivers. The low light and lack of activity means big pre-spawn Browns will be looking to fatten up in a big way. The cloud cover gives them this opportunity and no baitfish or mouse will be safe this week!
Enjoy the fall hatches, stay prepared for the inclement weather, and stay safe out there!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
RED. When it comes to fishing, Red is the color for fall. Whether it is the Western Red Quill gracing the Big Wood and Upper Lost, or the Red Scales of the Kokanee that will be migrating up the rivers from local reservoirs, to the Redd’s that Brown and Brook Trout will be making and even the Red of the eggs from spawning fish, Red is the color to focus on.
We are entering a transitional time of the year on all our area waters, as summer hatches begin to wind down, and the fall hatches begin to ramp up. On Silver Creek the Trico Spinner Falls are beginning to wane, while the Baetis builds in numbers. Grasshoppers and Mice are taking the biggest fish, while Callibaetis continues to show up on occasion sparking serious feeding frenzies. Watch the weather as the Creek transitions to banker’s hours. No need to get to the water until the air temps warm up after cool nights. Be ready for midday Baetis hatches that can fill the afternoon hours with bugs and fish galore!
The Big Wood continues to muddy then clear, muddy then clear. The Red Quills will be coming soon, as well as the Fall Baetis. Watch as the leaves begin to turn. When they start falling from the trees the Western red Quill is typically in full swing. The Colorado Green Drake is the best fly you can use for the Quill hatch, and we stock this fly for the fall, just for this reason! The Green Drake of June and the Red Quill of September are very similar in size and color, making the Drake patterns a great choice for one of the most overlooked hatches in the fly tying industry.
The Lower Lost continues to be tough wading, although keep an eye on the USGS website for current flows. Once you see the river drop below 300CFS, plan on heading over. Red colored nymphs like Copper John’s and San Juan Worms are deadly when the Kokanee get swept through the dam.
The Upper Lost continues to fish well with Ant and Hopper patterns, but at current flows, be prepared to walk a lot. Trico and some Pink Albert are present.
The South Fork of the Boise will also begin to transition between Pink Albert and Hoppers to the Fall Baetis hatches soon. Mother Nature will dictate these changes with cold nights.
Anglers need to be prepared with both, summer and fall bugs right now in order to take advantage of what happens with the weather. Also a great time to bring those extra layers of clothes to the river!
Happy Fishing Everyone!