Synopsis

The Valley’s fisheries are performing extremely well despite the unusual weather we have received in the last couple of days. The Big Wood turned off color last night due to some heavy showers north of town. It should clear by this evening. Silver Creek is on fire with a fantastic combination of Mayfly and Terrestrial fishing throughout the day. Below the dam the Big Lost is still a little high for optimum conditions. The Copper Basin is fishing really well, but keep your eyes on the road conditions going over Trail Creek. The recent rains have taken a toll on the road, so have a backup fishing plan in mind in case the road is closed or hazardous.

Silver Creek

The morning Trico spinner falls have been producing some great fish this past week. If you are lucky enough to hit Silver Creek in the morning with little or no wind, it could very well be a day of fishing you will never forget. As the Tricos taper off the fish will start to work Baetis, PMD’s and Callibaetis. Be prepared to make some adjustments as the day moves on.
If you are having a hard time finding consistent targets, Terrestrials will be your best bet. Try a Damsel, Hopper, or a Beetle and you might just find the trophy you’ve been looking for. One thing to remember about Grasshoppers is that they begin the summer small and grow larger every week so pick your Hopper size accordingly. Right now think about throwing patterns around 1”- 1.25” in length.

Big Wood River

The Wood has been fishing well on nymphs and attractor patterns throughout the day. We have been observing sparse Pink Albert hatches in the middle of the day and a few fish are breaking the surface to take advantage of this mayfly. Most of your mid-day dry fly fishing will be with attractors such as a Parachute Hoppers, Adams, Stimulators and Wulffs. If the fish aren’t cooperating on the surface, nymphs have been working well. Try Princes, Zebra Midges, Rainbow Warriors, PT’s, or just about anything you have in your nymph box. The evening hatch activity has increased over the past week with Caddis and Rusty Spinners working well just before dark.

South Fork of the Boise

The South Fork has been hovering around 1700cfs. Look for working fish in the foam lines, riffles and under the bushes along the bank. If you cannot find working fish, a hopper/dropper along the bank should produce. Keep an eye out for snakes and use caution when walking along the bank or at camp.

Big Lost River

The Lost is running around 630cfs making the fishing a little difficult and the wading dicey. Use caution when wading or crossing the river. If you are going to fish try nymphing or skating Cranefly immitations

Upper Lost and the Copper Basin

Fish attractors and bring mosquito repellent. The Basin has been fishing extremely well over the past week and the great fishing should continue.

Synopsis

We continue to reap the benefits of our enormous snow pack, as almost every river in our area is fishing really well. With the dropping water and hot temperatures, anglers need to begin thinking about fishing early and late for the bigger fish, but there is still plenty of midday action on the surface. Big flies are still the best bet on most rivers, and this should continue with the emergence of the grasshoppers in coming weeks.

Silver Creek

The Trico is the talk of the Creek these days, with nice morning spinner falls bringing up almost every fish in the river for a few hours. The spinner falls begin as soon as the air temperatures hit 70 degrees, and with the hot days recently this means you should get down there early. On most mornings, sunrise isn’t to early. The afternoon is Callibaetis time and the Hopper fishing should be coming along. Anglers that want to try fishing the afternoon Damsel Fly activity should start trying some Hopper patterns intermittently, especially if the wind comes up. Keep your Baetis and P.M.D. patterns ready, especially as the morning Trico action begins to wane.

Big Wood River

The Wood is fishing great these days, with a lot of big bugs still around, and good healthy flows giving anglers nice cover to search out the rivers best fishing grounds. Green Drakes are still out, with a lot of Stonefly varieties as well. This means big, bushy attractors will continue to bring up the fish. With the midday heat, one may want to try dropping a small bead head from their dry fly is they sense a drop in the surface action. Continue to wade carefully on the Wood and enjoy fishing the new runs that continue to appear daily with the dropping water.

Lost River

A CFS of 650 means the Lost will be fishing soon. This is still a good sized flow over there, but better wading is not far off.

Upper Lost and Copper Basin

Everything above the North Fork and East Fork confluences is fishing really well. Below that area the volume is still very high and wading is difficult and dangerous. Up high though, the fish are active, there are a lot, and I mean a lot of insects in the mornings and evenings, yet the afternoon fishery is still excellent. Big attractor flies are all one needs to catch every species. As always, use the “Copper Basin Slam” as your benchmark for a good day fishing up there, and try to catch at least one of each trout; Brook Trout, West Slope Cutthroat, Snaked River Fine Spotted Cutthroat, and Rainbow. If you go, remember your bug spray as the Mosquitoes and Deer Flies are also out in full force.

Little Wood River

The fishing is improving above the reservoir as the water continues to drop in this drainage. Smaller Rainbows and Brook Trout are the targets, and they will respond to just about any Attractor pattern right now. The desert fishery has been slightly less productive with the stifling heat.

South Fork of the Boise

A crowded river recently, the SF of the B, should begin to see fewer anglers as more and more water in other part of the state opens up and begins to fish productively. Expect the Pink Albert action to continue and get stronger into August, and have some good Hopper patterns to cast from the boat. Flows are still at drift boat levels and the wade fishing is somewhat limited.

Synopsis

Here comes the moment we have been waiting months for. The Tricos are out. The Wood has dropped below 1000 CFS and continues to drop rapidly. The bugs in the freestone rivers are hatching, and more fishable water opens daily so we can all spread out and enjoy the serenity of Idaho. It is safe to say from here, on through the rest of the summer we get to reap the benefits of last winters huge snow pack. Get out and make the most of everyday while the Rockies are still blanketed in sunshine instead of snow!

Silver Creek

I once wrote that the Salmon Fly hatch on the Deschutes River was the “hatch heard around the world.” Well if that’s the case then the Trico on Silver Creek, is the “Spinner Fall heard around the world.” On Silver Creek nothing compares to the madness of the Trico Spinner Falls. The fish go crazy on the surface, and anglers go equally mad trying to solve the riddle of the rise! Remember when fishing the Trico, it is presentation, presentation, presentation. Fly choice and tippet size are simple. Fish a Trico Pattern you can see, in a size 20 or 22. Use dry shake to make the fly more visible. Use 6X tippet to a length of 12 feet and cast close and quietly to your target. If you can’t hook up, readdress your presentation before you think of changing flies or lightening leaders. Keep in mind there is no fish in Silver Creek that won’t eat a well presented fly on 6X tippet.
P.M.D., Baetis and Callibaetis are also still in the mix, and as the Trico Spinner Fall tapers off, be ready to switch to the fly your particular target is eating!

Big Wood River

The Wood is shaping up nicely. The Green Drakes are out in good numbers and more and more fish are coming to the surface. Even the bigger fish are starting to come up and investigate dry flies. Big attractors like Royal Wulffs, H and L Variants and Stimulators are great choices. If fishing is slow, or you want more big fish, consider using a bead head dropper 2 feet under the dry. It is a brand new river out there, so don’t expect old haunts to look anything like they used to. Enjoy the fun of relearning everything and continue to be safe as higher than usual flows make wading tricky. Continue to leave your dog at home for any serious outings.

Lost River

Still running to high for effective fishing, but dropping.

Upper Lost and Copper Basin

Loads of insects “over the hill” are making for some great fishing on the upper forks of the Lost. Green Drakes, P.M.D.s and Stoneflies are everywhere. The flows aren’t quite ideal yet, but low enough to fish. The East Fork is still pushy enough that very careful attention to wading is necessary.

Little Wood River

The Little Wood is coming into fine shape and stoneflies are beginning to hatch. A few Drakes should be popping on the river this week as well, at least above the reservoir. In the desert, expect good fishing, but be ready for the emergence of Rattle Snakes in the area. There is still good fishing to be had, just walk loudly and be heads up in the riparian zone. There may be no finer or picturesque place to spend an evening fishing than on the Little Wood.

South Fork of the Boise

The South Fork continues to fish well with Salmon Flies, Pink Alberts and Caddis. A quick note about Pink Alberts. I have heard confusion over the past week about P.M.D.s being confused with the Albert. The similar size and shape are the reason, although one is clearly pink and one yellow. The big difference is in the emergence. Pink Alberts hatch on the bottom of the river with a fully emerged wing and then swim to the surface, they are incredibly easy prey in shallow water. On the South Fork a fly fished shallow, during the emergence that appears to have a fully emerged wing, like a Harrop Cut-Wing Emerger, will produce a lot more fish than trying to coax a locked-in bow into eating a Yellow dry fly, like a P.M.D.

Silver Creek

The Creek continues to fish relatively well despite a lack of strong P.M.D. activity. The Baetis and Callibaetis are still bringing fish up to the surface. The Damsel activity is also picking up and a few anglers are finding success with these patterns as well as small terrestrials like the Ants and Beetles. Tricos are still not in the mix, but their appearance in large numbers should happen soon. With hot days, look to the morning and late evening fisheries to provide the action, but if storm clouds roll in during the week, expect some midday Baetis flurries.

Big Wood River

The Wood is beginning to fish better and better on the surface. The Drakes are acting like they did last season with more numbers being found on the north end of the fishery and an increase in activity being seen down south as the waters continue their incredibly slow drop from spring flows. Look for the morning spinners and afternoon hatches of this large insect. Check side channels as well as the water adjacent to the top of the main flow at the pools head. Golden Stones and a few bigger Stoneflies are also present and little Yellow Stimulators have been taking fish. Girdle bugs and other stonefly nymphs are good choices when no fish are active on the surface. The water is still very pushy, so wade with caution!

Lost River

Still 800 CFS below the dam. There are little pockets to fish near the campground, but a better bet is to wait for flows closer to 400 CFS.

Upper Lost River and Copper Basin

Anglers are catching fish in the headwaters of the Copper Basin and decent bug activity has allowed for some limited dry fly activity. Expect the same Green Drake and Stonefly action you would find on the Wood. The upper lost is still moving a large volume of water and will fish better in coming weeks.

South Fork of the Boise

The Salmon Flies are in full swing on the SF of the B. If you have a drift boat get down there and cover some water with the biggest Salmon Fly patterns you can buy or tie! You can also expect a lot of Caddis and Pink Albert action in the afternoon. Flows are steady at 1600 CFS making this a better drift boat fishery than wade fishery.