Fly Fishing Forecast April 27- May 11

A man comes into a shop and asks, ‘Can I have a rod and reel for my son?’ The owner replies, ‘Sorry sir, we don’t do trades.'” ~Anonymous

We are a month away from opening day. Don’t wait until May 28th to dust of the gear only to find it in disrepair. Now is the time to do a thorough gear assessment: organize you fly boxes and replace your “go to” flies; toss out old tippet and replace it with fluorocarbon; fix the leaks in your waders and screw a few studs in your wading boots; peel your line completely off your reel and clean both with a mild soap and water. Of course, if your floating line has become a sink tip you should replace it all together. And if you have been dreaming of a new Sage or Winston matched with a Waterworks-Lamson or Hatch…while we won’t take your son, we do take trades for rods and reels. See our Tackle Trade In and trade up offer on our website.

THE SALMON RIVER
There are only a handful of days left of the Steelhead season on the upper Salmon; After Saturday April, 30th, it is done for the year. The Salmon River in the town of Salmon has been as high as 5,000 CFS and while the recent cooler temps have brought it down to 4,000 CFS, the high flows have reduced the visibility in the lower river. The up side of the cooler weather is that the river just below and above Stanley has remained clear. Nevertheless, check with us before you go. As for techniques, in the smaller, upper part of the river, sight fishing with a single handed rod works well and on the lower river in the classic wide steelhead runs, it is fun to swing flies with a Switch or Spey rod.

BIG LOST BELOW MACKAY
The flows are holding steady at 96 CFS, but they could go up any day. Flows from the upper Lost are beginning to fill the reservoir and it is more than likely that once they turn the water up on the lower river, we may not see flows below 500 CFS until August. So now is the time to go! Of course, Trail Creek Pass is still closed and will remain closed until some time in May. You can expect to find both midge and Baetis present. For midge patterns, have a good selection of Griffith’s Gnats in size 18 to 22 as well as Trailing Shuck Midge in the same size. For Baetis, try Harrop’s Parachute Baetis and a simple High Vis Parachute Baetis for when the light goes flat in size 18 and 20. Before the hatch starts try small Rainbow Warriors, Bishop’s Dynamites, Zebra Midge, or Pheasant Tail nymphs in size 16-20 fished below a small indicator or high visibility dry. You might also try a double nymph rig fished Euro Style through the deeper runs. San Juan Worms, Large Stone Flies, or Prince nymphs trailed by a small nymph can be effective.

SILVER CREEK
The Big Wood and the South Fork of the Boise are now closed for the season, but will reopen, along with Silver Creek, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (5/28).

THE BIG WOOD
The Big Wood is now closed for the season, but will reopen, along with Silver Creek, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (5/28).

SOUTH FORK OF THE BOISE
The Big Wood and the South Fork of the Boise are now closed for the season, but will reopen, along with Silver Creek, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (5/28).

STILLWATERS
With the warmer temps, reservoir fishing is a good option this time of year. Magic is easy to fish from a float-tube or the bank around Myrtle Point for trout, bass, and perch. I have been hearing favorable reports from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation as well. This fishery is managed by the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes and has three different reservoirs to pick from: Mountain View, Lake Billy Shaw, and Sheep Creek. For a small fee, you can fish all three and camping facilities are available as well. As for techniques in both locations, try pulling a team of small leech patterns in black, brown or olive on an intermediate or type 3 sinking line. Often spring trout are feeding on Daphnia, aka fresh water plankton, and a leech is a welcome meal. I also like to use Sheep Creek Specials in Duck Valley, or perch colored patterns at Magic. Also, suspending a series of nymphs at the right depth can also be effective at both locations. Come on by the shop and we can set you up.