fbpx Skip to main content
Fishing ForecastFishing Report

Fly Fishing Forecast May 13th to May 20th

By May 14, 2015April 14th, 2018No Comments

“The pleasure isn’t in the doing of the thing, the pleasure is in planning it.” ~ John Green, Paper Towns

Fly Fishing Forecast May 13th to May 20th

Two weeks till opening day…May 23rd! Now is the time to plan. Start with a gear check: Do your waders need repair? Do you need to replace the studs on your wading boots or get new boots altogether? Do your lines need to be cleaned or replaced? Do you need new tippet and leaders? Are your flies up to snuff? After assessing your gear, it is time to make plans on where to go. Will it be the Big Wood, the South Fork of the Boise, or the Creek? The Creek is a safe bet with it consistent flows, but the flows on the South Fork and the the Wood may be fishable. No matter your plan, you can count on having as much fun doing the thing as planning it! In the meanwhile, there is still some good fishing to be done right now.

BIG LOST BELOW THE MACKAY RESERVOIR
The flows have bumped up to about 200 CFS and seem to change every few days. With the inconsistent flows, the fish will be unsettled, but the bugs don’t seem to mind. Along with the Beatis and Midge, we are now seeing a few caddis, PMDs and Stoneflies as well. Nymphing is your best strategy right now with a combination of big and small nymphs. Take an assortment of big bugs like Rubber Leg Stones, standard and beaded Prince Nymphs, and San Juan Worms. Trail behind that a smaller Baetis, Zebra Midge, Rainbow Warrior, or Bishop’ Dynamite in size 16 or 18. Also, the road up and over Trail Creek Pass is now open. And be sure to Check the Idaho River Flows page before making the trek. Remember, flows over 350 CFS get difficult to wade.

LOCAL RESERVOIRS
Magic, Mackay, the Little Wood or Duck Valley are good options right now with the rivers in our area closed for the next two weeks. Whether you want to float tube, pontoon, our fish from a drift boat, always be sure to have a friend, a safety whistle, and a life jacket. The weather is always a little funky this time of year, and high winds can make boating dangerous on the open water. In May in to early June, I like to pull Pops buggers and Seal Buggers in black or olive off of a sinking line like a type 3 or 5 or suspend a team of nymphs off an indicator like Prince nymphs, Copper Johns, or Chan’s Chironomids with a floating line and an indicator. This also a good time to consider going to CJ Strike to chase carp or the Bruneau Sand Dunes for bass and bluegill. Whatever you decide to do, come on by the shop and we will hook you up with the best flies for your situation.

THE BIG WOOD / SOUTH FORK OF THE BOISE / SILVER CREEK
These waters are closed until May 23rd.

WATER FLOWS – April 29th

Salmon RiverThe Big Lost 1,950 cfs207 cfs