“Fishing consists of a series of misadventures interspersed by occasional moments of glory.” – Howard Marshall What constitutes a “moment of glory” while angling? If an angler pursues his or her quarry with the monomania of Ahab, then the moment of glory only comes occasionally, if at all. But if we focus on the misadventures and the lessons learned from…
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by Carl Evenson With plenty of snow shining in the peaks, the freestone sections of the Big Wood, Big Lost, and Salmon Rivers are forecast to be higher than average, especially during May and June. It is too early to predict fishing flow levels beyond June because the May and June weather influences flows so much. This spring, we have…
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We have become accustomed to dry years here; this year, however, has been far from dry. Since early December, snow painted the peaks and the valley floor bright white leaving us with a record snowpack in the Big Wood, Big Lost, and Salmon River basins. Even the Silver Creek valley was covered with snow from December well into March. It…
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"Wherever we go in the world we find other men speaking the same language, planning the same plans, dreaming the same dreams. And one of the big four―brownie or brookie, cutthroat or rainbow―is the cause of it all." -Roderick Haig-Brown For some, the best way to fly fish is alone. There are times when I wish to be alone on…
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“The stream before you is constantly changing. If you are not flexible or confident enough to adapt to changing conditions on the stream, you are sure to fail.” – Joe Humphreys During a series of lean water years, we become accustomed to a level of consistency on our freestone streams; hatches predictably occur over clear, wadable water and certain buckets…
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“As we try to estimate future streamflow scenarios, please remember that Mother Nature bats last and she can be a switch hitter.” – Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report June 1, 2017 It has been cold and the flows around the region have dropped, but the forecast calls for a warmer pattern to return. This will bring the flows back up…
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“Drake is a term of European origin generally applied to a mayfly larger than size 14, and they are considered royalty by fly fishers wherever they exist.” – Rene Harrop The Brown Drakes have made their appearance on the Creek and have been stronger than we have seen in years. This is a short lived hatch, but there are still…
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“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra As one of the few fishable rivers in the state of Idaho, the Creek certainly saw its share of anglers this weekend. The crowds will wane for the rest of June, especially now that the Owyhee has dropped to a fishable level. The crowds will return to the Creek in…
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“...perhaps the greatest satisfaction on the first day of the season is the knowledge in the evening that the whole of the rest of the season is to come.” – Arthur Ransome It is time to prep your gear for the upcoming season. Begin by replacing old leaders and tippet spools as well as cleaning and greasing reels. Put some…
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“I am haunted by waters.” - Norman Maclean The first wave of true spring run off occurred during the first week of May causing the Big Wood to peak at nearly 7,000 CFS. Currently, the Wood is down to 2,600 CFS and dropping as the weather has turned cool again providing a temporary respite from the flooding. But warmer temperatures…
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