“The old man used to say that the best part of hunting and fishing was the thinking about going and the talking about it after you got back. ~ Robert Ruark
The hardest part of waking up on April 1st is knowing that the season on the Wood has ended. And what an amazing winter of fly fishing we have had…so many beautiful fish, so many perfect days. On the other hand, the best part of waking up on April 1st is thinking about all the other great angling opportunities yet to come.
The Big Wood, Silver Creek and the South Fork of the Boise
To allow the wild rainbows time to spawn in peace, the Wood, Silver Creek, the South Fork of the Boise, and all their tributaries are now closed but will reopen on May 25th. In the meanwhile, there still are plenty of fishing options for those willing to travel outside the Wood River Valley. In fact, April offers a wide variety of angling opportunities from tail waters to still waters. The day time highs have been warm enough to ice off many of our reservoirs and yet still cool enough at night to keep heavy runoff from impacting the ability to fish around the Stanley and Mackay area. For those looking ahead to the next season, keep your eyes on the spring weather. The Wood River Valley snow pack is currently at about 127% of normal and more moisture is on the way. While it is too early to predict, we certainly will have plenty of water this summer.
The Lost Below Mackay
Trail Creek Pass will remain closed until late May or June. Plan on a two-hour drive through Craters of the Moon, to Arco, and up to Mackay to get to the Lower Lost. The flows are currently at 225 CFS, good flow for wading. The fishing has been incredible with a mix of Baetis and Midge hatching throughout the day. It is best to start fishing subsurface, and as the day warms up the fish will start feeding on top. For flies, bring the same assortment of midge and Baetis dries and nymphs you might use on the Creek or the Wood. Dry dropper rigs with a trailing Zebra Midge, Brassies, or an attractor nymph in size 16 to 22 are very effective.
The Salmon
As of March 25th, the last report posted by the Sawtooth Hatchery, no fish have been trapped. In fact, only 104 fish have been trapped at the Pahsimeroi Hatchery. To be blunt, the fishing is slow. With rain in the forecast all this week, hopefully, some fish will move into the upper reaches of the river. If you decide to go, focus your attention just upstream of Challis. Hopefully, the conditions improve before the end of the month.
Stillwater Options
Most fishermen know that when the ice comes off of a reservoir, the fishing can be fantastic. Magic is slowly becoming ice free as well as the Little Wood and Mormon Reservoir. For those willing to brave the elements, the fishing should be quite good and continue to improve as we approach the end of the month. Try pulling Seal Buggers and Pops Buggers in black or olive with a sinking line (intermediate, type 3, or 5) or suspending a team of nymphs (Prince nymphs, Copper Johns, or classic Chironomids) off an indicator. You might also consider a trip a bit farther down the road to Duck Valley.
Salmon River Steelhead Flies: Hot Head Marabou Jig size 2 | Duddle’s Steelhead Candy size 4 | Tungsten Pheasant Tail Flashback size 6 and 8 | Tungsten Peck’s Flashback size 6 and 8 | Starlite Leech size 2 | Low Water Green Butt | Skunk size 6 | Undertaker size 6
Big Lost: Trailing Shuck Midge | Griffiths Gnats | Parachute Midge | Iron Lotus | SRS Bullet French Nymph | Duracell Jig 12-18 | Jake’s Perdigon 14-18 | Tungsten Nemec Stone | Pat’s Rubber Legs | Stone Daddy 8 | Bishop’s Dynamite | DB Zebra Midge in black, red, or olive | King Prince
| The Salmon
The Big Lost |
561 cfs
229 cfs |
