"The sun did not shine/ It was too wet to play/ So we sat in the house/ All that cold, cold, wet day." ~ Dr. Suess, The Cat in the Hat Fly Fishing Forecast May 20th to 27th After a mostly dry, warm winter, the first half of May has already exceeded the average precipitation for the month. And we have…
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"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…
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"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." ~ Loren Eiseley As another steelhead season comes to a close, fly fisherman tend to look toward future fishing opportunities. The prevailing question is always the same: What will the water be like? Predicting streamflows is not an exact science. For example, no one could have predicted the…
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"But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flower, its bloom is shed; Or like the snow falls in the river, A moment white then melts forever." ~ Robert Burns The run-off started early this year since March came in like a lamb. However, April has come in like a lion, and we we have received some more high…
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"The trout do not rise in the cemetery, so you better do your fishing while you are still able." ~ Sparse Grey Hackle Just don't do it on the Wood or the South Fork of the Boise. Like Silver Creek, these rivers are now closed for the season. However, there are still plenty of excellent options for an angler willing…
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"Never make predictions, especially about the future." ~ Casey Stengel The Big Wood Basin snow water equivalent is at 70% of normal as of March 16th. For those already looking ahead to summer, all signs are pointing to an early and moderate run off and a good early fishing season on our local waters. In the meanwhile, the steelhead are…
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The steelhead coming up river from the Pacific Ocean to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery have to travel nearly 1000 miles and pass over 8 dams. And this year, they are early to the dance! Typically these fish begin to show towards the end of March in the stretch of the Salmon between Stanley and Challis with the season closing the…
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"Wet boots are a way of life." ~ Austin McPherson March is a great month to get your boots wet. While the Creek is now closed, the Wood is just hitting its late winter, early spring stride. Our area tailwaters, the Lost and the South Fork of the Boise, also fish fantastic in March. And it won't be long now…
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"It is the constant--or inconstant--change, the infinite variety in fly-fishing that binds us fast. It is impossible to grow weary of a sport that is never the same on any two days of the year. " --Theodore Gordan The Winter Midge activity keeps gaining momentum and surface feeding trout can be found throughout all our rivers. And with each passing…
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"To go fishing is the chance to wash one's soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tackle-makers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not…
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Photo: Chris Blesius “Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” – Samuel Butler While wild flowers and leaves fade from view, the fruits of wet seasons past, ripe and true. With the swish of a fly cast above the stream, and a trout holding fast in the golden gleam, autumn's…
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“‘Only today,’ he said, ‘today, in October sun, it’s all gold—sky and tree and water. Everything just before it changes looks to be made of gold.’” – Eudora Welty When the frosts come, we know nothing gold can stay. So get out, rod in hand, and enjoy the October sun. Silver Creek If you head to the Creek, expect to…
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