"The two best times to fish is when it's rainin' and when it ain't." ~ Patrick F. McManus After a hot July, August has been the answer to our prayers. The cooler air temperatures and rain has revitalized our rivers. Weather forecasts predict this weather pattern to continue for the next few days, so be sure and go prepared for…
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“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato The Sun Valley Symphony Season has arrived and fly fishing is a great way to spend the day prior to enjoying the music. After all, there is a musical quality to fly fishing and rivers if one cares to…
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"Angling is, or should be, essentially a philosophic and reflective engagement, rewarding the practitioner not only with trouts, but with a gentler and more matured comprehension of life itself." Ben Hur Lampman We fly fish not just for trout, but for the lessons we learn in pursuit of trout. We learn about loss and rejection; we learn about joy and…
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"Most anglers soon discover simple fly fishing helps preserve our capacity to wonder." - Yvon Chouinard The next time you go fly fishing, try and simplify your overall approach. Take just a few flies and a spool of tippet. Leave the reel and line behind and grab a Tenkara rod. Make fewer casts. Position yourself closer to the fish so…
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“Stream tactics can be learned from experience, but stream etymology can be learned only by serious study.” - Ernest Schwiebert We are currently experiencing some fantastic bug activity on our local fisheries. Mayflies, Stoneflies and Caddis of all sizes and colors are filling the air and hoppers are already clattering out of your way as you walk to the river.…
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"Exultant and feeling completely alone, I started to sing loud snatches of songs, unthinking and a bit wild as I fished through the pool. I knew that I did not want a fish to disturb my fishing." Mel Krieger from The Essence of Fly Casting We have waited several months for the waters to clear, recede and the fish to…
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“The water you touch in a river is the last of that which has passed, and the first of that which is coming; thus it is with time.” Leonardo DaVinci As the water drops, more and more angling opportunities open up all over the valley. Now is a great time to go explore with big flies, searching dries and reacquaint…
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“I have never seen a river that I could not love. Moving water has a fascinating vitality. It has power and grace and associations. It has a thousand colors and a thousand shapes, yet it follows laws so definite that the tiniest streamlet is an exact replica of a great river”- Roderick Haig-Brown As a fly fisher, I look at…
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Fly fishers are stereotypically patient and early June, with its high water, is a test of an angler's patience. To those anglers waiting, I say this: It will not be long now. The weather has been relatively cool this spring making run off slow and steady. As an example of this, look at the flows on the Wood since the…
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While many of our freestone rivers are still mostly high and off color, the fishing opportunities we do have are quite good; Silver Creek, The South Fork and our local stillwaters are all fishing well. Don't forget this important day next week...Father's Day! We have the perfect gift for the Dad who has everything. We have the perfect gift for…
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Image: Ed Northen “April is the gateway to the joys of summer.” – Fennel Hudson While the fishing season on some of our local waters comes to an end, there are still fishing opportunities for those willing to seek them out. And the joy of summer rests quietly upon the mountains. Big Wood/Silver Creek/South Fork of the Boise You only…
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Image: Ed Northen “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the Spring.” – Aldo Leopold The same could be said of the steelhead. After a journey of eight hundred miles and eight dams, Spring has arrived. With one return, surely a hover will follow. Big Wood Late February…
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