Spring is beautiful in the Valley. The arrowleaf balsamroot, the first flower of spring, is in full bloom, the hills are green, the Boulder and Pioneer Mountains are still capped with snow, and the Brown Drakes are hatching on the Creek! The freestone rivers, like the Upper Lost, the Big Wood and the Salmon, are high and muddy and flows…
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Saturday, May 24th, our local waters, including the Big Wood, Silver Creek and the South Fork of the Boise, open up to fishing. For me, the season opener is like Christmas. Silver Creek has been sitting under the tree like a wrapped present, and finally this weekend, we get to open it. The anticipation has been heightened by all the…
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The season opener is fast approaching, but if you are anxious to get out and fish there are several options outside the Valley from Carp fishing CJ Strike to chasing monster Browns on the Owyhee. For those waiting for the opener, keep checking the USGS water flows and long range weather forecast before you make your plans as conditions change…
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April showers brought more snow to our mountains and boosted our snow pack to 99% of average. This is astounding if you consider that three months ago the snow pack was at a meager 50% of average. This is great news for the summer water supply, the fish, and the fisherman. While it is difficult to predict, on average snow pack…
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Whether you are just learning or you are a seasoned angler, fly fishing always presents a challenge. Maybe you want to catch your first trout on a fly you tied or maybe your goal is to fool that one problem fish on a size 24 Trico. Ultimately, if we attain our particular piscatorial goals or they eludes us, it matters…
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The Big Wood and the South Fork of the Boise are now closed for the season, but will reopen, along with Silver Creek, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. All three of these fisheries will be interesting to monitor during the off season. On Silver Creek, the Restoration Project will be completed and Kilpatrick Pond will be refilled. How…
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Pursuing wild trout with a fly rod in hand is the best way to spend Spring Break. This is our version of March Madness...only around here we refer to it as Midge Madness. Three factors contribute to this mayhem: First, the fishing season on the Wood and the South Fork come to a close at the end of this month.…
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March in Sun Valley means spring snow in the mountains and in the valleys, great fly fishing. Ah, March! This is truly one of my favorite times to fish. If you have been hibernating, now would be a good time to come out of your winter cave and go fly fishing. The rainbows this time of year begin to feed…
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With spring only a month away, the days are getting longer and the average air temperatures can swing more than 20 degrees. During a typical fishing outing, the day will start well below freezing, reach into the 40s, and end below freezing as you exit the water. This can pose a problem when trying to dress for a day of…
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It looks like we are going to start the week with a cold snap and then move into a fairly snowy pattern through the middle of the month. While January was mostly dry with days reaching the 40s, it looks like February is going to deliver a dose of winter. We sure could use the snow in the mountains. I…
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“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” – Charles Dickens It was the best of March weather, it was the worst of March weather. And all within ten minutes. While fishing, be sure to stack your layers wisely…
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Image: Ed Northen “Snow was falling/ so much like stars/ filling the dark trees/ that one could easily imagine/ its reason for being was nothing more/ than prettiness.” – Mary Oliver So much depends upon each snowflake. The fate of tomorrow’s fishery, and the year after that, and so on. Their beauty is deeper than mere appearances. Big Wood Snow…
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