This time last year the steelhead fishing was excellent, but this year the weather is cooler and the fishing has been slower. As with most steelhead reports it depends on who you talk too. The weather will warm up in early April and I expect the fishing to get much better. Below Salmon the water has been going up and…
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Steelhead fishing is rapidly approaching. The weather has still been cold, but the days are getting longer and the fish are starting to move up the river. There are fish in the upper river between Yankee fork and Stanley, but most of these fish wintered over in the deeper holes in the area. The main group of fish is moving…
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As I write this, a light snow is falling and the temperature is around 34 degrees. On many days like today, you can find some of the best fishing of the winter and early spring. Big Wood river rainbows will be found feeding on or near the surface, especially with very little sun. My favorite patterns are the Trailing Shuck…
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The Big Wood is fishing better as we move into February. There are more surface feeding fish on certain days. I like using 6x and small midge patterns in different stages. My favorite is the trailing shuck midge. This pattern works on the surface, but will also take fish sinking a little. I always start by trying to fish it…
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The Big Wood River The most consistent winter fishery we have. Expect to see midges on snowy overcast days and fish working on the surface. Sunny days are usually not as good this time of year. I like the Trailing Shuck Midge, Griffith's Gnat and small parachutes to imitate the surface offerings. You'll need to fish these flies on 6x…
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The Big Wood River is hit and miss this time of year. Best fishing is late afternoons or the warmest part of the day. Overcast days help and on some days there are midges coming off with the fish on or near the top. A Trailing Shuck Midge in sizes 20-22 will take fish working on or near surface. You'll…
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Synopsis As we roll through September, the weather is offering up some perfect conditions for anglers. This week, we will continue to see more of the same bugs we have started to see this fall: Baetis, Callibaetis, Caddis, Red Quills and Mahogany Duns, as well as more of the terrestrials that frequent the banks. Warmer mid-day temperatures are giving the…
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Synopsis As we move into our second week of the month, the fishing should prove steady. Our weather patterns will be less predictable, so be prepared for anything. If you find the water a bit stained or off color from the recent rain, don't hesitate to nymph with Princes or Pheasant Tails. Changing weather patterns bring hatch patterns that require…
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Synopsis Fly fishing the Northern Rockies in September is an extremely enjoyable experience. With the heat of summer mostly behind us, the shorter days and cooler temperatures bring out new hatches and a return to larger insects such as the Western Red Quill, the Mahogany Dun and October Caddis. The Fall Baetis, although diminutive in size, becomes a behemoth in…
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Synopsis As August comes to a close, Angling in and around the Wood River Valley continues to be very good. The morning activity at Silver Creek remains consistent and terrestrial fishing is still producing well in the afternoons. The Big Wood, Big Lost, South Fork of the Boise and the Salmon Rivers are also fishing well with good dry fly…
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"Tough fishing stretches you, provides you with skills and confidence for a thousand lesser moments–and it eggs you on to take great chances. It’s not just courage that’s required, of course, but some knowledge of the kinds of major tactics that can be necessary on a trout stream, and then a perfection of the skills needed to enact them." –…
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"Were it not for the strong, quick life of rivers, for their sparkle in the sunshine, for the cold grayness of them under rain and the feel of them about my legs as I set my feet hard down on rocks or sand or gravel, I should fish less often." – Roderick Haig-Brown To fish is merely an excuse to…
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