Synopsis Whether you are fishing our meandering valley river bottoms or the alpine lakes high above, fly fishing in central Idaho is absolutely excellent at the moment. Trout are feeding aggressively on the various mayfly and caddis floating down our local freestones and the morning activity at Silver Creek is at its annual peak. Mornings and evenings lend themselves to…
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Synopsis As we enter the middle of August, local fisheries are producing very well. Silver Creek is in the midst of the annual "Trico Madness" activity and our regional freestones are offering excellent mayfly, caddis and grasshopper opportunities. The recent inclement weather and thunderstorms have slightly colored the waters in our area, but this is a temporary problem as the…
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Synopsis Traditionally, August fishing on Silver Creek becomes extremely active in the mornings with the onset of "Trico Madness". This famous conflagration of tricorithodes spinners, in conjunction with other small mayflies, demands that anglers cast flies of the most diminutive proportions. However, it will be very much the opposite on our local freestones and tailwaters as we see a proliferation…
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Synopsis As July nears its end, it is interesting to look back at the fluctuating river conditions local anglers have seen this month. The flows on the Salmon River, the upper Big Lost and the Big Wood during the latter part of June and early July were near record setting. It seemed as if the high water would never subside…
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Synopsis Though all of our local rivers remain slightly above their normal annual stream flow for mid-July, fishing conditions have finally stabilized. The Big Wood is fishing exceptionally well with pronounced dry fly activity throughout the day while the Big Lost has been lowered to a fishable, though still high, water level. Silver Creek is fishing relatively well as we…
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Synopsis Over the past week, our local rivers have dropped significantly allowing for summer dry fly fishing to hit its stride. Locally, the Big Wood offers a veritable smorgasbord of mayflies, caddis and stoneflies while Silver Creek continues to fish well with Drakes and Callibaetis. The Upper Big Lost is coming on strong as the water levels drop while the…
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Synopsis Due to a cold and wet spring, our local freestones are still flowing relatively high and fast for this time of the year. Luckily, as we head into July, our local waterways will continue to drop and clear and give us some of the best fly-fishing of the year. Look for the Big and Little Wood Rivers, Copper Basin…
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Synopsis As we approach the end of June and the high mountain runoff decreases, it looks like we'll finally be able to access our local waterways. As the water continues to drop and clear, the Big Wood River will offer excellent dry and wet fly fishing for the remainder of the summer and into the fall. Silver Creek has fished…
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Synopsis Although our freestones are still high and off color, the chocolate milk waters of the last two weeks is being replaced with clearer water and lower flows. The Big Wood is on the verge of being fishable while the Salmon and Big Lost Rivers have a way to go before they will be ready for angling. Silver Creek is…
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Synopsis Unfortunately, our local freestones are a mixture of high flows, muddy water and dangerous wading conditions. For the time being, the Big Wood, Big Lost, Salmon River and Copper Basin are all unfishable. Silver Creek Fortunately, Silver Creek is fishing reasonably well despite Mother Nature's inclement spring weather. Mid-morning PMD activity has been fair with patches of good but…
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"To catch a river unguarded is less a matter of where to look than of when, and so while other fishermen have secret places, I have a secret time." – Ted Leeson, The Habit of Rivers Can you keep a secret? The best time to fish is March. Silver Creek The lower Creek from Kilpatrick Bridge down through Point of…
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"The river is everywhere." – Herman Hesse, Siddhartha What will become the river this spring, summer, and fall now blankets the mountains. And despite the extended dry period, the snowpack remains just above 100% of average in the Big Wood, Big Lost, and Little Wood drainages. Still, much of what the river will be depends on March, April, and May.…
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