“I wish that every day was Saturday and every month was October.”
– Charmaine J. Forde
Don’t wish for Saturday. October is nature’s way of telling you it is time to go fishing.
Silver Creek
Despite the low flows, the Creek continues to fish well. You will find mostly baetis hatching with a few mahogany duns, October caddis, and midge. The surface feeding window is short, from mid to late afternoon until the sun and temperature drops. And it can be sporadic to prolific depending on the day and where you are on the Creek. If the wind blows, the rules change; get out your terrestrials and shorten your leader to nine feet and 4x. Nymphs and streamers can also be very effective this time of year. If you find browns in spawn mode (on redds), please leave them alone and always watch your step around the beds.
Big Wood
If you seek spectacular fall fishing, the Wood is a great choice. It is postcard perfect right now with the cottonwoods in full fall colors. The bugs have been active from about noon till three. Look for fish in the tail outs, the seams along the edges of the fast water, and in the slower dancing water. Spend the prime hours of the day searching for risers with a long leader and a small Baetis pattern or cover the water with a Hecuba/dropper or hopper/dropper rig.
Lower Lost
The Upper Lost is low and cold. Bugs are far and few between, but there are enough to keep the fish active. If you go, go in the afternoon and cover a lot of water. This is a great option for spectacular scenery and guaranteed solitude.
Upper Lost River
The flows have dropped to 50 CFS. It would be best to find another place to fish at these levels.
The Salmon
Despite the bone-chilling low temperatures in the morning and the low water levels, the Salmon River continues to offer consistent whitefish and trout fishing. This time of year, large nymphs will result in the highest catch rates as fish store up calories before the oncoming cold winter. Find a pull out and have fun.
South Fork of the Boise
Wading is your best option now that the flows are steady at around 300 CFS. This time of year, baetis and midge are the main players during the comfortable times of the day. You will still see caddis, crane flies, and some flavs. Nymphing is also going to be productive.
Local Ponds
The local ponds have been stocked for the last time and are ready for a family picnic and some fishing.
Silver Creek flies: Harrop’s Baetis duns and spinners | Mahogany Duns | October Caddis | Hoppers | Beetles | Ants | Zebra Midge | Quilldigon
Big Wood flies: Red Quills (Hecuba) | Baetis | Hoppers | EZ Caddis | Bullet French Nymph | Roza Perdigons | Sexy Walts | Quilldigon | Bishop’s Dynamite | DB Zebra Midge in black, red, or olive
Big Lost flies: Red Quills (Hecuba) | Baetis | Hoppers | EZ Caddis | Sexy Walts | Bullet French Nymph | Tasmanian Devil | Roza Perdigon | Lite Brite Perdigons | Roza WW Pheasant Tail | Bishop’s Dynamite | DB Zebra Midge in black, red, or olive
Salmon River flies: Chubby Chernobyl | October Caddies | Tasmanian Devil | Roza WW Pheasant Tail | Bishop’s Dynamite | Lite Brite Perdigons | Pat’s Rubber Legs
South Fork of the Boise flies: Caddis | Pinks | Crane Flies | Sexy Walts | Bullet French Nymph | Lite Brite Perdigons | Pat’s Rubber Legs | Bishop’s Dynamite | DB Zebra Midge in black, red, or olive
| Silver Creek | 91.5 cfs |
| Big Wood | 127 cfs |
| The Big Lost | 55.5 cfs |
| Salmon River | 992 cfs |
| South Fork of the Boise | 299 cfs |
