“Sometimes it seems the least important part of fishing is fishing.”
– Roderick Haig-Brown
When taking a day of fishing into account, the fish caught or not caught become less important than the connections made with people and place.
Silver Creek
Expect Trico and Baetis spinner falls to occur between 8 and 10 am; the timing depends on the air temp. At the moment, Baetis are the more prevalent bug, but Tricos are gaining momentum. Before the bugs come down, try fishing a Callibaetis spinner or a female Trico Dun. You might even see a few PMD spinners and duns. Of course, a small nymph can also be effective before and after the feeding frenzy. Once the hatch is done, look for the damsels to be the main target for fish. The Creek can slow down during the heat of the day, especially if there is no wind. If a breeze does pick up, try terrestrials or high floating damsel patterns.
Big Wood
With flows coming down quickly, more options for fishing are opening up each day. Still, wading the mid-valley reaches of the river is challenging, but crossing in select areas is possible. The Wood north of town is very wadable, but is receiving a bulk of the fishing pressure. If you arrive at an access and find other anglers, simply keep searching for your own space; there is plenty of river to spread out on. Now that the Green Drakes have finished, it is time to downsize your flies to fool picky fish. Dry dropper rigs are great for covering water.
South Fork of the Boise
The flows are holding at around 1200 CFS. This is a floatable level, and there are some wade fishing opportunities along the road though limited. There is still the possibility of seeing large stoneflies, but caddis, Pink Alberts, Flavs, and crane flies are also present. Hoppers are also taking some fish.
The Lost Below Mackay
The flows seem to fluctuate between 500 and 550 CFS. At this level, fishing access is limited and wading difficult to impossible beyond a few easy access runs. If you decide to give it a go, you will find decent baetis, PMDs, yellow sallies, and golden stones hatching throughout the morning and dwindling in the afternoon.
Upper Big Lost
Decent fishing can be found on the North Fork and on the East Fork above and below Wildhorse. The main stem is high but accessible as well. Tactically speaking, search the water using a dry dropper rig. When you do find fish, but get refusals, quickly switch to a smaller fly in size 14 or 16. The bigger fish often only give you one chance, so make your first cast count.
The Salmon
The Salmon river is steadily dropping, but fishing is good. Water temps are high, so please keep the fish wet and release them quickly. Dry fly action remains good until the day heats up, and then the nymph game takes over. As per usual, foam dries and larger nymph droppers work great.
Local Ponds
Lake Creek, Penny Lake, or Gaver’s Lagoon have all been stocked and will receive regular stockings throughout the summer season.
Silver Creek: Tricos | PMDs | Beatis | Callibeatis | Damsels | Crane Flies | Zebra Midge in black, red, or olive | Small Pheasant Tails
Big Wood: Caddis | Stimulators | Chubby Chernobyl | Rubber Legged Stones | Caddis Larva | King Prince | Streamers
Big Lost: Yellow Sallies | Green Drakes | Stimulators | Chubby Chernobyl | Rubber Legged Stones | King Prince | Streamers
Salmon River: Chubby Chernobyl | Rubber Legged Stones | King Prince | Streamers
South Fork of the Boise: Chubby Chernobyl | Rubber Legged Stones | Zebra Midge | Caddis Larva | Flashback Pheasant Tails | Streamers
| Silver Creek | 114 cfs |
| Big Wood | 262 cfs |
| The Lost Below Mackay | 550 cfs |
| Salmon | 954 cfs |
| South Fork of the Boise | 1200 cfs |
