Sun Valley Area Fly Fishing Forecast
June 19-26

Care takes you out of the moment. It lives in both the past and the future. You will fish better if you are present.

Silver Creek
The insect activity on the Creek remains sporadic thanks to the rollercoaster weather we experienced last week. Some days, baetis and PMDs will hatch simultaneously mid day through the afternoon. You may even see crane flies, damsels, or caddis depending on your location. In the evenings, mostly caddis and some smaller PMDs can be found. Persistent anglers are finding short windows of decent fishing on dries matching the hatch in between wind gusts. If the wind blows continuously, try ants or beetles. Nymphing dry dropper style with a small midge and baetis pattern is a productive approach. As long as most of the rivers in our region continue to experience relatively high flows, you can expect angler pressure to increase as we head into late June and July, so be kind and share the water respectfully.

Big Wood
The Wood has dropped 700 CFS over the last week and is currently around 800 CFS. As we warm up this week, we may see the flows stabilize before they continue to drop towards summer flows. At this level, fishing is possible, but limited. This might be a good time to explore Warm Springs or Trail Creek as these two tributaries will become very wadable much sooner than the Wood. You will find a mix of stoneflies, caddis, and PMDs. You might also see some Green Drakes on the lower river.

South Fork of the Boise
The flows have dropped again to just above 1,200 CFS. This is perfect for floating, but still limits access for wade fishermen. The fishing has been decent with large stonefly patterns and streamers. The Salmon fly hatch has begun on the lower reaches of the river and the evening caddis has been prolific.

The Lost Below Mackay
The flows are too high for safe wading. In general, at 350 CFS strong waders can make their way around the river; however, at 500 CFS and above fishing access is limited and wading difficult to impossible.

Upper Big Lost
The water is still very high, especially on the main stem of the Upper Lost. The North, East and West Fork are fishable, but access is limited and crossing is still out of the question. With the flows coming down every day, more water should open up over the next week.

The Salmon
The Salmon is still flowing high, but some expert boaters are floating. With warm weather in the forecast, the Golden Stones should explode this week. Wade fishing from the bank is possible; however, it is too high to cross and very limited. You might also consider the Yankee Fork Dredge Ponds, Kids Creek Pond, Stanley Lake, or Alturas Lake; they have all been recently stocked. It is going to be very busy around Stanley this week with the music festival, so be kind to music lovers and anglers alike.

Stillwater
Magic, Mackay, and the Little Wood reservoir remain good options, and the cool down last week should keep the fish feeding in the shallow bays and near the banks for at least another week or two. All these stillwaters can be fished either from the bank, a float tube, or a boat. Of course, always be leery of heavy afternoon winds if you choose to boat or tube. Pulling leech patterns or suspending chironomids have been effective.

Local Ponds
It is time to take the family to Lake Creek, Penny Lake, or Gaver’s Lagoon. All the ponds have been stocked and will receive regular stockings throughout the summer season.