“We could keep talking about the river or we could just get in.”
– Jeff Tweedy
Planning and preparation are important for a day of winter angling; however, the doing of the thing is paramount.
The Big Wood
February is a special time on the Wood. The days are a tad longer and this current storm cycle has brought the temperatures up from frigid to tolerable. Furthermore, the best time to find abundant winter midge and surface feeding trout is during snowfall. The main challenge right now is parking access, as many of the usual spots on the valley floor aren’t plowed. However, if you’re up for a walk, you can find stretches of water that haven’t seen pressure. When you hit the river, make sure you’ve got a good variety of midge patterns covering every stage of this prolific insect’s life cycle: trailing shuck midges, Griffith’s Gnats, and high-vis parachute midge patterns in sizes 18-24. If you don’t see any surface activity, be ready to fish dry-dropper or Euro nymphing techniques.
Silver Creek
Silver Creek below Kilpatrick Bridge is open until the end of March. Now that the temperatures have warmed a bit, the ice has started to dissipate making fishing possible. When fishing, search sipping trout, approach with caution, and use long, light leaders. If you find no fish feeding, try fishing deep and slow with buggers or nymphs around the obvious buckets.
The Lost Below Mackay
Flows are steady at 73 CFS, and the fishing is good. The trout in the Lost spawn earlier than those in the Wood, and while we haven’t seen any redds yet (and likely won’t until March), these fish are feeding aggressively to build up the needed calories. Midge activity is strong in the afternoon, with a few BWO in the mix, creating some good opportunities for anglers.
South Fork of the Boise
The recent storms have brought a mix of rain and snow to the South Fork Canyon making travel tricky. If you go, be ready with chains and an emergency winter travel kit in your car. The river is holding steady at 308 CFS and should remain at this level until the river closes at the end of March. Dries can be hit or miss, but those willing to dead drift a nymph or swing a streamer will be rewarded.
Silver Creek: Midge | Zebra Midge in black, red, or olive | Small Pheasant Tails | Streamers
Big Wood: Midge | Perdigones | King Prince | Streamers
Big Lost: Baetis | Midge | Rubber Legged Stones | King Prince | Streamers
South Fork of the Boise: Baetis | Midge | Caddis Larva | Stoneflies | Flashback Pheasant Tails | Streamers
| Silver Creek | 102 cfs |
| Big Wood | 128 cfs |
| The Lost Below Mackay | 73.1 cfs |
| Salmon | 982 cfs |
| South Fork of the Boise | 308 cfs |
