“I have had my share of hairy moments, always from the same mistake—misjudging the strength of the current.” – A.J. McClane As the rivers in our region continue to drop, the water is looking more and more fishy. But don’t be fooled; it is still very high and a misstep wading can be dangerous. Here are a few reminders that…
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“There is nothing like the thrill of expectation over the first cast over unfamiliar waters. Fishing is like gambling, in that failure only excites hope of a fortunate throw next time.” – Charles Dudley Warner From moment to moment, rivers are in a constant state of change. Some change is subtle like a slight drop in flow or a rise…
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“Fishing consists of a series of misadventures interspersed by occasional moments of glory.” – Howard Marshall What constitutes a “moment of glory” while angling? If an angler pursues his or her quarry with the monomania of Ahab, then the moment of glory only comes occasionally, if at all. But if we focus on the misadventures and the lessons learned from…
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“The stream before you is constantly changing. If you are not flexible or confident enough to adapt to changing conditions on the stream, you are sure to fail.” – Joe Humphreys During a series of lean water years, we become accustomed to a level of consistency on our freestone streams; hatches predictably occur over clear, wadable water and certain buckets…
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“As we try to estimate future streamflow scenarios, please remember that Mother Nature bats last and she can be a switch hitter.” – Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report June 1, 2017 It has been cold and the flows around the region have dropped, but the forecast calls for a warmer pattern to return. This will bring the flows back up…
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“Drake is a term of European origin generally applied to a mayfly larger than size 14, and they are considered royalty by fly fishers wherever they exist.” – Rene Harrop The Brown Drakes have made their appearance on the Creek and have been stronger than we have seen in years. This is a short lived hatch, but there are still…
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“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra As one of the few fishable rivers in the state of Idaho, the Creek certainly saw its share of anglers this weekend. The crowds will wane for the rest of June, especially now that the Owyhee has dropped to a fishable level. The crowds will return to the Creek in…
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“...perhaps the greatest satisfaction on the first day of the season is the knowledge in the evening that the whole of the rest of the season is to come.” – Arthur Ransome It is time to prep your gear for the upcoming season. Begin by replacing old leaders and tippet spools as well as cleaning and greasing reels. Put some…
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“I am haunted by waters.” - Norman Maclean The first wave of true spring run off occurred during the first week of May causing the Big Wood to peak at nearly 7,000 CFS. Currently, the Wood is down to 2,600 CFS and dropping as the weather has turned cool again providing a temporary respite from the flooding. But warmer temperatures…
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"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." - Yogi Bera One thing we do know...there is a lot of snow in the mountains. As of May 2nd, the Big Wood drainage is 217% of normal. April showers in the valley kept depositing snow in the peaks. How long the run off will last is hard to predict, but…
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