"Never forget: Fly fishing is fun partly because it is frustrating." ~ Phil Monahan The upper end of Sullivan's Slough is aptly named the Shark Tank. From the road cutting across the sage covered hillside above the Slough, gawkers stop and admire the size and quantity of looming rainbow trout. The simple fact is, these fish are hard to fool.…
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"A fly fisherman's knowledge is compounded of many things. It grows out of imagination, curiosity, bold experiment, and intense observation." ~ Roderick L. Haig-Brown The next time you go fishing, fish less and watch more. Don't rush into the water and start casting the same flies that worked last week. Watch the water closest to the bank. Observe the patterns…
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"Spring creek trout have a reputation for being moody, which often means they are difficult, but when they are in the mood to feast, almost nothing-- not sloppy wading, not poor casting, not a ridiculous choice of flies--will dissuade them." ~ Ted Leeson Ted is right about spring creek trout. When it is time to feast, when the Tricos and…
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"If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?" ~ Steven Wright Fly Fishing Forecast July 1st-8th. The best way to deal with the heat...go fly fishing! But protect yourself from the sun while you are at it with a long sleeve fishing shirt and pants, sun gloves, a proper hat, and a Buff to cover your neck and…
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"The best fisherman in the world can't catch them if they aren't there."~Anthony Accerrano Fly Fishing Forecast June 10th to June 17th. The fish are there; the bugs are there too. The missing ingredient? You! Our freestone rivers are still high and off color, but Silver Creek is fishing very well. The Brown Drakes have run their course and now…
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"The image of giant mayflies backlit by a broad Western sunset is a sight that can never be forgotten. And when the audible rise of trout that may not be interested in surface feeding at any other time is added to the picture, you begin to understand the special summer event that Brown Drakes have come to represent." ~ Rene…
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"What a tourist terms a plague of insects, the fly fisher calls a great hatch." ~ Patrick F. McManus Fly Fishing Forecast May 27th to June 3rd Despite the rain and cool weather, a few Brown Drakes have been spotted on the lower river. This slow trickle of insects is a good sign that the "plague" is just on the…
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"The pleasure isn't in the doing of the thing, the pleasure is in planning it." ~ John Green, Paper Towns Fly Fishing Forecast May 13th to May 20th Two weeks till opening day...May 23rd! Now is the time to plan. Start with a gear check: Do your waders need repair? Do you need to replace the studs on your wading…
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"Wet boots are a way of life." ~ Austin McPherson March is a great month to get your boots wet. While the Creek is now closed, the Wood is just hitting its late winter, early spring stride. Our area tailwaters, the Lost and the South Fork of the Boise, also fish fantastic in March. And it won't be long now…
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"It is the constant--or inconstant--change, the infinite variety in fly-fishing that binds us fast. It is impossible to grow weary of a sport that is never the same on any two days of the year. " --Theodore Gordan The Winter Midge activity keeps gaining momentum and surface feeding trout can be found throughout all our rivers. And with each passing…
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