This is the time of year to fish Silver Creek. Trico spinner falls are starting up and although the hatches have been inconsistent the fish are starting to pod up in the mornings. The spinner fall usually starts around 8:30-9:30 and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours. As the hatch progresses you will also see big hatches of Baetis and PMD’s spinners and it pays to switch off patterns because some fish will key on one bug and avoid everything else. The trico’s are very small and you will need size 22-24 patterns on some mornings. I like Harrop’s Paraspinner and Henwing tricos in bothe black and black and green. If the hatch is good enough and pods of fish form you can get away with a slightly oversized pattern during the peak of the hatch. I also like to find single fish not in a pod and I find these fish to be catchable but a little tougher to catch. Callibaetis are starting to show in the early afternoons and you can throw terrestrials in the wind and have some success. Evening time can have excellent fishing and the main player right before dark is PMD’s in sizes 16-18. The Creek is a pleasure to fish into dark with fewer people around.
Trico Henwing Spinner Male
The Big Wood has been fishing okay. Dry fly fishing is inconsistent this time of year. I would have different size parachutes from size 12-18 with the bigger patterns working as dropper flies for small zebra midges. There are some Pink Alberts and BWO’s coming off in the mornings and into the afternoons on cloudy cooler days. Have caddis patterns for the evenings and mornings. Try going down deep when no hatches are present.
Pink Albert No Hackle
Copper Basin is fishing well depending on what section you fish. Certain sections get fished out and the cutthroat tend to move up and down in the system. You want to move around and when you find fish work it hard. Good floating patterns work well including hoppers, stimulators and Parachutes in various colors. If you encounter hatches the fish should take a small Purple Haze or Adams Parachute. I love this area and a day spent in the basin area is always a day well spent.
The Salmon River is a great place to go and escape the crowds. There are over 60 miles of good trout water downstream of Stanley. These fish take big bushy flies very well and see limited pressure during the summer.
