Week of June 10, 2005
It is still raining and snowing in the high country. A strong low pressure has been centered right over us for the last week. The Little Wood drainage is now at 117% of normal. You can all whine and complain, but this is the earth’s lifeblood. It can only help us, and all the critters that depend on an abundant supply of clean water. It has been quite a turnaround from a 65% precipitation average May 1 to nearly 100%, or better, in nearly all the Central Idaho drainages today.
South Fork of the Boise
If I had a day for a tailwater fishery this is where I would spend my time. It is still flowing at 600 cfs so there is some wading and it can be floated in the right craft. It is fishing well for large rainbows with nymphs. Take a Mormon cricket pattern if you want to flop a dry around. There have been reports of a cricket invasion between Mountain Home and Fairfield. The large stonefly hatch and caddis are not far away on this fishery. Look for them by July 1.
Yellowstone Park
The Madison in the Park is flowing at 630 and the Firehole at 380 today. These are just about normal. With the cold weather we have had it has probably not been hatching well, but that will change next week with the warming temperatures predicted. Susanne and I have from June 13th to June 25th booked in the Park and will be reporting from West Yellowstone if you want an update call the shop 208-726-1706. I would anticipate the hatches to be great starting next week as it warms. Giant stones, pmds, caddis, golden stones are the early season hatches on the Firehole, Gibbon and Madison rivers.
Mountain Lakes
It is too early, unless you fish streamers at the mouths of the streams flowing into some of the lower Stanley lakes for bull trout or try Stanley Lake for Mackinaw. Sink tips or full sinkers and brown or olive streamers will work. This trip is a nice change from the high murky waters that we have been looking at.
Big Wood River
The Big Wood is flowing at 1180 cfs today. It is clearing and fishable with streamers and nymphs close to the bottom in the braids and slower waters. It is not fishable with dries. The green drakes probably won’t show until the end of June this year, but should hatch well into July.
If you fish the Big Wood right now, take extreme care in wading. Do not try to cross it and stay away from the logjams. The Big Wood flows extremely fast and it is dangerous wading at these water levels.
With the Camas Creek and the Big Wood run off from the rains of May and snowmelt Magic Reservoir has risen from 29% full to 76% of capacity. We should have a fishery in both the lower Big Wood and Magic this summer and fall thanks to the water conditions. It may be a bit hard to find the fish, as there are fewer fish in more water than we have seen in five years. With some of the Magic flats covered we may even get a successful perch spawn in the reservoir which feel help bring the populations of big browns and rainbows back.
Big Lost River
The upper Lost is dropping, flowing at 770 cuffs today, but with the recent snows in the Pioneer Mountains will bump it up again when it warms and melts. I would not head that direction yet, thinking that water temperatures are also cold and the trout not very active even in the slow eddy waters. The Lower Lost is flowing at just over 600 cfs and is a bit off color, but fishable with nymphs. Try large dark stonefly nymphs with a smaller 14-16 bright nymph trailer like a copper john or beaded prince. The runoff from the Big Lost into Mackay reservoir was so sudden and severe that it turned the entire lake brown. Water was also flowing over the spillway. This colored the lower river and it will be a while before the lower turns crystal again.
Little Wood River (Desert)
The Little Wood is once again fishable in the desert. It is not where it was five years ago, but has it moments. Try a royal stimulator or Turks tarantula. Dropping a prince or beaded hares ear is also effective. The largest fish caught on our last trip there was a 19-inch buck brown who was fat and healthy. We raised about 40 fish, but covered a lot of water. The upper Little Wood is high and not recommended yet. Little Wood reservoir is full and float tubing with a beaded brown bugger and a Carey special trailer would be my choice.
Silver Creek
Silver Creek looks healthy again. It has not looked well for about four years; water levels and fish populations were both low. Spring flows are generally low because the aquifers have been depleted over the winter with much of the water frozen in ice and snow. Irrigation lowers the spring flows even further. As the snow melts and water diverted from the Big Wood for irrigation fills the Silver Creek aquifer, the level in the creek rises. Late summer and early fall flows on the Creek are the highest. Water level in the creek is good right now and should increase as the summer progresses. The banks will be covered giving the trout places to hide and spread them out from the deeper winter holding areas.
The Brown drakes began about June 2, in the mid Silver Creek waters. This size 10 mayfly brings up all the fish in the creek and is a great hatch to get a head count of fish population. We had many trout on June 2, rising 35-40 fish. Remember four years ago when the bugs blew up and you couldn’t find a rise? The hatch has been emerging both in the daylight and at night. The daytime hatches occur because of the cloud cover. Brown drakes like low light conditions. None of the guides have experienced the massive spinner falls that we normally see. It seems to be too cold for the bugs to come back to the river. The cold weather will probably extend the drake hatch for a while longer. Our guide trips have found plenty of targets. There are many small rainbows and plenty of big browns. Four browns over twenty inches; the largest 23 inches were landed on one trip this week. It is nice to see these mid river fish return.
The upper Conservancy water has also been fishing well. Baetis hatches with the overcast days have been blanket on occasion. There have been decent PMD and callibaetis hatches as well. Midges have also been important, especially on upper Loving Creek.
Paddy and Blake found GBD in Sullivan’s again this year. It could be a concern as gas bubble disease is an excess nitrogen problem and is most likely coming from the bubbling springs, as there is no surface runoff into Sullivans. It is something we should concern ourselves with when the health of this great fishery and ecosystem is at stake.
Over all the Creek looks great and we should look for a good season.
Closing Notes
A word from Susanne at the Store…
We are running a Father’s day special on Patagonia’s light-weight waders. We have Hodgeman boots and neoprene waders on sale. Paddy has put together a bin of sale flies at $1.00 each. If you haven’t replaced your line, replenished your fly box, lubed your reel, need a new butt section, stop by the store, we will be glad to help. Also, come on in and throw the Winston BIIX Boron rods! They have become our bestsellers. Everyone seems to like them. It might be hard to keep them in stock this summer! We have Crocs!!!
If you have not stopped into the store this Spring, it’s worth a visit! We have finally become Patagonia dealers! We also have a lot of great apparel, form cute ladies’ outfits, to fishing shirts, to a wide selection of Buzz-Off clothing, Ex-Officio’s insect repellent clothing line. It’s all the buzz in the industry now. Anyone who has worn it, swears by it!
If you are at a loss for a Father’s Day gift, don’t forget a guide trip with the valley’s most experienced guide service! Our combined guide experience of even just the top guides is over 100 years now……our boss-man alone boasts over 30 years of guide experience, and he still loves it and is out there nearly every day. A lot of our shop employees are guides as well. You can always get some good and friendly advice when you come to the shop, call, or e-mail us. Fly-fishing is our passion at Lost River Outfitters. We all get out there as much as we can.
Tight Lines and see you on the river!
Scott Schnebly
Lost River Outfitters