Week of February 12, 2008
With the sun rising higher in the sky, we are feeling a touch of spring heating. It is making our winter fishing conditions much more tolerable. The shelf ice, anchor ice, and the slush ice of January are pretty much gone. Getting to and from the river with the deep snowpack is about the only issue. Snowshoes or skis can be a necessity.
We are still looking at a good water year, but will need more. Our year to date precipitation is 115% posted since Oct 1. Our snow water equivalent is 107% down from 120%. Most of our snow fell cold and dry, so we will need some spring storms to stay ahead. The high pressure over the Great Basin needs to break down to let some more Pacific moisture come our way. Yellowstone country looks good this year as does Montana.
South Fork of the Boise
With stream flows at 300 fps streamers are a good method to fish the South Fork right now. There are not huge numbers of rainbows, but they can be large, 20-24 inches and larger. There are midge hatches, but not many rising fish and hooking a six pound rainbow on a size 20 midge on 6X is an exercise in futility if you want to see the fish. Nymphing will also work but does not cover the drift lanes that streamer fishing does.
Yellowstone Park
Closed. Good snowpack. June should be great.
Big Wood River
The Big Wood has been fishing lights out this winter. Nymphing with brown or black rubber legged girdle bugs, or a size 14 weighted nymph with a zebra trailer has been the go to set up. Our first heavy midge hatch was Feb. 1 and fish were rising in the soft water. Try your favorite dry midge or midge emerger tied to an indicator fly with two feet of 6X tippet and strike gently if anything rises close to your indicator fly. Don’t be surprised if a fish eats the indicator fly, and it is easier to land them on the 5X than the 6X.
Flows are about average at 134 cfs and it is easy to wade, although slick with the winter slime. Warmer conditions have made fishing more comfortable although icy guides can still be an issue. There is some traffic on the Big Wood right now, but if you snowshoe, ski, or walk away from the easy bridge accesses, there is some beautiful solitude. Watch for moose, deer and elk along the corridor.
Big Lost River
Flowing at 84 cfs, with average flows at 120 cfs. There were no rises evident last week when we visited, but expect midge hatches and baetis hatches soon. The March baetis hatch is epic. The blue winged olive body baetis is big, a size 18 and is easily matched. I have found a dark olive or brown pheasant tail size 16-18 to work well in the late winter. It must match the large baetis nymph and midge larvae well enough to trigger the grab. Fish it into the riffles at the heads of the pools. The Baetis hatch is a mid-day emergence and can last for 3 hours so be prepared to switch from your nymph rig.
Little Wood River (Desert)
Ice. It will be a while.
Silver Creek
Streamer fishing in the murky waters will work best. Black Buggers, Philo Betto and the like on floating lines with 2X tippet should work. Snowshoes will help getting to your favorite water as there is plenty of snow.
Carey Lake
Great fishing for bluegill and bass with the fly rod. Hang a prince nymph a couple of feet below an indicator or fish a small popper or foam beetle for the bluegill. Great spot for the neophyte or the kids too. You barely have to get your feet wet. The best water is around the hot springs inflow.
Salmon River
The upper river is still icy. With 156,000 plus steelhead coming into Idaho this year we can expect a pretty nice spring run. The best fishing is between the Middle Fork and the Lemhi, with catch rates around 6 hours per fish. If you want to fly fish them right now, nymphing techniques are best as they won’t move much to a swung fly with water temperatures 33-36 degrees. Expect steelhead to reach the upper river by late March.
Closing Notes
Our fire will probably have an effect on the Big Wood runoff this year. Maybe a trip to Yellowstone in June would be an option? We take 3-5 day trips to Yellowstone. The dry fly in June on the Madison, Gibbon, Firehole, and some lesser tributaries is at it’s best. Let us know early so we can make the arrangements.
Fish far and fine,
Scott Schnebly
Lost River Outfitters