Week of May 11, 2009
The Memorial day opener is only two weeks away. There is some fishing to be had for those who want to wet a fly before then. It is a good time to try some of our reservoirs.
South Fork of the Boise
South Fork opens May 23rd. The first hatches will be caddis and giant stoneflies. With the cold water coming from the bottom of the dam, don’t expect much in the way of dry fly until mid to late June. A black stonefly or girdle bug will work early seaon.
Yellowstone Park
The Yellowstone region received normal snowpack this year. The Madison and Firehole should be great again in June. The thermal waters of the Firehole accelerate the pmd, caddis and stonefly hatches on these rivers. If you are interested in fishing the Park we have openings available. Our trips are three to five day excursions. Our fall dates for the Lamar Valley are Sept. 10-30 this year and we have room for up to 12 anglers on a daily basis. Let us know, as lodging needs to be arranged early.
Mountain Lakes
Probably not. Ice or ice cold waters.
Big Wood River
Open on May 23rd. Run off has not really started on the Big Wood yet. Our cold, wet spring has kept the high snowpack pretty much intact. Although we have gained in moisture accumulation in March and April, the Big Wood may be fishable by the end of June this year. We are still below average in the drainage.
Big Lost River
Open on May 23rd. The Big Lost snowpack is nearly 100%. Except for the lower Lost, the upper river and tributaries probably won’t be very fishable until late June, like the Big Wood.
Little Wood River (Desert)
The Little Wood in the desert is open. Expect some caddis and the giant stone to begin hatching. Until then a prince nymph, or stonefly nymph will get some attention. It is fishing ok. Probably the best it has in 8 or 9 years. Some large browns have been landed and even some small to medium rainbows. If you need a river fix this is your best bet. The river is low and clear right now and very fishable. We dropped a nymph a couple of feet below a large dry stonefly with pretty good success over the weekend. We landed browns in the 14-16 in range and rolled a couple bigger.
Silver Creek
Open May 23rd. Expect PMD hatches, afternoon callibaetis, and possibly some baetis. The creek is low and clear. It will probably drop even further when the pumps start up. With the cold spring the brown drake emergence will most likely be late this year. I would expect it in early June instead of late May.
Carey Lake
Open and a good time for some nice bluegill action on larger nymphs. Black buggers could take bass.
Salmon River
The Salmon is open, but will get high and dirty real soon. Steelhead smolt and whitefish are pretty much it right now. The spring steelhead run was very good. Most of our clients had multiple fish days, with some days in the double digits. Some nice big wild fish showed up right at the end of the season. One client landed three over 30 inches on April 30th. The chinooks are slow in coming through Bonneville dam, so we will have to wait decision on an upriver salmon fishery this year. The thought has been a season from Salmon to Stanley. If you have interest in booking a trip or nights at the steelhead lodge for next year, now is the time to begin planning. We already have reservations in place for next year.
Closing Notes
For a day’s outing, a trip to Magic, Morman, Carey Lake, or Anderson Reservoir is worth the effort. The smallmouth in Anderson in late May or early June can be great. None of the reservoir fishing is rocket science. A sink tip or full sink line and a bugger on 3X is pretty much the offering. A stayer ducktail under an indicator on Carey lake. A float tube or other water conveyance can help, although fishing from shore is often times as effective. Many reservoir fish hug the shorelines in the early season.
With decent snowfall and some spring rains we are looking at a good fishing year. Stop in the shop and we will turn up your reels and lines and show you some new patterns to fool your favorite species.
Fish far and fine,
Scott Schnebly
Lost River Outfitters