The South Fork Boise River closes for the winter spawn at the end of March.  Seeing how thats only a week away you had better get your butt up there and catch some of the highest quality trout in Idaho.  Resent trips there have been rewarded with lots of White Fish and plenty of Trout to keep you going.  Working the inside seam of long tail outs seems to be the ticket.  Use small bead head nymphs with enough lead to get to the fish and slow down your drift.  Good Luck!!!

Singing the Winter Time Blues

As winter begins to wind down to the point where it blurs into something that looks like Spring, most fly fishermen begin feeling that inner pang that awakens the burning desire to be somewhere or anywhere fly fishing.  Some call it butterflies, anxiety or blues.  Whatever you call it, the only cure for it is to go fishing.  It doesn’t matter that it’s freezing outside with snow on the ground let alone the fishing season has been closed for months now. What really matters is there is a place where water flows that you can cast a fly in and have a chance to catch a trout.

You’ve spent the last months of Winter tying replacement flies and even may have created new patterns to try out in the spring.  Repairing all your equipment, tying on new leaders and reorganizing your fly boxes was done over the holiday’s when the weather kept you house bound.  Reading a couple of new books on fly fishing only added a couple of book to your library and may have added more fuel to the burning desire to fish when you know only a fool would venture outside.  Finally you spent the last few weeks planning numerous fishing trips that will fill out your summer calendar through to the next winter.

The only thing left to do is get all those things together and go fishing.  So I started to plan a trip and for some unforeseen reason my partner couldn’t go.  The next trip I planned the weather slapped me in the face with gale force winds and 2 inches of rain.  Still I’ve been stuck in the cabin all winter and I’m not going to let a couple of false starts get in my way.  

Finally neither rain, sleet , snow or lack of fishing partner is going to keep me home.  I’m going fishing and nothing is going to stop me.  My first trip out will be at a river close to home.  It’s winter time low on the river and the trout are moving on midges.  I know from years past what to expect.  I’ve fished this river hundreds of times through out the years and know that winter fishing will be the hardest and most challenging.  

Saturday is the day.  I’ll be by myself and there will be no pressure to perform in front of my partner or guest.  I know this river is pretty much the only dance in town and there will be a lot of other fly fishermen like me up there so an early start to beat the crowd is in order.  Saturday morning arrives and on the hour drive to the river all I can think about is what kind of river to expect.  Rumors, fish reports and word of mouth has given me at least an idea of what to expect, however the mystery fills my mind while I drive.

The last turn in the road reveals the river to me.  Ah the Joy.  It looks perfect, no wind, the temperature is winter time warm and I see rising fish.  Oh the excitement!  As I drive up the road along the river I’m feeling lucky there are no other anglers on the river.  After viewing the whole river I turn around and find a section of river where the trout are rising.  I get out of the truck and walk over to the edge and watch a pod of trout feed not more than twenty feet from me.  Gearing up with waders, jacket, wool cap and gloves becomes a struggle knowing I still have to string my rod.  When finally I’m all ready to go, the short distance to where I want to begin fishing is filled with confidence in all my equipment, flies and skill.  I’ve waited all winter for this opportunity and the long wait is finally over.

As I watch the rising trout it becomes immediately apparent to me the rumors are true.  The trout are feeding on adult and emerging black midges in sizes twenty and twenty two.   I have plenty of those in different sizes and configurations as well as a whole bunch of other varieties.  After tying on the appropriate fly my first cast is horrible so is the next and the next.  Finally the rust begins to fall off and I make a somewhat decent cast right to where the trout are rising.

My fly lands on the water where two rise rings instantly appear.  I wait for the expected take, wait, wait, and wait until I lift my fly to another group of rising fish and wait, wait and wait again.  My first hour on the water is a repeat of my first minute on the water.  I switch flies, try smaller emerges, try smaller adults, try different combinations, even smaller tippet but nothing seems to work.  

Well in times like these its best to go back up to the truck and have a cup of coffee and rethink the situation.  Maybe a new strategy  or a new stretch of river will improve my chances.  With a clear head, new strategy and a good cigar I decide to move to a spot I know the trout will be rising there too.  On the quick ride over there I’ve had a chance to calm some of the frustrations that those little creatures with a brain the size of a pea have wrought upon  a seasoned fly fisherman of over 39 years.  And there they are just where I thought they’d  be, fifteen or twenty rising trout.  

The situation is the same as before,  I’m here and the trout are there.   Except I’m better now.  I’ve eliminated a whole winter’s inactivity and cob webs.  My casting, mending and fly placement has all returned and I feel pretty good about my chances.  It just seems the trout just don’t want to cooperate and make themselves available to me.  The same story of the first hour repeats itself again and again.  

On my drive to this hole I did notice a few other fishermen working over a pod or two of rising fish with the same results.  So the rationalizing begins.  Well other guys seem to be having the same problem of not catching fish as I do so it’s just not me.  Well I’ve  done my best so I just might as well  enjoy the moment, the beautiful day and the joy of fly fishing while I’m here.

Up the river I notice a small pod of trout rising so I worked my way there with the thought that I might get lucky.  Believe me I’m now relying on luck and not skill at this point.  If nothing else my casting is superb but the catching is lacking.  My first cast is perfect.  I begin the obligatory wait and then it happens.  A large Brown attacks my fly.  I strike and you probably know what happens.  I miss.  After three hours of working over rising fish my one opportunity comes and I miss.  

With renewed spirit and excitement, I pick up the line and cast back.  Instantly another strike.  Instantly another miss by me.  I’d like to say I ended up catching trout the rest of that morning but it just didn’t happen.  I’ve been a fly fishermen long enough  to know these days do happen from time to time.  For me what is important was to continue what has been a life time joy, fishing.  After months of being cooped up at the house and reliving the past years fishing successes, it just felt great to be back doing my passion.  And that was my rationalizing on the drive home.

A few days latter while at work I ran into a young man who I’ve  helped over the last months to learn about  fly fishing.  I’ve spent some time teaching him about the joys of the sport and some of my own experiences.  

The last time I talked to him I gave him a tip on where to go fishing during the winter.  As I recall It was the same river I had fished a couple of days ago and the same one I’ve written about above.  

He talked to me about all the fish he caught and even showed me numerous Browns he had caught on his camera phone.  Wow I was impressed.  I had been to the same river, the river I have fished hundreds of times and had been blanked and here come this young man who just took up the sport and he shows me all the beautiful trout he’d caught.

Of course I had to ask him what he caught them on and the answer was so simple that I felt a little embarrassed that I hadn’t thought to do that same thing.  This young man who is an outstanding spin fishermen got to the river and instead of fishing to the rising fish like everyone else he just threw out some Wooly Buggers through the deep pools and the fish just attacked them.  

So the moral of this story is, when you begin to think you know it all, you really don’t know much at all.  The next time I’m on that river and the midge fishing is challenging I’ll switch to one of the most simplest forms of fly fishing and cast a Wooly Bugger out to the trout.  When fishing becomes difficult, all you need to do is go  into your bag a tricks or review some of life’s experiences and reuse some of the things that have worked before. 

The one thing I do know for sure is I no longer have the Winter Time Blues.  Your first fishing trip of the year should be a time to brush off the cob webs and get back to the basics.   When the next winter  season arrives in eight months I’ll have a whole summer of fishing memories to reflect upon and my first trip of the year will bring a smile to my face.  Tight Lines.

Merlinstroutshop.com

Mother nature tried to kill me Sunday. I thought it would be good idea to give the Boise river a try, so I slipped on some shorts, grabbed a rod and off I went. Now, my fishing attempt without waders, in February, should in no way be construed as attempted suicide. My stubborn, staunch refusal to wear waders has been well documented and observed by mother nature and she should have warmed up the water for me because she knows I just can’t wear those goober caddies. The resulting minor frostbite and hypothermia from Sunday’s trip must surely be blamed on her in-transience as one would never question the audacity, cunning and intrepid courage of a cabin fevered fly fisherman.

Now is winter of our discontent! Oh wait, its the spring of our discontent nooooooooooooooo. Or, i hate winter and yes, its only the begining.

One of the best rivers to fish to rising fish right now is the Lower Henrys Fork just outside Ashton Idaho.  If you go you will see an excellent example of afternoon hatches of Blue Winged Olives (Beatis) and Midges of varying sizes from 20 to 24.  The Beatis are running in sizes 18 and 20.  It might be a good Idea to have a good selection of Beatis emergers and Midge pupa’s to complement you dries.  The section of river to concentrate on is the Vernon Bridge area.  The wading is excellent but a good wading staff will help.  I know from experience this kind of hatch can be frustrating if you don’t have the right selection of flies.  These fish become well tuned to their food source and size and color become important.  It’s better to have flies that are to small than to have flies that are to big.

Its November the Owhyee river is at 30 cfs, the weather is cold and the Brown Trout are starting to spawn.

This is the time of year when the days are getting shorter and our opportunities to go fishing are limited due to weather and the holidays.  As good and reliable as the Owhyee River always is there is one thing you must do when on the Owhyee this fall and that’s protect the spawning Brown Trout.  It’s rather simple to do, stay away from active spawning trout.  Brown Trout like to spawn in shallow runs with lots of gravel.  It’s great to sit on a rock and watch the show but don’t, for the sake of this fishery, fish over them. 

The Brown Trout of the Owhyee River are a natural spawning trout.  Oregon Dept. of Fish and Game do not stock Brown Trout in this river.  It is a self sustaining river.  This does not mean you can’t fish for Brown Trout this time of year, you just have to be smart about it.  At 30cfs the river will pool up and cruising fish will feed on various aquatic insects such as Baetis and Midges.  These fish are fair game.  They have either already spawned or are not spawning at all. 

The Owhyee River has been an outstanding fishery for Brown Trout for at least the last 17 years and often is the only game in town.  So if we want to keep this beautiful fishery fishing great for the next 17 years, we as fly fishermen must take some responsibility ourselves.  Every year I see guy’s fishing over spawning trout and I believe all that is needed is a little education.  We have the ablility to fish this river year round and that’s truly a gift.  But if Fish and Game has to spend money in the future to support Brown Trout in the Owhyee River you can bet they will close the river to fishing for the rest of the year. 

Mike Sandifer

The South Fork of the Snake is open year round and the best times to fish are fall and spring primarily because there are very few boats on the water and the water level is significantly down.  It is not uncommon to see just a few boats the entire float when fishing this time of season.  The combination of low flows, cooler temperatures and a lot of the population on the deer hunt can make for an excellent day of fishing. 

On Friday, October 17^th, 2008, my buddy Matt Hess and I decided to venture to the South Fork for one last trip for the year.  We had not fished the river in October and we did not know what to expect; however, we knew from previous trips that a double nymph rig with lots of weight proved to be highly effective. 

Our strategy was to fish the tail outs, braids and any areas of the river that had gravel beds. 

Friday was one of the most consistent fishing days that we had experienced on this beautiful river and we were lucky to pull in over thirty trout all in one.  Matt was lucky enough to catch four species of fish:  brown, rainbow, cutthroat and whitefish; we were also fortunate to land two monster trout easily 17-18 inches and 2-3 pounds. 

We caught our fish on Henry’s Fork Rubber legs, Zebra Midges (olive), BWO (dries and emergers), Lake Dragons (glorified hare’s ear with eyes), Bead Head Beatis (Mike Sandifer special); this is the beauty of the south fork, one can catch fish on dry flies (with dropper) and nymphs but make sure to use a lot of weight because you need to get the nymphs down fast and deep.

There is not a lot of information available on drift boat fly fishing, especially on this river; therefore, when fishing from a drift boat on these waters, it is vital to stay out of the main current because it is very deep and swift.  We try to park the drift boat on the gravel beds and islands and fish these sections as much as possible.  This is not always easy to do because of the strong and often uncontrollable currents; however, with practice and patience, a good oarsman can place his or her fellow fly fishers in the right spot to land some monster trout. 

The strategy is to find some slow moving waters (tail outs, eddies and riffles) which are usually closer to the bank and take the boat up and down these sections three of four times; nonetheless, like most rivers, the purpose of the drift boat is to get to the key places that hold fish; once there, get out of the boat and find the fish.

The primary reason we chose the Cottonwood to Byington section is because we had heard through one of the local fly shops that there was an excellent BWO hatch taking place.  We like this section because the start is very secluded with deep cliffs and Cottonwood trees which just happened to be releasing fluffy white snow all over the river; in fact, it was difficult at times to distinguish the cotton from the dry flies.   
 

Perhaps the greatest highlight of the trip was coming around a bend and entering the first part of a gravel bed.  My buddy Matt was casting ahead of the bow of the boat about ten feet and then a fish hit his line and sunk hit rod tip immediately.  I had to park the boat as soon as possible so Matt could land the fish and not snap his line. 

This was probably one of the worst places to land a monster trout because the main current was so close to the gravel bed that once the fish hooked on it darted downstream and into raging currents; nonetheless, Matt’s challenge was to net a big trout against an extremely strong current as it was ripping his line off the reel. 

He continued to fight the fish and made his way downstream and he finally told me that he needs help to net the fish; the fish had taken off about forty feet from his fly rod.  I jogged downstream along the rocks with a camera in my right hand and a big net in my left and tried to net the fish. 

I tried for five minutes to net the trout but it kept making aggressive runs into the main current and then it started to run around my legs and in between my boots.  I finally saw the fish as it flashed in the water and it was a beautiful rainbow!  I screamed to Matt that he had a nice rainbow on his line which made him even more nervous lose the fish; we finally landed it and we gave each other a high five!

Casey Hunt

Matt Hess

While traveling down the canyon of the South Fork of the Boise River, my first thoughts were not of fun and fishing but where in the hell have all these camp trailers and RV’s come from. After a few more miles down the road it dawned on me that almost every campsite was being used but no one was on the river. Not a single fly fisherman was plying his trade for the first few miles. It had to be opening deer season and the hunters were camping at a warmer lower elevation. My fear of fishing competition quickly evaporated.

The best day to fish any river is on a week day. There is very little vehicle traffic, parking or camping sites are everywhere and of course there is very little, if any, fishing pressure around you. These factors and the South Fork Boise being at it’s winter time flow of 300 cubic feet made my decision to fish there a no brainier. My friend John Emery also felt the same and with divine fate we hooked up for a fishing trip down the South Fork Boise.

I met John early Thursday afternoon. As I pulled into where we were going to camp for the night, John had his trailer already set up and was waiting for me to show up. After Hello and a quick lunch we started gearing up for fishing the rest of the day. The section of the river we chose to fish was about a 100 yards from where we were camped. The river had been at 300 cubic feet for two weeks now and that was plenty of time for the fish to become accustomed to their new environment. John put on a size 16 Parachute Adam with a bead head dropper and I chose a size 16 Parachute Pink Albert with a bead head dropper.

Our strategy was simple - we identified a slot where the river makes a right hand bend compressing deeper water along the rocky bend. Because of the wind we had to hike to the top of the run and try and fish downstream, not our first choice. This particular slice of river was about 50 yards of prime dry fly fishing water that has about 4 small eddies that are full of trout. It’s definitely a one man show and John was the first man up.

Without hesitation John waded in and had a strike on his second cast. We took terns working that stretch of river and were able to stick four quality South Fork Rainbow. From there the river enters a small canyon where pocket water dominates from shore to shore. It was here that Mr. Murphy decided to play games with John and me. We both seemed to be stricken with shaky strikes. We would either strike to fast or set up on the fish too slow. It’s a problem all fly fisherman have from time to time. The problem is just this, you are on prime water and the fish are rising all around you, its getting late in the day and you feel the pressure to fish hard while you still have light and the fish are strike happy.

There are many solutions to shaky strikes and when you are in a fish happy environment and you are on the losing end of strikes its hard sometimes to stop, sit down and think about what’s happening to you and what you need to do stop the shaky strikes. It’s really easy when you approach the problem with a clear mind. It’s getting a clear mind that’s the first step.

Step One:

Clear your mind. Sit down for five minutes and think clearly about what you are doing and what you need to do to solve the problem. The fish aren’t going anywhere and you are having a problem catching them anyway.

Step Two:

If you are striking too hard you are either breaking the knot between the tippet and leader or you are pulling the fly out of the fish’s mouth. To prevent breaking the leader you can switch to a shock absorber leader or for a faster solution, change your tippet size to a size or two larger. This is a quick and easy solution to broken leaders due to hard strikes. The latter is to hold the fly line softly or release it and set the hook using the rod tip only. Try these two things first before slowing down your strike. If you are successful at this point, well you’ve solved the striking too slow problem.

Step Three:

Setting the hook too slow will kill just as bad as setting it too fast. The good thing to remember is larger fish are easier to hook set than small fish. Large fish will usually roll on the fly or sip it while a small fish will usually hit it fast and the strikes are very splashy. Understanding this concept will help you adjust your hook set. If you are prepared mentally and your gear is set right, go ahead and make your on stream adjustments. If you are dealing with large trout it doesn’t take much for the sharp hook to set in a fish’s mouth. With small trout or splashy strikes, usually in pocket water, the fish has no time to fool around, it’s eat now or starve. Before slowing down your strike set, make any adjustments to your gear that will prevent your gear from failing you. If you still are having a problem setting the hook then you should try holding your strike set a second, then maybe two seconds until you find the right combination.

In our case we struggled with both of us catching our fair share of rainbows. October is without a doubt the best time to be fishing the South Fork Boise. The wading is easy and the fish are right where they are supposed to be. Look for pocket water where the fish are aggressive. The long runs are best fished on the seams and where it tails out. Try not to spend to much time in the flats. You can still catch trout there but most at 300 cubic feet per second have moved into safer water. I fish this river quite frequently at high flows with my drift boat and over the years at 1000 to 600 cubic feet per second and have enjoyed catching many fish. But October is by far my favorite time.

October brings a variety of insect life for the fly fisherman to figure out. Baetis (Blue Winged Olives), Epeorus Albertae (Pink Albert), Paraleptophlebia (Mahogany Duns), Flavilinea (Flavs), and Midges are on the menu for trout on the South Fork Boise. Often you’ll see a combination of flies out so you need to take time to figure all that out. Our trip we ran into Baetis, Pink Alberts and Midges. The best fly that caught the most fish was the size 16 Adams. I also brought up a few fish on Baetis emergers.

By the end of the day John and I were exhausted. We both had caught our share of fish, had some on-stream problems to solve and fished in some diverse weather. Snow, wind and numbing cold were just a few of the conditions as fly fishermen we had to prepare for and fish through. But through it all I enjoyed fishing with John the most. Fishing is more than catching, and John and I enjoyed each other’s company and the great conversation around the campfire that night. I’m looking forward to fishing the South Fork Boise again this year at low water and the challenges it presents.

Northwest Fish Report

Last Updated April 3,2009

Fishing Alert:

The Malad River upstream from Hwy. 84 is open year round and some brave cold weather fishermen have done well there.  Unlike the lower section from the confluence upstream to the Hwy. this section get very little notice in most fly fishing circles.  However, If you have a bad case of cabin fever this place may cure your ills.  I would recommend you go there in a hunting or prospecting frame of mind.  Sometimes when going to places you have never been this is the best approach.  Oster Lakes and Riley Creek is another area worth looking at this time of year.  Oster Lakes just opened and the fishing has been pretty good for large trout.  If you’re going to Oster Lakes you might as well look into stopping by Riley Creek not far from there.  If you like hunting trout then this creek might be your ticket.  Riley Creek is open year round above the fish hatchery.  

South Fork Boise 

Closed until Memorial Day weekend

Madison River

The Madison River will be closed from Quake Lake downstream to McAtee Bridge until the third Saturday in May.  If you’re heading out that way try nymphing the section between Hegben Lake and Quake Lake.  This section is the real secret right now.  Some large trout are being taken using streamers, bead head nymphs and egg patterns.  Get going before the word spreads.

South Fork Snake River

As of right now the river is at 900cfs and will be at 650csf by April 3rd.  If you know the SF Snake that’s not to bad.  The reservoir is filling fast so who can say when they open it up all the way.  Continue fishing the smaller bead head tandems and try using rubber leg type large nymphs with a trailer.  Work the banks hard that’s where you’ll find a lot of fish.  Don’t be afraid to use large streamers and keep your eyes open for the obvious hatches of baties, midges and possibly skwalas.

Wood River
If you plan to fish the Wood River right now bring your midge box.  Some anglers are taking two poles with them.  One rigged up for midges and the other for nyphing.  Anglers from the area are reporting very good fish activity in the early afternoon on midges.  Look for BWO’s inner mixed with the midges.  Nymph the deep pools for larger fish. 

Silver Creek  

Closed

The Big Lost River

The Big Lost is at winter time low but the fishing has been excellent for those people willing to make the drive up there.  Fly anglers report that the dry fly action has been super.  Go up there with a good variety of Midges and BWO’s and be prepared to be stealthy if you want to be successful.

Middle Fork Boise
Closed

Teton River
Closed

Blackfoot River
closed

Boise River (In Town)
White fish is the name of the game.  glo bugs, bead head nymphs and egg balls seem to be the ticket.  Stay away from the obvious locations.  Don’t forget that there are some great Brown Trout holes off the beaten path.

South Fork Payette
Closed

Middle Fork Salmon
Closed

Yakima River
report info here

Henry’s Fork
Midge fishing at Vernon Bridge all the way to Chester Diversion Dam is the place to be according to some angler who recently fished there.  When there is no Midge activity going on nymphing with large streamers with bead head droppers may work for you.  Don’t forget to try the Warm River to Ashton Dam section.  This section is fishing quite well right now.  You’re going to see some midges and BWO’s through out the day.  Concentrate on the deeper pools with nymphs and streamers.  When there is no obvious surface activity this should be you strategy. 

Owhyee River

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR THE SKWALA HATCH!!!!!!

The Owhyee is a river where the Trout turn from stream Trout to lake Trout with a flip of the water switch.  When the water is low, slow and cold the fish will mainly feed on Midges.  The fish will cruise around looking for food rather than staying in one spot waiting for the food to come to them.  Sometimes during the Winter it pays to just cruise the river until you can find a pod of fish feeding. Sometimes it pay off better for you when you are patient and hunt the fish than to drive up there and only fish a couple of holes.  Timeing and weather are everything on the Owhyee.  Some anglers are having excellent success using Wolly Buggers and other streamers in the larger deeper pools.  Judging form some of the photo’s I’ve seen if the midging is slow switch to the Woolly Buggers.

Below American Falls:

The river is now up to almost 2000 cubic feet.  The fishing there is tough but fish can still be caught using weighted streamers like Kiwi Muddlers, Woolly Scupins, Woolhead scupins and stayners.

Portneuf River:

The water level is at 171cfs and this is close to the normal flow so Look for BWO’s  and midges.  Try using weighted streamers like the Stayner Duck Tail or the Slump Buster drifted through the deeper pool.  Fishing will improve when the water levels rise.

Oneida Narrows on the Bear River:

Flows are predicted to be at 900 to 1200cfs which is about twice or more what you want.  You might want to keep your eyes and ears open on this one.

Black Canyon on the Bear:

You don’t have to be to far from the car to experience some great dry fly action.The road is pretty soft, but as of last week, passable.  Red Brassies, Red Mercury Zebra Midges along with BWO’s and lots of Midges, Pheasent Tails, Scuds and other bead head nymphs should get you started.  The Comer Power Plant area is a great choice.

Springfield:

Midges are very hot right now.  Halloween Leeches, Canadian Brown Mohairs, California Leeches, Olive Damsels.  Fish the open areas, but near the weeds, thats were the fish are hanging out.  Also use a variety of scuds in the open clear water.