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A lot of good low pressure will be sitting over us this week. That means good cloud cover and active fish. We are heading into the prime winter dry-fly season as well, so the timing of this weather system couldn’t be better.
Silver Creek has been fishing really well as of late. The cloudy days are providing anglers with excellent Streamer fishing opportunities. When the weather gets bad, Streamer fishing is good. The cloud cover will make the biggest fish feel brave and many of the big nocturnal trout will come out during the day under heavy clouds to hunt for baitfish.
There is decent Streamer fishing available on sunny days, too, but anglers need to drop the fly size, go to neutral colors and pay really close attention to areas where the deep water meets shallow-water shelves. In these areas anglers can find fish sitting shallow and sunning themselves in only a few inches of water.
If the sun is out and the temperatures are near or above the freezing mark on Silver Creek, anglers should wait until after lunch and then hit the Creek while looking for fish that are rising on Midges and decent-sized Baetis flies.
The Big Wood is also a great place to fish dry flies in the dead of winter. The winter hatches here are nearly daily this time of the season and the duration can go on for many hours. Look for rising fish on the Big Wood around 11 a.m. This action generally lasts until the sun begins to set. Peak activity is generally around 1 or 2 in the afternoon.
Anglers can also find fish rising on occasion on the South Fork of the Boise and the lower Big Lost River. The action here isn’t as consistent, but it can be very good. Just take the weather into consideration when driving long distances to fish.
No matter where you choose to fish and search for dry-fly action in the wintertime, the one constant is the need to have Griffith’s Gnats, Tie-Down Midges and/or any of your favorite Midge dry flies that have a trailing shuck as part of the pattern. The shuck makes the difference between a good day dry-fly fishing and just an OK one.
Be safe this week! Snow is in the forecast. Fish with a friend, bring extra clothes, food and water.
Happy fishing, everyone!
