Fishing Report

Happy opening weekend, everyone!

Opening day on Silver Creek has come and gone and, like many previous opening days, anglers were treated to wild weather, great hatches, and rising trout.

The PMD made a strong showing during the weekend and will continue to be the main player on Silver Creek for the immediate future. Keep in mind that these early PMDs are typically large—size 14 and 16. Look for PMDs throughout the Creek as late morning starts to warm up and have a good selection of emerger and dun patterns. Our favorites include Harrop’s Last Chance Cripple, Quigley’s Hackle Stacker, and Lawson’s Thorax Dun. BWOs are also making sporadic appearances on Silver Creek. Size 18, 20 and 22 imitations will fool the Creek’s fussiest trout. Ants and beetles are also highly effective during the early season on the Creek. Robust black beetle patterns like Fat Alberts, Jake’s Gulper Beetle, and the Dancing Ricky fished along grassy banks take plenty of fish.

The Big Wood River was at a very fishable flow on opening weekend, and anglers had success fishing big bushy dries and large dropper nymphs. A Chubby Chernobyl with a Copper John or Prince Nymph dropper is hard to beat. This setup will continue to produce until flows on the Big Wood become high and off-color. Many of the river’s rainbows are spawning at the moment, so please keep an eye out for redds and let these fish do their thing!

The Big Lost River below Mackay Reservoir is flowing at just over 200 CFS as of this writing, and the river has been fishing well with a variety of nymphs. Flows will likely increase at any time, so pay attention to the USGS water flow gauge before making the trek to Mackay.

The South Fork Boise River at Anderson Dam is running at 1200 CFS, and with the upcoming warm weather, anglers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Salmon Fly.

Looking ahead, our area will see above-average temperatures by the end of the week. This will likely cause flows in area rivers (with the exception of Silver Creek) to rise and go off-color. It should also usher in Silver Creek’s premier hatch—the Brown Drake!

Temperatures in Picabo will rise to 90 degrees by the weekend, so expect Brown Drake activity on lower Silver Creek. We’re fully stocked with Drake patterns here at Picabo Angler, so stop in and fill up your boxes. Remember to “be kind, stay kind” during the Drake, and enjoy one of nature’s finest shows!

Happy fishing, everyone!