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Fall is in the air. The recent change in the weather has all of us at Picabo Angler thinking about bird hunting… especially our bird dogs. Our shooting preserve at Picabo Angler is in great shape and we’re chasing pheasants, and waterfowl season will be here before you know it. Check out our website at www.picaboangler.com for more information, or give us a call at the flyshop to discuss hunting options.
Fishing on our local waters continues to be good despite low water conditions. As temperatures cool and we enter into the month of October, fish in area rivers will feed in earnest in preparation for spawning and the harsh conditions of winter. This is the season to hunt trophy trout; hook-jawed browns on Silver Creek, 20-inch cutthroat on the upper Big Lost River, and robust rainbows on the Big Wood River are all prime targets right now.
Small Baetis (BWO) in size 20-24 are the main player on Silver Creek during the morning, and these bugs can hatch for hours given the right weather conditions. Long, light leaders and drag-free, downstream drifts are required to fool the Creek’s trout on these diminutive mayflies. Callibaetis action has been consistently strong during the late morning/early afternoon on Silver Creek. Have a good selection of emergers, duns, and spinners when fishing this hatch. With the onset of fall weather, we’ll see increased Mahogany Dun and October Caddis activity on the Creek. Remember that it doesn’t take many naturals to get the fish interested, so blind fishing these patterns on breezy afternoons can be especially productive. Terrestrials like hoppers, beetles and ants will continue to produce for the next few weeks, so have a few of your favorite patterns in your box.
On the Big Wood, look for one of the river’s premier hatches—the Western Red Quill (Hecuba). Large Parachute Adams, Parachute Hare’s Ears, H&L Variants, Ausable Wulffs and Purple Hazes (all in size 10-12) will fool plenty of fish once this bug appears. Your favorite green drake and brown drake patterns will work as well. Small parachute patterns are great for the Big Wood’s pickiest trout.
The upper Big Lost is a great place for scenery, solitude and trophy cutthroat, while the lower Big Lost is at a great flow and is fishing extremely well with BWOs, midges, hoppers, and your favorite nymph patterns.
Autumn is when streamers really shine on local waters. Our custom-tied Sparkle Minnow is deadly on our area rivers!
Happy fishing, everyone!
