It is March and that means it is time for the Little Black Stonefly and some of the seasons best fishing! Each year as we leave February for the 40-degree days of March we will begin seeing the Little Black Stonefly in big numbers. You will see these flightless insects running around on the snow, mixed in with the daily Midge hatches.
Seeing this little bug is a precursor to a few events. The most important one being the pre-spawn activity of the local Rainbow populations. This means a lot of fish are going to become extremely aggressive with their eating habits. They will become far less selective about fly patterns and will be willing to eat most well ties, and well-presented flies. The Little Black Stonefly also means Spring is arriving!
The Big Wood is an incredible fishery in March. Anglers can expect to catch fish on Streamers, Nymphs and Dries. It is not uncommon to use all three techniques on any given day. When you see large numbers of the Little Black Stonefly try using Prince Nymphs, Zug Bugs and large Pheasant Tails or Hares Ears. Fish these on a tight line swing also know as Grease Lining. The idea is to get the fish to chase your fly from the bottom to the top as the line tightens and lifts your fly to the surface. Try this next to cut banks and across deep pools. It is a highly effective technique on most rivers.
March on Silver Creek starts out with mostly Streamer fishing. Keep in mind, bright flies for bright days and dark flies on dark days. Fish your Streamers weightless, cast across the river and fish the downstream swing. Nearing the end of March anglers can expect to see prolific Midge hatches if the weather cooperates.
The South Fork of the Boise and the Lower Lost might make for good destinations this week. There doesn’t seem to be any big storm on the way, so driving and fishing these more remote locations should be fun and safe! Look for the same flies you’d see on the Big Wood, but also know that you could see Baetis (Blue Winged Olives) hatching on these two rivers in the spring.
We catch a lot of fish in March. We’ve also seen a lot of anglers this winter (except on Silver Creek) so please be kind to your fellow angler and help each other out!
Happy Fishing Everyone!
