It looks like summer has arrived for good in the valley, and the weather was spectacular for the Fourth of July holiday. With the onset of warm, stable weather, fishing patterns on area waters will shift somewhat.
On Silver Creek, the strongest hatch activity will occur in the mornings and evenings. Look for a mix of BWOs, PMDs, and Calibaetis in the mornings, and keep a lookout for the appearance of Tricos, as they are likely to show up a bit early this season. The fish on the Creek can shift their insect preference on a whim, so be prepared with imitations of these bugs in emergers, duns, and spinners.
While we are likely a week or two away from the start of hopper fishing on the Creek, ants and beetles continue to produce. In recent days, damsel activity has been strong in the afternoons. Fishing adult imitations and swinging nymphs has been productive.
Evenings on Silver Creek typically see a mix of BWOs, PMDs, and small, dark Caddis. Don’t fish the last hour or two on the Creek without an assortment of size 16–22 Rusty Spinners.
Green Drakes on the Big Wood are still present, although they are fewer in number and found higher in the river system. Fish will still take Green Drake nymphs and duns, although their focus is shifting to other insects, such as PMDs, Yellow Sallies, Golden Stones, and Caddis. The Dry-Dropper technique is always a good bet on the Big Wood, and nymphing the pockets, runs, and pools will take fish. We’ll start to see grasshoppers toward the end of the month, and a variety of pink, tan, olive, and yellow hopper patterns are effective.
While the lower Big Lost River is still a bit high, the upper river system (North Fork, East Fork, and mainstem upper Big Lost) is starting to fish well. Yellow Sallies, Stoneflies, Green Drakes, Caddis, and PMDs are the way to go. Cover lots of water and target the obvious holding water.
The Salmon River between Stanley and Challis is fishing incredibly well, with a variety of Stoneflies, Caddis, and Mayflies enticing the river’s cutthroat and rainbows to the surface. The river is best fished out of a raft or driftboat, but plenty of wading opportunities exist on the upper river.
For the South Fork Boise River, it’s simply Salmonfly time!
Happy fishing everyone, and hope you had a happy Fourth of July!
