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A cooling trend is coming, which may spell the end to any significant summer hatches that are left. It is time for the fall bugs! We may have to fish our way through a few weeks of transition, but fall is in the air and the bugs that come with it make for some of the season’s best fishing.
On Silver Creek, expect to see a drop-off in the Callibaetis activity as well as Trico in the mornings. In the late summer and early fall, we do experience a Trico condition where the air is not warm enough for them, but they try to hatch anyway. The end result is insects that normally would hatch in the dark are out in the mornings and stuck on the water. The fish key on this quickly and take advantage of these easy meals without the ability to fly away. So don’t put your Trico box away just yet!
Expect Hopper action to continue and be strong. The colder it gets and the less energy the Hoppers have, the more susceptible to fish they become. Baetis action should stay strong and even increase as we near the massive fall Baetis hatches. Now is the time to stock up on fall Baetis patterns as well as Mahogany Duns. Mouse fishing continues to get better and better as the browns start their spawning run. They are displaced, angry and voracious as they try to pack on the calories before they spawn.
Expect the Big Wood to start fishing better during the day. The cool mornings and evenings will start pushing the peak activity to late morning and afternoon. Expect fish to start moving into the slackwater and tailouts of the biggest pools.
The Upper Lost should see much of the same conditions as the Wood, with a focus on Flying Ants. On any given day this time of the year, the Flying Ant can become the most important fly in your box. The Lower Lost is still in the middle of Trico madness, but that could begin to wane with the cooler mornings.
The South Fork of the Boise continues to flow at driftboat levels and Hoppers, Ants and Beetles are great choices fished both dry and drowned. The Pink Albert is day to day, but this hot-weather bug should also get knocked back by cooler days.
Fill your fly boxes with tiny Baetis, Mahogany Duns and Western Red Quills and you’ll be ready for the coming attraction.
Happy fishing, everyone!