A few cooler days and nights, with some added haze and cloud cover also coupled with a reduced amount of irrigation, has left Silver Creek in much better shape this week. The headwaters of both the Lost and the Big Wood are super-cold in the mornings and things seem to be looking up everywhere.
Silver Creek continues to have wonderful Trico spinner falls in the morning mixed with some small Baetis. The fish in the open areas downstream of Highway 20 are grouping up in the a.m. and eating with abandon for several hours. The fishing isn’t easy, but the visual reward is spectacular, and when you do get a fish to eat, it is a rewarding feeling! If you fish the Trico, be on the water early and try to be off the river as things are winding down around 10 or 10:30. With water temps at 60 degrees in the Preserve this morning, we hope to see this fishery open back up again soon.
There is great fishing to be had on the upper Big Wood and the upper Lost rivers as well. Small attractor flies are the way to go. Little nymphs, like Copper Johns and Pheasant Tails, are also great to use as a dropper fly. The water stays cool throughout the day and anglers can continuously move up through the system searching for the right conditions.
This is a great time of year to move up into some small stream systems. Check out the North Fork Big Wood, East Fork Big Wood, North Fork Lost River, Warm Springs Creek, Trail Creek, and any beaver ponds you find along the way! If you fish these little rivers, just take your dry-fly box. A simple Parachute Adams or Elk-Hair Caddis will bring these little river denizens to the top.
Conditions are improving but we ask that everyone continue to take great care of the fish, like you have so far this summer. Kudos to this angling community for acting according to the conditions and keeping our wonderful fisheries intact.
With all of that said, Hopper season is upon us and it is a great opportunity to catch fish with heavy rods as well as heavy leaders and tippets. You can land these fish quickly with a Hopper setup and turn them loose without a prolonged fight. Enjoy yourself on the water! Be kind and stay kind!
Happy fishing, everyone!