Waterfowl season will be coming to an end this Friday. The end of hunting season on Silver Creek nicely coincides with the beginning of the year’s best Streamer fishing on the Creek. We have been living under gray clouds the past few weeks in Picabo, which will only enhance the fishing. These darker days mean more fish will be out in the open, hunting. It also means fish will be sitting shallow as they look to grab some radiant heat from above. The lower portions of the Creek will begin to fill with fish as the water temps from Highway 20 downstream to Picabo Bridge will be perfect.
All of this spells Silver Creek Streamer fishing. There is no need to fish any weight on these flies. Again, the fish won’t be very deep. It is important to target the banks and then fish to the middle. These fish will chase the fly a long way, so the longer your fly stays swimming, the better.
A quick note about the silt making the water go off-color. We want this! If you come to Silver Creek and see that it has a tint to it, or it looks more dirty than clean, don’t go anywhere! The murky late-winter water means epic Streamer conditions. If anything, super-clear water means you may want to look elsewhere, although the cloud cover will make up for cleaner flows.
Fishing the Creek with no weight on your Streamer is a very visually appealing way to fish. It is very common to watch a fish pull off the bank and “wake” after your fly. About the time your brain is registering what is happening, you may see a big boil or swirl on the surface. That is the fish eating your fly! You may not feel the bite in this moment but go ahead and set the hook aggressively. Since you will be fishing 2X fluorocarbon leaders or stronger, you won’t have to worry about breaking off on the hook set. The hook set is mostly a strip strike with your off hand and then a lift of the rod while gaining your slack line. Elevate your rod once you are hooked up. This should keep fish off the bottom and on the line.
The winter can be hard on some fish, so release yours while they are in the water. Limit your photos to the big ones and treat them well!
Happy fishing, everyone!