Winter has arrived in full force here in the Wood River Valley. Recent days have seen good snowfalls locally and frigid temperatures, and the snowpack for area watersheds has increased to roughly 65%. We still need much more snow this winter; more mountain snow means more water for area rivers, farms, and ski hills!
With the extreme cold temperatures lately, fishing has been unproductive. The Big Wood River and Silver Creek have a fair amount of shelf ice, making fishing access difficult and dangerous. As temperatures rise and the region sees a warming trend, expect decent winter fishing to resume.
Concentrate your fishing efforts on the warmest part of the day and look for stable weather conditions. On rivers like the Big Wood, lower Big Lost and South Fork Boise, nymphing will be the name of the game, and patterns such as tiny Zebra Midges, Brassies, Rainbow Warriors, RS2s, and WD-40s are all good bets. Fishing these flies in tandem with large stonefly nymphs, leeches, or jig nymphs can be very productive. Expect some midge activity during the right conditions, and look for rising fish in foam lines, eddies, and slow tailouts.
On Silver Creek, fishing leech patterns or small streamers low and slow will be your best option. A black Pine Squirrel Leech or Balanced Leech will serve you well.
Winter is a good time to check all your gear and prep for the upcoming summer season. Organizing flies, cleaning fly lines, and replacing old leader and tippet will put you in the best position for success on the water.
Better winter fishing is yet to come during late February through March, but until then, we can all hope for more snow to provide robust flows for all our local waters.
Happy fishing, everyone!