Madness on our local waters ended with a bang! Gorgeous weather and some spring runoff on Silver Creek triggered some hot fishing.
On Silver Creek, fishing remains open downstream of the Highway 20 bridge, and effective January 1, this section of the creek remains open all year. With Silver Creek flows being extremely high at the moment, now is the time to fish big streamers to predatory brown trout and swing dark leeches for the creek’s resident rainbows and browns. There has been exceptionally good BWO activity on select days, so it can be helpful to carry two rigs—one for streamers and one for dries. Remember that Kilpatrick Pond and The Nature Conservancy’s Silver Creek Preserve are closed to fishing until the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
The lower Big Lost River below Mackay Reservoir remains open all year, and with current flows, the fishing will remain excellent. BWOs are hatching daily, and fish are eagerly eating small BWO nymphs and midge imitations. Please watch out for spawning rainbows and avoid spawning redds (oval “clean” gravel depressions on the stream bed).
Steelhead fishing on the Salmon River is really picking up, with fish moving daily and good catch rates being reported from Challis to Stanley. Oversized egg patterns, prince nymphs, and stonefly nymphs are all excellent fly choices, and swinging dark leech patterns can be productive on certain runs and pools. The fishery remains open until the end of April, and we expect the fishing to improve steadily.
The Big Wood River and South Fork Boise River are also closed until the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
Keep an eye on weather and river flows, as this time of year conditions can change rapidly. Idaho river levels can be found on the USGS website.
Happy fishing everyone!
Picabo Angler
