Fishing report Aug. 26, 2013
As probably all of you know we became the #1 priority in the
nation with our Beaver Creek fire in mid August. It was a déjà vu of the Castle Rock fire of
2007. Smoke, evacuations, and fire
conditions pretty much shut down the entire valley for a week. The firefighters again did an amazing job
with a virtual inferno over very dry forest, sage and tinder. The fire is about 90% contained and not
visible from the valley, except for the burn scars. The valley corridor from East Fork north
looks the same. The monsoonal air flows have also been a blessing clearing the
air and giving us much needed rains over the last three days, with more rains
predicted for the week.
Even during the fire
there was some great and smokeless fishing to be had if you were willing to
cross Trail Creek summit and venture into the Big Lost River. Many days on Silver Creek were clear in the
afternoons when the southerly winds kicked the smoke out. The fish have had a nice break as angling
pressure was nearly non-existent. We stayed open, with more limited hours, all
through the fire and swa quite a few local anglers who took advantage of the
un-crowded fishing conditions.
Now that the fire Is behind us, we hope that our clients
will return to the valley to enjoy our favorite fishing season, fall! Cooler temperatures are here and fall fishing
should begin to pick up soon. Here is
what you should expect if you venture into the valley in the next week or so.
Big Wood
Very low water conditions with flows
less than 130 cfs. We fished 14 foot
leaders tapered to 6X yesterday and a size 18 and 20 adams to raise fish. There was a spotty trico spinner fall, some
nice fish would rise to the dry fly.
When rises slowed a size 20 zebra midge under a size 16 attractor purple
haze received attention. Don’t forget to throw a hopper into the faster water!
The fish are definitely looking up for this big bug and it’s always fun to
catch fish on hoppers! Expect to see
some larger fish begin to show as size
10 hecubas begin to hatch and baetis on cloudy afternoons in early
September.
Silver Creek
Flows and temperatures are pretty normal on the Creek. Although trico hatches have been sporadic,
you should look for some surface action on trico and baetis in the late morning
if you visit the creek. Also some
callibaetis size 18 are still around. Dry
blue damsels and hoppers will get
some attention in the afternoons.
Big Lost/Copper Basin
Unfortunately we have seen evidence of a lot
of harvest on these waters again this summer.
There are a few pockets of fish left in the upper river, but they are
far and few between. There are plentiful
whitefish as they are protected, but many of the nice cutthroat and rainbow
that we saw early season have been taken out.
A madam X size 10 with a dropper nymph size 16 on about two feet of 5X
fluorocarbon tippet will fool some of those fish that are still there. We did
catch 4 grayling of spawning size in the upper reaches of the Lost in early
August on a guide trip. Please release
the trout, although there is no protection on the trout and the Idaho Fish and
Game department still believes there would be no trout in the system if not for
their planting efforts. There is plenty of natural spawning in that system to
replenish it with wild fine spot cutthroat, west slope cutthroat, rainbow, and
cut bows. It is one of the most pristine
systems we have that is easily accessible and needs our protection.
Lower Big Lost
The lower river below Mackay
reservoir is fishing well with nymphs.
Midge hatches have been strong so bring your size 18 and 20 zebra midge
box and there also have been tricos early in the morning. Double nymph rigs
produce the best in this system right now.
Tippets with this rigging should include 6X fluorocarbon. By late September we should start to see some
fall baetis and the return of surface feeding.
Yellowstone Park
If you are interested in a trip
to the Lamar Valley and some amazing fall fishing we can hook you up. I leave on Sept. 9th and return on
Sept. 21st. We could still
organize your fall trout trip. You will
fish the Yellowstone River, the Lamar River, Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek and
Trout Lake on your trip. Minimum trip is
three days. We will organize your lodging. Call Scott at 208-720-3813 or Susanne at
208-720-1994 or send us an email for further details.
High Mountain
Lake Fishing and Backpacking
Fall is the time to head out
into the mountains! With the summer crowds diminishing, you can have some of
the high mountain lakes all to yourself! Check out our Outcast Trinity
backpacking float tubes! They only weigh 7 lbs, pump up in less than 10 minutes
, and come in a nice pack that has enough room for food, clothing, and even
waders! We are licensed to guide hiking and back-backing trips to the lakes in
the headwaters of the Big Lost. This is one of the most fabulous experiences! The
fish are ready to beef up for the winter and will eat just about anything you
throw at them. We can also arrange to have the whole camp packed in, so all you
have to carry is a day pack. This also makes it possible to have ‘real’ food
and even a libation under the stars! Give Susanne a call on her cell
108.720.1994. She likes nothing better than spending a couple of nights under
the stars!
Steelhead
Fall steelhead season is
approaching. The numbers are not huge,
but they are coming into Idaho over Lower Granite Dam right now. Stop in the shop for a spey lesson or to
check out the Air flow rage lines which will make your spey casting easier than
you can ever imagine.
Synopsis
We have dodged the fire bullet once again
thanks to another great incident commander, Beth Lund, and her awesome Incident
1 Team! We also need to give a great
round of applause to all the fire departments who sent fire engines for
structure protection! We had fire trucks form all over Idaho and all over the
country! We can’t thank all of the fire personnel enough for saving our towns,
our valley, and the busiest weekend of the whole year: Wagon Days! Come help us
celebrate the end of the Beaver Creek Fire and the beginning of a great fall
fishing season!
We have some great deals on
clothing and hard goods! Don’t miss out on our awesome end of summer sale! All
summer clothing and footwear is 30-50% off! Only on Saturday, Parade Day, we
will discount ALL non-sale clothing items by 10%! We will also serve snacks and
libations from 11:00AM to 3:00PM! Come join us for a fun-filled day of retail
therapy! Our sale has already started, so if you are in town, check it out now
before the crowds return!
Here are a couple of reminders of the Beaver
Creek Fire......
Fish far and fine,
Scott Schnebly
Lost River Outfitters
