Fishing Report June 4, 2013

June 4, 2013 Fishing report

Even though many of our local waterways now have year round fishing the Memorial Day opener is still the traditional beginning of our season here in south Central Idaho.  Folks did flock to the water.   We also experienced the usual late spring showers over opening weekend.  Although the weather has been unsettled with rain, snow, and hail it is not yet enough to fully relieve our drier than normal winter with moderate snowpack and runoff.  Our local drainages are just over 80% average precipitation.  The Big Wood drainage looks the most meager with Magic being drawn down dramatically this early in the season.  The water master says irrigators dependent on Magic water will be out of water by July 1.  Water storage in Magic suffered when there was a big drawdown last fall to repair a faulty valve and hydraulic hose.  There has been little runoff in the Big Wood to refill the reservoir.  The fishery below Magic will do doubt suffer as a result, which is unfortunate as it has thrived over the last four or five years.  We hope there will be a solution when shut off time comes for an additional water release to keep the fishery alive.  Keep the rains coming!!  There is some good fishing to be had early so here goes.

Silver Creek 

Silver Creek has been rising slowly which is a good thing.  It opened the season at just over 80 cfs and is 86 today with normal flows around 120 for this time of year.  Our windy conditions have not helped the dry fly fishing, but wets and streamers have produced.  Look for the large early PMD’s and baetis in late morning early afternoon to hatch on warmer days.  Caddis and PMD’s could also show in the evening hours.  Callibaetis will begin to show in the still water sections on warm days as well.  Brown Drakes are in full swing now.  Our bins are stocked with our own drake spinner patterns, emergers, and nymphs as well as the pure dun patterns.  Stop by and stock up, even witnessing this amazing hatch is worth the price of admission!

Big Wood

We had trips out over the weekend on the Big Wood, amazing for this time of year.  The upper Wood is flowing at 847 cfs today and is clear.  Side channels, eddies and the slower big pools are fishing well with rubber legged stonefly patterns.  Weighted double nymph rigs as copper johns, and green drake nymphs are also effective.  Although the Wood usually peaks with runoff in mid-June, we may have already seen the peak at just over 1200 cfs.  It will take some 80 degree days in order for the last snow to come down in a rush. 

Lower Wood

Below Magic is flowing at 694 cfs today.  Not big for normal flows.  There has been little fishing pressure.  It may be the only time to fish it as there will be little water later.  Be careful in the float tube.  Our favorite black rubber legged nymph with a prince point fly is a good starting kit early in the season on the Canyon stretch.   Black zebra midges also good point fly choices.  I would not expect much rising or dry fly activity in the Canyon.

Big Lost

The upper Big Lost is pretty clear, but running fast and cold at 729 cfs today.  I would probably wait for it to come down before attempting to fish it as well as the East Fork.  If you feel the need to fish the upper Lost  head for the steppes in the headwaters in Copper Basin where the small waters could give you some fishing in some beautiful country. 

Lower Lost

The lower Lost below Mackay reservoir is worth the trip.  It is a bit big at 494 cfs today, but can be crossed in some places and is fishing with nymphs right now.  The rainbows are not too picky either.  A girdle bug with a small prince nymph worked for me on my guide trip on the opener.  A copper john and caddis pupae was my second choice.  The bigger fish were harder to find as they seem to be hunkered in the deeper faster runs, but there were plenty of eager 12-16 inch fat feisty rainbows.  Expect some pmds, caddis, yellow sallies, and giant stones to begin emerging as June progresses. 

South Fork of the Boise

With flows at 1640 today it is best floated.  Reports are that it is fished well with weighted nymphs in size 14-16  or rubber legged girdle bugs.  Look for the giant stones to begin emerging in the next couple of weeks, as well as the tan bodied brachycentrus caddis. 

Magic Reservoir/Anderson Reservoir

You don’t need a boat.  Bass fishing from shore on both still waters has been pretty epic.  If you want to bob around, a float tube will help you cover more water.  Magic has also been fishing pretty well for big rainbows, but the bass fishing this spring has been pretty spectacular with 14-18 inchers whacking a red/brown blood leach on a sinking tip.

Yellowstone Park

The Madison, Firehole, and Gibbon are some of the best fishing waters in the Rocky Mountains in the early season.  Hatches are advanced due to the warm geyser waters.  PMD’s, Baetis, and Caddis hatch most days and evenings on the Firehole.  The stonefly emergence is not far behind.   The Madison is a couple hundred cfs below normal and perfect flow, fluctuating between 550 and 650 cfs.  We have two parties in the Park beginning June 11.  If you have not fished the Park you owe it to yourself.   We still have some open dates in September in the Lamar Valley in the Park if you are interested.  We fish the Yellowstone River, the Lamar River, Slough Creek, Trout Lake and Soda Butte Creek in the fall.  By late September we like the Madison and the Gibbon for the run up browns and rainbows.  Let us know if you would like a Park trip.  They are three to five day excursions.   Lodging is in cabins, lunches on us, dinners out, showers at the end of the day, and it is closer than Alaska or Argentina.

Shop notes:

Zac has returned from rooster fishing and joined us for some Brown Drake action on the creek along with Frank and Sagen..  Cody, Chase, Rachael, and Rob return June 9^th from Mexico.  We will be looking forward to some stories and photos.

The new Patgonia Waders are in stock including the zip model.  The Patagonia aluminum bar boot is ready for wading the slick or big rocky waters.  Winston’s BIIIX rods are still on top of our list. 

The fly bins are full and the tying room has some new Whiting hackles.

We are booking the summer kid’s camps now and our guides are ready if you want assistance.  Stop by for a some new Trout Hunter tippet or to swap a story or photo.

Susanne and I will be returning from Mark Harbaugh's Goat Mountain Ranch where we attended the Annual Patagonia Dealer Camp. It's always fun to brainstorm with Yvonn Chouinard, Bill Klyne, Bart Bonime, Mark Harbaugh the powers-that-be at Patagonia. It was also good to catch up with April Vokey and the ladies form the design team and the numbers crunchers of Patagonia. The Spring 14 line looks amazing, and we can hardly wait to show you all the new Women's fishing line starting next January. 

Everyone is going fishing today, but we have to head home to guide. Susanne has to write the women's fishing line order today to help Patagonia get an idea of where that may go and to make sure we will have it all in stock next Spring.

Get out there and enjoy the Spring!

Tight loops and lines,

Scott Schnebly

April Vokey's visit to Sun Valley, courtesy of ISSU

Wow, what an amazing week this has been! No, I don't mean giant browns on dries or anything remotely like it, but some great folks doing awesome things!
It all started with my departure to Ashton to meet with the powers-that-be of the Patagonia fishing line, including Yvon Chouinard, some buyers and guides from other shops, and April Vokey who is one of their fly fishing ambassadors. April has become a household name when mentioning women in fly-fishing, but she has also amassed some fame without taking her gender into account.
I was a bit apprehensive about meeting April, chances were that her fame had gone to her head or that she had developed what is so common in male guides, a guide ego. But my apprehension was quelled the moment I met her! Here was a gal with a big sincere smile, polite, yet self-assured, happy to meet other women in her profession! Good thing, because that night we became room-mates for one night!
To be involved in bringing back the Patagonia Women's fishing line, discussing the pros and cons of this or that feature, sitting there with Yvon Chouinard, April Vokey , all the other Patagonia folks and some other gals who are living their dream was a fabulous experience! It is so nice to be invited into the Patagonia family, to hear Yvon's passion for this planet, to hang out over coffee before our meeting and 'solve all the problems of the world' ! On top of this company's commitment to the environment, the folks who work for them, the quality of their merchandise, the rigorous research and testing of their products, we, the lowly dealers, are welcome to be part of it all. No other company we deal with can boast that kind of involvement! I am proud and happy to be in this position!
Well, April did not come to just participate in this meeting. Her next stop was Ketchum, Idaho to be the featured guest in a benefit for the ISSU, a non-profit organization supporting wild steelhead and salmon, something about which April is so very passionate.There were dinners and meet and greets, a fabulous presentation by April about swinging flies in BC, which is what her passion is and how she makes her living as a guide. Scott and I also had the pleasure of spending part of the day with April at Silver Creek. But the reason she came her was not to socialize but to teach classes, which is another integral part of her profession. She taught 3 full day casting lessons and 2 intruder fly-tying classes. I had the opportunity to sit in on 1 of each.
April has a great teaching style. She is very organized in her approach, thorough in her explanations, kind in her criticism and genuinely interested in her students' improvement. She pretends to be strict, but if she is, you don't notice. Patience and enthusiasm are her fortes. Both of those classes were quite enjoyable and everyone walked away believing they had learned a new skill or honed a skill they already possessed.
In a nutshell, the days and evenings April spent with us were a blast!
 April reminds me of myself at her age. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to be accomplished like her, I have long since missed the boat on that. I was on a different path back then, busy raising a child as a single Mom. Also I had chosen the flying profession, giving glider rides with weather as my biggest enemy and inevitable stumbling block. No, what I mean is that we both had the courage to walk into professions so utterly dominated by men, and to give those boys a run for their money. This is not an easy path! You have to be better than they are if you want to get respect! I can still hear the hesitation in my passengers' voices when they found out that I , the woman, would be taking them flying. I still get the: 'I don't want to go fishing with a woman' line when I'm guiding.
April has made sure that everyone knows that she can hang with the boys! She does not cut any corners to prove this fact. She took her casting certification from the toughest source in the industry just to prove a point. Watch out, fellow male guides, this gal can and will give show you off! The great thing is that she is not pushy about it. She is totally professional and humble, you'd never know that she is so accomplished and has become quite famous. Keep it up, April! Looks like you are on your way to become the next Joan Wulff!
So, if you would ever like to go steelhead or salmon fishing in BC, if you are looking for a hosted trip just about anywhere in the world, if you would like to book a fishing or casting school at your fly-shop, or if a fly-tying school strikes your fancy, consider booking April Vokey! I'm sure you won't regret it!
Flygal Ventures
Well, on top of all the fun, April helped raise money for an organization devoted to our endangered wild Salmon and Steelhead runs. Thank you so much, April!
I did not take any pictures of April to respect her privacy, so no pictures on this blog. Thanks for coming to Ketchum, April, hope to see you again some day, I think you have inspired me to host some trips and go see more of the world myself!
Have a great day and see you on the River

A Few Spots Open for This Weekend's Ketchum "Cast Away" Event

If you're looking to hone your skills and help save wild salmon, sign up for one of the Ketchum Cast Away clinics this weekend.   The fun kicks of with a meet and greet for April Vokey and Rick Williams at Silver Creek Outfitters on Friday evening.  April and Rick are two extremely knowledgable fly fishers, and this is a rare opportunity to be able to pick their brains and refine your casting / tying.  Much of the proceeds will go directly to Idaho Steelhead and Salmon Unlimited, so this is a win win.  Click on this link to take a look at the full schedule or copy and past the link below.  Give us a call at the shop to sign up for any of the clinics.
http://lostriversunvalley.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-vokey-and-dr-rick-williams-coming.html

April Vokey and Dr. Rick Williams Coming to Ketchum June 8th-11th

If you haven't heard of April Vokey, simply google her name and see what comes up.  You'll probably see pictures of giant steelhead, videos of perfect spey-casting, and expertly tied intruders.

April is a well known B.C. guide, casting intsructor, fly tyer, and wild fish conservationist.  On June 8th, she and Rick Williams will be joining us for a few days of fun.  Rick is also a certified single and two handed casting instructor, as well as a wild fish conservationist.  He co-owns Idaho Angler, located in Boise, and is an acclaimed author.  The two of them will be leading a number of activities over the course of four days.  There are lots of spots open for most of the clinics, so take a look at the schedule and let us know if you're interested.

Friday evening, June 8th, 6:30-8:30 PM, Meet and Greet

This will be held at Silver Creek Outfitters.  This is a good opportunity to get to know April a little bit and listen to her talk about conservation efforts in British Columbia.  We will raffle off a complete spey setup and a guided trip for two on the Clearwater River.  

Saturday, June 9th, Casting Clinics and Intruder Fly Tying Class

Saturday consists of a co-ed casting clinic with April from 9:00 am-3:00 pm, a co-ed, two handed casting clinic with Rick from 9:00 am-3:00 pm, and an intruder fly tying class with April from 5:00-9:00 pm.  The casting clinics cost $200 each, and that includes lunch.  The single handed clinics will all held on dry land (location TBA).  The two handed clinics will be held on dry land and on Hulen Meadows pond (half of each clinic on each).  The fly tying class will be $100 each, and it will be held at Lost River Outfitters.  Snacks and beverages will be provided for that class.  

Sunday, June 10th, Casting Clinics and Children's Fly Tying Class

On Sunday, Rick will host another Spey casting clinic from 9:00 am-3:00 pm.  April will lead a women's only single handed casting clinic from 9:00 am-3:00 pm, but this class is currently full.  If you are interested in participating in a women's only class with April, let us know, and she might have availability for another clinic on Monday.  Also on Sunday, April will host a Children's fly tying class from 5:00-9:00 pm.  This will be held at Ketchum On The Fly and the cost will be $100.  

Monday, June 11th Casting Clinic and Beginners Fly Tying Class

Monday will start at 9:00 am with a co-ed single handed casting clinic, hosted by April.  This will last until 3:00 pm.  At 5:00 pm, she will lead a "learn to tie" fly tying class, and that will last until 9:00 pm.  The casting clinic will cost $200 and the fly tying class $100.  

We have openings for almost all of the clinics, but space is limited.  This is a great opportunity to learn from some of the best in the industry.  Call us or swing by the shop to sign up for any of the classes.