Lost River Outfitters fishing report May 22, 2018

Last year’s water was enough for two years.  This winter, you would have thought we would have to spread it out over two years.  Snow drought in December, January, and much of February made it look like that may have to be the case.  We did have a wet fall, and then late February here it came.  Back-country skiing finally kicked in, and there were some very nice powder days on Baldy.  Snowpack got up to 100% and it keeps coming.  Then it got warm and started to rain and won’t quit.  Morel season has arrived.  What does this mean for our season?  Quite a lot actually, although you may have to be patient to visit your favorite pool on the Big Wood or your favorite reach on the Big Lost and be content with some whitewater boating instead of leisurely float fishing the Salmon.

We finished our steelhead season on April 18.  Our last angler landed four deep water steelhead.  We averaged nearly three fish on the beach a day on our trips.  We had two double digit days in the mix.  The largest steelhead was a wild 30 inch buck and a 25 inch bull trout was landed.  We got our share of steelhead in the upper river this year and angler pressure was low, so it was a pleasant March and April.  We moved out of the steelhead lodge on April 16^th and are already looking forward to next year.  With last year’s huge runoff and flush there should be a nice return coming back.

I was anxious to return to the low country to see what the reservoirs had in store in late April.  Every one of our local reservoirs had more carry over water than they have in years.  Anderson was ice free in February.   Still water fishing in the spring is something that many fly guys/gals overlook.  It doesn’t take much to make the transition.  A sink line, some wet flies, a float tube and fins is about it.   Lakes and reservoirs grow some of the biggest fish on the planet and our local still waters rival any place in Montana or Wyoming.  Every still water presents a different challenge whether it is pattern, place, or method, but that is the joy in making it work.  Reports from all of our local reservoirs have been amazing, if you are in the right place at the right time.  Anderson gave up bass, bull trout, big pike minnows, a couple of landlocked Chinook, perch and a few trout so far this year.  The best bass on one of our outings was 21 inches, but many in the 14 and better.  The largest bull trout was 25 inches.  Full sink lines stripping streamers is my method.   

 Mormon has been a bright spot too.  The rainbows have been unbelievably large this year and fat.  Largest landed 23 inches and probably over 6 pounds.  Size 14 midges and callibaetis are hatching in huge numbers.  Big zebra midges or nymphs under an indicator  work in the bays.  I still like stripping streamers for the big tug there because you can fish 1 or 2x.  Full sink line and green or brown buggers with or without a hackle and a bead.  There has been traffic, but it doesn’t seem to matter.  Pick a cove and fish it slowly with a fairly quick retrieve at the end of the cast. 

 Magic has had its moments.  Midges are starting to hatch so Seagull Bay should start to fish with indicators.  I have had good success stripping perch buggers on a full sink line for both browns and rainbows.  The perch populations have exploded as the full reservoirs give them shallow bays to spawn in.  That means more food for the predacious rainbows and browns.  

 Good reports have come from the Little Wood Reservoir, Fish Creek reservoir and Mackay reservoir.  There is no lack of still water fishing to be had.  Trail Creek is open!

Our opening day on the local rivers will offer limited fishing.  The Big Wood today is flowing at 2,100, which is really not very safe to hang around yet.  Flows at Stanton are 1380.  Flows at Camas Creek are 137.  Outflow of Magic in the canyon is 1,700.  You could probably jet boat the canyon, but even that is big.  

 Silver Creek will be crowded but our fishable stream water this weekend.  It is flowing at 161 cfs.  Look for some late morning PMD’s, possible afternoon callibaetis.  With over cast skies you can always have the possibility of seeing baetis.  I would anticipate that the brown drakes should fire up the first week of June, possibly even the last few days of May given our fairly warm spring weather.  We have all of our usual custom drake patterns ready for you at the shop.  Stop in, before they are gone.  It should be a big drake year for some big browns this year.  Big water redistributed them last year and last winter many big guys showed up chasing streamers. 

 The Big Lost is flowing at 1,790 above the reservoir and 1030 below the reservoir, and 291 at Arco  Both reaches are too cold and big above and too big below for any decent fly casting.  

 The Little Wood has shown some promise this Spring.  Please treat it right as it has been dead for ten years because of too little water, too much hot water, and poor water quality.  It is such a beautiful little stream and can have amazingly pretty big browns that it needs all the help it can get.

Our Yellowstone year is pretty well booked, although if you are interested we might be able to squeeze in another June date.  We have one three day window left in late September fishing the N.E. corner of Yellowstone.  Those dates are September 21, 22, and 23.  There is plenty of water in the Park, and it is still raining there as well.  The Lamar River is flowing at 9,750 cfs.  That will spread out the cutties.  We start June 5 in Yellowstone and return June 23.  We have another trip August 5-10.  Our September runs from the 5^th to the 23^rd.  If you have not fished Yellowstone it should be on your bucket list.  We can help.  208-720-3813 is my cell if you want more information or my email is scott@lostriveroutfitters.com.

We are stocked with all the bugs, tippets and gear you need for the opener.  Stop by and say hello, share a fish story, purchase your controlled hunt permit before the end of May, pick up some fly tying hooks for your next pattern, or shop for your significant other.  We are always glad to help you find the right thing. 

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly

Lost River Outfitters

Fishing Report June 27.2014

Lost River Outfitters Fishing Report 6/27/2014

So many places, so little time.  Since our spring steelhead season finished on the Salmon at the end of April we have visited many of our old fishing haunts and some new ones.  There is always a piece of water that seems to need our attention.  My son Blake and his wife Kelly spent a weekend with us on Anderson Reservoir catching some nice smallmouth, then on to Magic where we had an epic day casting streamers from the bank for 2-4 lb. triploids.  In mid-May I participated in the Idaho 2-Fly which was held at Ron Sali’s 97 acre pond/lake at his fabulous estate in Eagle.  It was a fund raiser for men with cancer in Idaho.  It was an extremely inspirational event and raised some needed monies for two retreats Dick Wilson puts together every year in Copper Basin at Wildhorse Ranch and in Eastern Idaho at Three Rivers Ranch.  If anyone has any inclination to participate in one of Dick’s events let me know and I will put you in touch.  Catching five plus pound largemouth in Ron’s lake was just the icing on the cake at the Idaho 2-Fly event.  A few trips to the lakes in the Sawtooths kept the cobwebs from forming on the six weights for some nice bull trout and a perfected the double haul with full sink lines.  We have been busy.

The season opener found us on Silver Creek guiding sporadic baetis and PMD hatches on the Conservancy waters with some good success.  Sometimes a tiny nymph dropped under a size 16 snowshoe emerger made the day on guided trips. Brown drakes emerged earlier than expected, but the hatches were consistent and heavy.  Our beginner trips to the Willow waters even had good success.  One spinner fall lasted over four hours. 

I had a week guiding in Yellowstone again June 12-19.  The first day salmon flies showed on the Madison in the Park.  It looked like an epic dry fly week and then came the snows.  In spite of some inclement weather all parties experienced some dry fly fishing on the Firehole and the Madison.  Duck Creek was very good.  Many, many big rainbows, three browns, and three brookies over 15 inches made that creek memorable for everyone.  Buffalo calves were in abundance and a lone white wolf was sighted on the Firehole.   The rain and snow showers were not enough to put the rivers out, but did bring up some morels coming and going along the Henry’s Fork.   The Madison gave us some very nice browns and big rainbows fishing a large dry stonefly with a girdle bug dropper.  They ate both.  I hated to leave to return to the high cold waters of the Wood River Valley.

But….on return the Wood was fishable and clear.  The upper Lost and Copper Basin waters receding and we are preparing for a busy summer.

Here are a few tips on our local waters.

Big Wood Drainage

The Big Wood is flowing at 572 today, a bit higher after a nice rain two days ago.  Although the Big Wood did not experience extremely high run off, it flowed long enough and high enough to wash much of the mud and silt from the floods on the burnt ground of last September.  The gravels are much cleaner and the river clear.  If you want to dry fly use a large royal stimulator to raise fish.  You might want to drop a green drake nymph under your dry if you want to catch more fish.  Be prepared for a green drake hatch size 10 in the afternoons.  Green drakes are hatching far up river as Deer Creek and they move their way up river so be on the lookout.  They do like warm muggy overcast days.     

The Lower Big Wood in the Canyon waters is flowing at 911 cfs.  I don’t know how it makes it, but the fish have survived another difficult year of nearly no water.  There have been PMD hatches and if you don’t have surface action a double nymph rig with your favorite small nymphs will work.  Copper johns in brass, red, our favorite little nymph we refer to as blackie and zebra midges are all good choices.

Big Lost Drainage

The Big Lost is lacking snowpack this year.  The upper is flowing at 473 cfs today. The East Fork in Copper Basin is clear and fishable.  The upper Lost is still quite large and pushy.  For dry flies you want to have stimulators in size 8-14, green drakes size 10, and caddis size 14-16.  Green drake nymphs size 10 and stonefly nymphs size 8-10 for those who like to go dark should cover most bases.  Cold water temperatures in this drainage can be a limiting factor, so afternoons  fish  better than mornings.  Please to release your catch and handle with care.  This wonderful resource has no restrictions on trout, just the protected unique whitefish.

The Lower Big Lost is flowing at 375 cfs today, in an attempt to make the water in Mackay Reservoir last through the irrigation season.  That is down from nearly 700 cfs when the dam gate opened.  The Lower Lost is hatching yellow sallies size 14, and pale morning duns size 16 so there is some dry fly fishing.  There are also some olive caddis in size 16.  At these levels you will find soft water to raise some fish.  A few craneflies are also showing for those who like to skate the big fish out of the riffle waters.  Double weighted  nymph rigs size 16-20 will catch fish if there is no rising.  Look for some salmon flies to show.  That hatch on the lower is always a surprise but will bring large trout to the surface with aggression.

Silver Creek

Flows on Silver Creek are at 73 cfs today.  It is very low due to irrigation and a low water year.  Flows  were over 100 cfs just last week then back down again this week.  The new project looks great and will hopefully lower water temperatures on downstream reaches of Silver Creek.  Lost River was able to present the Nature Conservancy ‘s Preserve with a check for $2,400 to help with their portion of the project .  Thank you for your support of our fund raising film event in January.  Expect to see hatches of pale morning duns, baetis, and callibaetis nearly every day.  The baetis are tiny size 22-24.  Callibaetis and PMD’s average size 16, although the early season bug is a bit larger.  A pmd split thorax or callibaetis nymph under your dry works wonders if you are looking for more hookups. Super fly fished down and across is also a good choice on the creek if you are trying to catch a fish for your beginner friend.  Fish have begun to spread out and should continue to do so as the mosses grow and more cover evolves this coming month. Look to blue damsels, hoppers, beetles and ants to raise fish this coming month when mayfly hatches are sparse.  Trico season is just around the corner.

South Fork of the Boise

Flowing at 1810 cfs today, those flows will begin to move some of the silt and sand down river.  Unless you want to just fish the road side from the bank you will need a boat.  I have not seen the rapid below the dam since the flows have increased.  It would be a good idea to scout before launch.  Salmon flies were hatching before the flows went up.  Caddis were also hatching.  Expect pink alberts to begin showing as well.  There is no overnight camping in the canyon this year due to the danger of slides, so day trips only.

Magic

Our last trip to Magic produced a few rainbows.  It looks like they sounded with the surface of the lake warming.   Look for smallmouth to begin showing with the warmer waters along the rocky cliff areas.  Streamer fishing from the bank or a float tube can be very productive for the Magic smallmouth.

Yellowstone Park

If you can make it to the Park before the summer heat begins next week it should be very good.  PMD’s, yellow sallies, caddis, and baetis on the Firehole will be hatching and egg laying.  There should still be some egg laying salmon flies on the Madison and hatches of pale morning duns.  It was very good angling  a week ago.  Fishing the park can be as good as it gets and it is so beautiful.  Forget about the Lamar Valley for a while.  Water in that corner is still massive.  Slough Creek was out of its banks.

Salmon River

Water flow below Yankee Fork is 2,230 today.  That is not much bigger than we have on good water years in April for steelhead.  Two Jack Chinook showed up in the hatchery when they opened the weir.  It is time to add one more trip to the calendar.  There is a salmon season on the upper river this year.

The shop is stocked with new fly tying materials, the new Winston BIIILS Boron rods, and new shipments of bugs are arriving almost daily.  Get your kids or grandkids signed up for our kid’s fishing camp.  We are filling up.  We would just enjoy swapping some fish tales with you if you just want stop in for a quick hello. 

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly

Fishing report first week of March

Fishing report March 1, 2014 Lost River Outfitters

Let there be water!!  What a change we have seen in the month of February in our water supplies and snowpack.  The high pressure off the west coast has broken down and given us a nice series of storms.  Both our snow water equivalent and precipitation to date have gone from below 50% in our central Idaho drainages to around 70%.  The Big Wood snow water equivalent is at 83% and rising today.  Snow water is what fills our reservoirs.  We are still behind, but in much better shape than anyone could have imagined in mid January.  The Salmon drainage is over 100% in snow water equivalent.  Eastern Idaho and Yellowstone are in the +90% to + 100% snowpack.  Our low elevation snowpack is slim, but we have had lowland rains which should help our water tables.  The high country is looking great, with backcountry skiing in full swing.  It looks like it will keep coming and we are thankful.

Some of the dreary days have given us time at the tying bench to replenish our trout flies, prepare for spring saltwater trips, and fill fly bins for spring steelhead season.  In the mean time temperatures have been mild. We have enjoyed some great winter fishing days.  Here is what has been happening on our local rivers and what to expect in the near term.

Big Wood

The Big Wood is fishing quite well.  The floods of last September did not kill the bugs or all of the fish.  The trout are looking quite healthy and starting to bulk up for the spring spawn.  Midge hatches have grown heavy enough to make the trout selective in some pools.  Water levels have risen due to the warm days and some early runoff, but not enough to change the river much.  Large Stonefly imitations are still working, but a double nymph rig seems to be more consistent.  An Anato mayfly nymph, brassie, or copper john with a zebra midge trailer has been an effective combination, in sizes 14 and 18 respectively.   If you encounter a pod of rising fish trail a dry midge from a larger dry so you can pick out the rise to your midge.  We like the LRO midge emerger as the trailer.  The trout will eat it wet or dry and many of the fish are picking out the emerging midge rather than eating the fully emerged adult.  Don’t forget your 6X tippet.  Fluorocarbon on your nymph rigs seem to result in more eats.

The inflow of the Wood to Magic has been spotty.  Some days are better than others.  Water levels have tripled in size in the last week, so maybe some fish will move up from Magic.

The outflow of the Wood from Magic has had triple the flows it normally has, still only 5 cfs, probably due to some rain and melt on the dessert.  Those fish will eat midge pupae, scud, and small nymph imitations readily.  Please release your fish in the lower Wood, they are all we have to replenish that potentially trophy fishery after the low water kill of last summer.

Silver Creek

Closed until Memorial weekend.

Lower Big Lost

This is the time for the lower Lost to shine.  Midges and Baetis hatches combine to make one of your most memorable winter trout days.  Flows are 84 cfs, which is enough to move your fly through a drift.  Imitations need to be good on fine tippets as they will get a very good look at your imitation. The winter baetis is big for baetis,  size 17-18.  I like sight fishing the feeders with a large baetis imitation, small adams, or gulper special with a trailing size 18 pheasant tail on 6X fluorocarbon.  It pretty much covers your bases during the hatch periods.  A dry fly on top or a baetis nymph or midge pupae just sub-surface.  Large stonefly nymphs in the faster rocky reaches are also good, if you just want to relax and watch the bobber.

South Fork of the Boise

Flows are at 307 cfs right now.  I would not expect them to move for some time.  The Boise drainage is below 100% and Anderson Reservoir has lots of room to fill.  The hatches on the South Fork are midge and micro baetis at this time of year.  The trout can be challenging when working the micro stuff, but the reward of a 20 plus inch bow is worth the effort.  Girdle bugs in the rocky moving reaches will also produce under an indicator.  Frank showed me a picture of a 30 inch rainbow taken last week on the South Fork.  Streamers with your new switch rod might produce the fish of a lifetime.  It is worth the trip into the canyon and to see the effects of the fires if you have not made it down this year.

 Salmon River

The Salmon below Yankee Fork is flowing at 456 cfs already.  That is about 80 cfs above normal for this time of year.  Steelhead are moving upriver with the ice receding and the increased flows.  Fish are being caught at Challis, and still in Riggins.  They are still coming over the Snake River dams.  Although the run is a bit below 10 year average, we should see our share in the upper river by early April.  If you are interested we still have room at the Steelhead Lodge in Stanley in the month of April.  We would be happy to host you or your group on a steelhead trip for the longest running steelhead in the world!

Yellowstone Park

Closed.  We are booking June and September trips right now.  It is imperative to do it early as lodging can be an issue. 

Open dates are:

June 9, 10, 11.  June 12, 13, 14,  June 15, 16-booked,  June17, 18, 19.

Sept. 13, 14, 15, Sept. 16, 17, 18, Sept. 19, 20, 21, Sept. 22, 23, 24, Sept. 25, 26, 27, 28-booked.

Let us know if you might want to do a Yellowstone trip this year.  Water levels should be good.  It is more than just a fishing trip.  June dates we fish the Madison, the Firehole, the Gibbon, and Duck Creek.  September trips we fish the Lamar, the Yellowstone, Slough Creek, and Trout lake.  We organize the lodging and suggest transport arrival and departures. 

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly