Feb 23,2015 fishing report

Lost River Outfitters February 2015 Fishing Report

Wonky weather.  The West needs it and the East Coast doesn’t want it any more.  It has been the longest mild weather run that I have seen in my tenure in Central Idaho.  Since early January we have experienced high temperatures 10-20 degrees above normal.  The low snow is nearly gone.  Trees are budding in Shoshone.  Grass is greening up south of Hailey.  Robins have been seen arriving.  What’s up?  Is it time to go all electric solar and wind?  It is probably past time.

We have seen a drop in snowpack that will affect us if nothing changes shortly.  The Big Wood drainage is at 94% precipitation and 90% snow water equivalent.  The Big Lost is at 85% precipitation and 90% snow water equivalent.  The Salmon drainage is at 101% precipitation and 95 snow water equivalent.  Remember how our run off works?  The low snow helps fill the reservoirs and the high snow run off keeps them full.  This is beginning to look a lot like the last couple of years.  Hopefully we will see a change. 

How has this affected our passionate local winter fishing folk?  The last couple of weeks you have needed to dodge some high dark water and heavier than usual flows on the Big Wood and Silver Creek.  The lower Lost, lower Big Wood, and South Fork of the Boise waters fisheries are clear and cold.  The upper Big Wood from Bellevue to Ketchum has gotten a bit stingy.

The upper Big Wood

Flowing at 214 cfs today, down from a high of 275, with normal flows this time of year usually below 150.  Higher flows have meant some turbidity.  The melting snow and increased flows chilled the water some and slowed feeding activity.  During a blanket midge hatch this last week on a guide trip we saw no rising fish.  Offerings should be large stonefly nymph imitations in size 8-12 or a set of heavy bright nymphs to reach the bottom dwellers, 4X with the big bug and 5X with the small nymphs. 

The lower Big Wood

There are not as many fish in the lower Big Wood Canyon as usual, but they are looking healthier than they did last fall.  Stick to the top pools near the dam. Flows are normal winter levels at approximately 3 cfs.   The lower runs experienced a heavy kill after the water was shut off last summer.  A weighted pheasant tail, zebra midge or both hung below an indicator on 5 or 5 1/2XTrout Hunter fluorocarbon leader works well in the slow clear waters of the Canyon.  A streamer can seduce a nice brown at times if you are trophy hunting.

The lower Lost

Winter flows below Mackay dam are nearly normal at 96 cfs today.  It is a bit early to see the winter baetis hatch, but with the warm temperatures they may start any day.  Expect to see some feeding on midges.  The winter midge on the lower Lost is big.  A size 20 is a good imitation.  The LRO midge emerger works well on surface feeding fish.  We hang it off a small purple haze or parachute adams as it is a film fly and the larger dry works as a strike indicator.  Sometimes the larger dry fly is taken.  If there is no surface activity, nymphing with a double zebra midge, or pheasant tail size 16-18 with a zebra dropper right up into the riffle water works wonders on feeding fish.

Silver Creek

Silver Creek is flowing at 115 today, down from the highs after the rain storm of two weeks ago of nearly 200 cfs.  You have about a week to catch your last fish on the Creek before Memorial Day weekend.  It closes at the end of February.  There have been some midges hatching, but streamer fishing is usually most effective.  Many folks cast black or olive wooley buggers.  I am partial to our Philo Betto streamer which imitates a sculpin pattern.  We had great success on four guide trips with Philo in the last two weeks.  Both browns and rainbows eat it dead drifted, twitched, treadled and stripped. 

South Fork of the Boise

Flows in the South Fork are normal for this time of year at 310 cfs.  There have been some really big rainbows caught this winter, some over 24 inches and fat!  Nymphing is usually the best option for numbers, but the tiny baetis and midges will bring fish to the surface.  Girdle bugs in the rocky fast reaches will produce fish if you are patient.  Small, 16-20 double weighted nymphs fished into the riffles on the long runs will be effective as long as one is a zebra midge.  Midge selection should include black, olive, and tan.

Salmon River Steelhead

The upper Salmon has dropped to 542 cfs this morning, about 300 down from its highs with the warm rains.  It is running cold at 37 degrees, but clear.  It is still early for the upper river fish to show, but a trip down towards Salmon/Challis is worth it.  We caught steelhead, bull trout, cutthroat and whitefish on a recent trip north.  We still have room at the steelhead lodge if you or your group want to put together a few days this on the river in March and early April.  The steelhead run is good this year with over 160,000 fish over lower Granite into Idaho.  It will be a good spring run!

Yellowstone

We are booking Yellowstone right now.  Lodging is the issue so if you want a trip let’s put it together now. 

Open June dates on the Madison, Firehole, Gibbon, and Duck Creek from West Yellowstone are:

June 13, 14, 15, 16 open

June 18, 19 booked

June 19,20, 21 booked

June 21, 22, 23 booked

Open Dates in Sept. on the Yellowstone, Lamar, Slough, Soda Butte from Silver Gate are:

Sept. 16, 17, 18 open

Sept. 19, 20, 21 open

Sept. 22, 23, 24 booked

Lost River notes.

Public hearings on rule changes for the next two year including fisheries.  February 24 in Hailey at Community Campus.  Stop by the shop to sign the petition for quality regulations on the upper Lost and Copper Basin.

Our Winter Sale in full swing including Patagonia, Mt. Hardware, Mt. Khaki, among others

Our fly tying room is stocked with new arrivals weekly. 

Free rentals on winter guide trips. 

Stop by to see what is new on the fishing front in Central Idaho and beyond.

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly

Just a quick note from Susanne. Since I failed to get this posted over the weekend, you might be laughing at us because temps this morning were CHILLY. When I took the dogs out, it was only 12 degrees.

Please keep in mind that booked Yellowstone dates are Scott’s personal openings. We could easily add another guide and accommodate you or your group. Both Zac and I would love to take you on a Yellowstone adventure. My personal favorite is going in September. The Lamar Valley is hard to beat for scenery, wildlife viewing, and great fall hatches.

Skiing is great right now! Don’t let tales of low snow deter you from coming to Sun Valley this late winter/early Spring! Up high there is plenty of snow, Baldy is in fine shape, and the back country got a bunch of snow when it rained in the valley.

If you are planning a ski trip to Sun Valley in late March or April, let us help you catch a steelie while you are in town!

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