Fshing Report May 19,2015

Lost River Outfitters fishing report May 19, 2015

Amazing.  At last report we were looking a bit grim with our water flows for the near and long term.  I remember mentioning that I have seen it change and make a huge difference in the months of May and June.  We are not out of the woods yet, but the Big Wood, the Big Lost and the Little Wood drainages have gone up over 10% precipitation in our year to date numbers in the last week or so.  We are pushing 80% of average.  The water bucket at my house measures 2 3/4 inches since this started.  The jet stream is favorable for more precipitation.  Two more storms are predicted to arrive in the next week.  We must have been very dry as the rivers have not gone over their banks , but over the course of last night, the Wood has taken on some color.  The general season opener is this coming weekend.  It is supposed to be wet.  These are our thoughts for what you might expect on some of our local waters.

Big Wood River

The Big Wood is not pushing a lot of silt right now in spite of the rain.  Hopefully it is cleaning itself of the build-up washed in from the fire ground.  It is flowing at 682 cfs today and rising, but is only about half of normal.  There was some clarity until this morning.  If you were to attempt catching a fish on the upper Wood this weekend, the side channels are your best bet.  The rainbows seek the softer flows and spawn in the side channels this time of year.  A black wooley bugger would probably be the fly of choice.  It might be best to leave the spawners alone and pick another piece of water for now.

The river at Stanton is flowing at 259 and is pretty big for most fly fishing.  Once again a streamer is probably the best choice it you wanted to wet a line there, but you could run into spawning rainbows there as well.

We don’t see this very often, but the Lower Big Wood in the canyon is at 9-10 cfs.  The dam was opened the first of May, and flows went over 900 cfs, but with the rains, the irrigation district saw fit to save some water for later and shut it down.  Good water management.  Hopefully save some fish later in the summer??!!  Weighted pheasant tails size 16-18 and zebras under an indicator or a streamer stripped in the deep water would be the best options on this water right now.

Magic Reservoir, which is usually great fun in the spring for big triploid rainbows and smallmouth, has been a real disappointment this year so far.  Catching has been spotty and sparse to say the least.  The tournament had 26 boats register and only 6 of the boats weighed fish.  I will try to get a handle on it and report in our next writing.

The Big Lost

The Upper Big Lost is flowing at 517 and is rising.  It is colored and too big to fish.  The East Fork fished a bit three weeks ago, before the rains began, but I would wait on the upper waters.  The Lower Lost is flowing at 193 cfs and has for the last couple of weeks.  It does not look like there will be a water call in the short term.  We have been taking trips there over the last couple of weeks and it has been quite productive.  On cloudy days baetis have been hatching in sufficient numbers to fish the dry.  Some PMDs have shown in the afternoon.  Best catching has been nymphing.  Tiny weighted nymphs in the really soft water and stonefly imitations in the rocky faster reaches.  The fish are off their redds and already fat and sassy.

Silver Creek

Silver Creek is flowing at 170 cfs this morning and is rising.  Normal flows are 115 cfs.  It is up from 90 cfs a month ago.  This is good.  Bigger flows will spread out the fish and flush some sediment.  Trout are rising to callibaetis and some afternoon PMDs.  The creek looks good, especially after what we experienced last year.  The early callibaetis are large even a size 14.  The PMDs a 15 or large 16.  Sparkle duns or parachutes should work for the early season hatches.  Be ready with the 6X tippets .  With our warm winter and spring up to now we could see an earlier Brown Drake emergence.  Usually it happens the first week of June, but it could happen late May this year.

The Little Wood

The upper Little Wood is high and cold.  The Little Wood in the dessert is an unknown at this time.  We would love to have that water return to its former glory.

The South Fork

The South Fork of the Boise is flowing at 611 today.  It will be a bit of a sporty wade at that level, but should fish with girdle bugs and stonefly nymphs.  Copper johns and weighted pheasant tail double fly combos would be a good choice in the riffle waters.

Anderson reservoir has been fishing for bass and there has been a report of good sized land locked Chinook which were introduced again to control the kokanee population.  Sink tips or full sinks with streamers.  I like to tie a blood leech stinger about 3-4 inches long with marabou and some uv crystal flash for Anderson.

Yellowstone Park

Snow pack in Yellowstone was not exceptional this past winter.  They are getting more snow than rain right now with these storms so the rivers on the west side are not high.  The Madison is flowing at 512 this morning with normal flows at 875 cfs.  The Firehole at Old Faithful is at 78 cfs with normal flows 160.  The cooler weather will delay stonefly and caddis hatches, but baetis and PMD hatches in the afternoons should bring fish to the surface.  Swinging soft hackle emergers is always a good trick on the Firehole.

We still have two dates for the Park if you have not been and would like some help on figuring out that wonderful fishery.  Open dates are June 15 and 16, and September 16, 17, and 18.

If you want any other dates we can surely accommodate.

The Idaho 2 Fly is scheduled for June 13^th at Ron Sali’s  96 acre “pond” .  It is a fundraiser for Idaho men with cancer.  Entry fee is $500.  It is a great event and amazing fishing for largemouth bass and big rainbow, with some nice blue gill as well.  If you are interested give me a call at 208-720-3813 or stop by the shop for information.

If your fly box is full and you need a break from the bench it would be worth your while to take a walk in the woods.  The buntings and tanagers have arrived, the wildflowers are blooming and morels are up.  Welcome to spring in the Rockies!

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly

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 09/12/2013

We typically look forward to mid-September for some of the year's best fishing.  September welcomes slightly lower temperatures, fewer people, and plenty of bugs.  While the fishing is getting good on much of our water, the fire and heavy rain storms have thrown a wrench in our plans.  Here is a quick breakdown of all of our local water:

The Big Wood
The Big Wood has been running black for a little over a week now.  We received heavy rain right after the Beaver Creek Fire was completely contained.  This created massive mud slides which flooded the river with ash and mud.  The river is fishable up north but it isn't even close in Ketchum or Hailey.  Unfortunately we are going to lose some fish, because of this event. Fish and Game is doing a study to quantify the loss of fish on the Wood, and we'll keep you updated once we have those numbers.

The Wood Mid-Valley Running Muddy

Silver Creek
On a brighter note, Silver Creek is fishing great right now! There are still sputtering trico hatches in the morning, but the real fun starts after that.  Look for baetis hatches right after tricos taper off, and you should see callibaetis mid day.  With the Wood being unfishable the creek has seen uncharacteristic pressure for this time of year, but the fishing has stayed strong.  Terrestrials are still a good bet if you aren't seeing fish mid-day.

A Silver Creek Rainbow with a Hopper in Mouth

Copper Basin

With cooler temperatures, Copper Basin and the Upper Lost are starting to fish better again.  This fishery really slows down when hot August weather increases water temperature, but it might be time to revisit these streams.  Fish attractor patterns in deeper water for best results.  If fish won't come to the surface, try dropping a nymph off of your dry fly.  

Lower Lost

We're approaching prime time on the Lower Lost.  This is one of our favorite fall fisheries, and it's starting to get good.  The Lower Lost is still going to fish best in the morning and the evening until things cool off a little bit, but it shouldn't be long before it fishes great all day.  Fish a dry-dropper with a big dry and a small nymph, until you see bugs.  You have a good chance of seeing tricos, baetis, and even a few crane flies this time of year.  

It's time to get out there! Many of our local waters fish best in the fall, so if you've been biding your time to get on the water, the wait should be over.  Swing by the shop before you head out on the river, and we'll get you set up with everything you need.  Remember if you need a little help on the water, we offer full and 3/4 day guide trips.  We'll see you out there!

-CM