May 5,2015 Fishing Report

May 8, 2015 Lost River Outfitters Fishing Report

Nice rainfall last night! It freshened the air, the wildflowers are heaving a sigh of relief, and if you get high enough up, you can even see the new snow on the Pioneers!  There have been years where May and June rains have saved us, let’s hope we are on track for one of those years!  Magic reservoir drawdown has begun.  Outflows are 924 cfs.  The reservoir has dropped nearly 8 feet already.  The upper Big Wood at Hailey is flowing at 677 cfs this morning, but only 237 cfs are going into Magic at Stanton.  Camas Creek is flowing at about 27 cfs, so it does not look like Magic will benefit much from any runoff.  Most of the upper Big Wood is already in the canals, and the water below Glendale is already diverted.

We have stuff to report, but most of it will come from past and future fishing adventures.

Salmon River

We finished our steelhead season from the Beckwith’s Lodge in Stanley on April 19^th.  My son Blake and his wife Kelly joined us for the weekend.  Kelly was the top rod catching two deep water steelhead, a bull trout, and a nice cutthroat, with innumerable whitefish to boot.  She mastered the upstream double spey with the switch rod.  The switch rod nymphing is a great method for slow, stubborn cold water river fish.  It is pretty easy to learn.  We moved into the steelhead lodge on March 24^th this year and out on April 21^st.  With the fish coming earlier every year we could have been there March 10^th.  My first trip up on February 20 produced three steelhead.  We don’t really like fishing them when they go to gravel to spawn, so finishing early was fine with us.  The Salmon River is now closed to steelhead fishing.

Magic Reservoir

I really enjoy coming back from Stanley to bob around in Magic in my float tube.  Two years ago the smallmouth fishing was spectacular.  Last year the triploid rainbows won top billing.  So far this year Magic has been stingy for me and spotty for others.  I expect that will change and hope it does soon.  It is close, a great afternoon or evening break.  The loons, grebes, mallards, geese and various other waterfowl makes for some interesting bird watching.  Stripping streamers is usually my best method on a tip or full sink.

 

Lower Lost

The Lower Lost is flowing at 225 cfs. It got bumped up to nearly 600 cfs while Susanne and I were guiding it. We still caught fish, but we had to increase the size of our nymphs.  It will hatch baetis and midges on any given day and will wake up the feeding.  Some spawning is still happening so take care not to walk on the redds and let the rainbows finish their jobs.  Nymphing with a double zebra rig size 18-20 on 6X fluorocarbon tippets is very effective before the emergence, which usually happens mid day.  In the fast water rocky reaches a stonefly nymph is very effective on 3 or 4X tippets.  If you encounter a hatch heavy enough to bring fish to the surface try fishing a size 20 black zebra under a size 14-16 adams or purple haze.  Tippet to midge should be short, about 12 inches, and fine, 6X.  Sometimes they even eat the dry fly!

Big Wood

Closed until Memorial Day Weekend.  Will probably fish in early June this year. The warm temps and consequent rains have brought the Wood up as well.

Silver Creek

Closed until Memorial Day Weekend.  Hopefully some of the diverted Big Wood waters will improve flows this season.

South Fork of the Boise

Closed until Memorial Day Weekend.  Flowing at 600 today. 

Little Wood above the reservoir

Closed until Memorial Day Weekend.  The Reservoir might be worth a look from a tube on a warm day.

Carey Lake

Bluegill, bass, and some perch have been caught.  The bird life in the spring is cacophonous.

We still have the petition to change the regulations on the Upper Lost and Copper Basin in the shop.  No word yet, but would like to continue the effort until that great watershed is protected.  Stop in the shop and put your John Henry on it!

The Idaho 2 Fly fundraiser for Idaho men with cancer is scheduled for June 13^th at Ron Sali’s 96 acre pond in Eagle.  The lake is full of big largemouth bass and trout.  The entry fee is $500.  The money goes to a great cause.  It is fun fishing, and a very inspirational event in an amazing setting. If you are interested in participating we have flyers at the shop or you can call my cell at 208-720-3813.  Dick Wilson has done a great job with this event and the two Idaho retreats for men with cancer.

We still have room for Yellowstone fishing trips this June and September.  Best dates are June 10-15 or September 16-18.  But we can accommodate any dates in June or September.  These are three-five day fishing trips.  We stay in cabins in West Yellowstone in June and Silver Gate in September.  It really is more than a fishing trip, but angling for native species in the waters flowing off the top of the continental divide is pretty special.

Spring merchandise is arriving at the shop daily.  Our fly tying room is stocked full.  Stop in and share your latest fishing tale. 

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly

Lost River Outfitters  

Lost River Outfitter's Fishing report March 20.2015

Mother Nature has thrown us a curve ball.  Who would have thought crocus would bloom in mid March in the Wood River Valley?  Warm weather has played a big role in our water conditions and fishing the past couple of weeks.  Runoff has begun.  Rivers are growing, they are turbid, high and cold.  Our late winter(?) fishing is not panning out to be what we have been used to.  Snow pack is dwindling a month early and it really doesn’t seem to want to change.  A few fronts move through but are not adding much water to our drainages.  Snow water equivalents in most river systems have dropped to 80% or less in the last month.  Here is what we have found in the last few weeks on our rivers. 

Silver Creek

Closed until the Saturday of Memorial Weekend.

The Big Wood

The upper Big Wood fished pretty well last week, but that may have been the end of it, unless we get a serious cold spell, with freezing temperatures at night and cool days.  It is flowing at 412 cfs this morning and is rising.  The silt from the fire runoff is making the river muddy and last fall’s leafy debris is washing.  We may not fish the upper Big Wood now until late June.

The lower Big Wood in the Canyon below Magic has nearly doubled it flows!  Not saying much, but it is at 4.2 cfs.  At these levels it is still water fishery with midge hatches.  A size 20 zebra midge or beaded pheasant tail size 18 under an indicator usually 3-6 feet works well.  On sunny days I usually fish deeper.  On cloudy days or if there is a good midge hatch drift your nymphs closer to the surface.   The denser populations of trout are closer to the dam.  The top two pools are the best fishing due to a fish kill in the canyon reach last summer from low oxygen levels when irrigation waters ceased to flow.

Magic

Magic Reservoir is ice free and trout are beginning to roll on the surface.  The water is cold so wear plenty of under wader wear if you are float tubing.  A green or brown bugger on a sink tip or full sink is generally my choice, but there was a good report of shore fishing with a floating line working for big rainbows last week.

The Lower Lost

The lower Lost is flowing at 96 cfs as it has been for the last two months.  The Lost has been the consistent fishery in our area.  Midge hatches have been prolific after noon.  Baetis hatches started about 1 pm on Monday.  Choose tippets in the 5-6X category as the water is crystal clear.  Best bug and fish activity seems to be in the afternoons.  Zebra midges in brown, green and black are all good.  When the fish begin to pay attention to the surface try a zebra about a foot under a size 14-16 adams or purple haze.  If the baetis hatch is heavy the fish will become selective to the baetis dry or emerger.  A fan wing comparadun trailing shuck is a pretty good match.  The trout in the lower Lost are healthy 14-19 inch trout right now.  They are gathering to spawn in the shallow riffle water, but have not yet gone to gravel in numbers.  There are plenty of feeding fish in the pool water to target.

The South Fork of the Boise is at a steady 314 cfs right now.  Midges and tiny baetis are the predominate bugs right now.  The South Fork is pretty much the same fishing scenario as the lower Lost.  I would not hesitate to cast stonefly imitations into the heavier pocket water and riffle water.  That can be relaxing after dealing with 6X tippets, 14 foot leader tangles, and size 20 flies.

The Salmon River

The Salmon at Yankee Fork is flowing at 1,240 cfs this morning.  Valley Creek is about 260 cfs.  These flows are nearly three times normal for this time of year.  Valley Creek, Basin Creek and Yankee Fork drainages all have recent burns.  These streams feeding the Salmon are running murky and easily put the Salmon out as far as fishing the fly.  The recent warm weather has darkened the water considerably below Valley Creek.  The few miles of river upstream from Valley Creek to the Sawtooth hatchery are clear.  If this continues to be the weather trend it looks like anglers will have to pick a rock and sit on it all day. These are unfortunate conditions this year.  The steelhead arrived early due to a long warm fall run up and a warm winter  migration.  There have been some large B run steelhead in the mix and quite a few bull trout compared to past years.  Whitefish and some cutthroat are also available.  Expect to see more whitefish as the days wear on as they will move up river with the steelhead.

Petition for quality regulations on the upper Lost Copper Basin

We have a petition to change regulations on the upper Lost from a six trout per day limit to a slot limit or catch and release.  It is in the shop.  We would really like some more signatures if you have time to stop in.   Fishing regulations are set for two years, so this is our chance.  The upper Lost continues to see more pressure every year.  Angling pressure will no doubt increase as the road has been improved and paved and as the Big Wood recovers from the silty runoff from the burns in Warm Springs Creek and Baker Creek.  You can also send comments on any regulation you might like changed on the Idaho Fish and Game website idfginfo@idfg.idaho.gov                                                                                                                                       Comments need to be made well before the end of March as that is when the managers submit comment to the Idaho F&G Commission.

Yellowstone

Two open dates are still available in Yellowstone.

June 13-16 on the West side on the Madison, Firehole, Gibbon, and Duck Creek

Sept. 16-18 from the N.E. corner on the Yellowstone, the Lamar, Slough Creek, and Soda Butte.

Call the shop at 208-726-1706 or my cell at 208-720-3813.

Wild fish are too valuable to only be caught once!

Happy fly tying if you can’t get to the river!

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly, Lost River Outfitters

PS By Susanne:

We will be moving into our steelhead lodge on Monday and will hope for some cold nights and cool days. If you 

would like to learn about steelhead fishing on the Upper Salmon, please give us a call. This is always a fun trip.

We also still have some openings for the lodge. Waking up in our lodge is worth the price of admission! It is

a peaceful and beautiful place away from the hustle and bustle of every day life.