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

Fishing report 1/21/2014

Fishing report Jan. 22, 2014

To say our fishing has been and will be weather affected is an understatement this past year.  If the weather pattern doesn’t change it will carry into our summer and possibly future years.  A two thousand mile long, four mile high, high pressure system has been sitting off the Pacific coast for a year now.  If you recall, the last real wet westerly system we had in Idaho was in December of 2013.  Since then our storms have come from the north.  Typically they go east of Central Idaho and are fairly dry by the time they reach us.  The airflows over the summer came as monsoons from the south and with the thunderstorms creating lightning and our huge fire season.  September gave us big rain from the monsoonal flows, which, on top of bare burned ground, created mud flows into many of our watersheds.  Some of our rivers flowed black to dark brown for weeks.  The South Fork of the Boise was closed, the Big Wood unfishable, and the doomsday predictors said everything in the rivers died.  All the bugs and fish were gone.  Recovery would take years.  Happy to report that is not the case.  Long term the carbon in the streams will be good.  We should have more plant growth, more food for the insects, and therefore better growth for the fish.  The Yellowstone fires in the 1980’s were a good example of that very thing.

In the mean time we are only about 50% precipitation of average in Idaho.  We need water for our fish and crops, and winter sports.  Hopefully the weather pattern will change.  We are not the only western state affected.  Here is our mid winter fishing report.

Big Wood River

The September floods did result in some dead fish.  It seems whitefish were found dead as well as some trout.  We could have lost some young of the year fingerlings as well, which will show up in a couple of years.  This winter guide season has been productive however. Some afternoon days producing 20-40 fish for those who don’t mind nymphing.  There has been some rising to midges in soft water, with hatches heavy enough for the trout to be selective in some instances. Midge hatches should increase in February. A few of the rainbows are thin, no doubt due to the stress of the flood and dark water, but many are fat and healthy.  Due to low snowpack the river is easily accessible and many days on the water have been above 32 degrees, so iced guides not much of a problem.  Below Magic Reservoir fish have survived near the dam.  They are thin due to the stress of having spent the latter part of the summer in warm water and probably competing for food.  Those fish are the seed to repopulate the system when water flows return to a more normal state.  Please treat them gently and release.

Silver Creek

If you are in the area you should stop by Kilpatrick Bridge to see the progress of the Silver Creek project.  We should see the waters below the pond improve in water quality and fish populations as a result.  It is pretty an amazing change already.  Although the water gauge says frozen, the creek is not.  The best approach is streamer fishing this time of year.  Try a black leech or bugger or a Philo Betto to entice the larger browns and rainbows this time of year.  Floating lines are fine.  We should see some midge hatches in February, with occasional rising.

The Lower Big Lost

The Lower Lost is flowing at 75 cfs today.  It was too low when it was first shut off flowing in the high 50’s.  The pools were ponds and all of the fish that would take were stuffed into the riffle water at the heads of the pools.  Nymphing the moving water is the most productive this time of year.  Pheasant tails, zebra midges in the riffle waters with 5 and 6X fluorocarbon is a good choice.  In the faster rocky runs a stonefly nymph is always a good choice.  Look for the midge hatches to improve as the winter goes on and we can always count on the March baetis for a good dry fly fix.

South Fork of the Boise

 This is a different river after the floods.  If you get a chance, it is worth a drive into the canyon.  Boulders the size of trailer houses came down the mountain and changed the river.  I had a chance to fish it a few weeks ago and although it suffered the same fate as the Big Wood, there were some very healthy and large trout, and even a number of whitefish to the nymph.  There is some rising to midges and look for the tiny baetis to bring fish to the surface in the very soft pools.    

Steelhead

Although our steelhead run is not big this year, it is better than twenty years ago.  Somewhat less than 110,000 fish have reached Idaho so far.  Reports are that the Snake and the Clearwater are giving up some winter fish to some hardy spey casters.  We are booking the Stanley Steelhead Lodge now, and have taken a number of early dates in late March and April.  If you have specific dates or requested guides it would be a good time to call the shop and get on the book.  208-726-1706

Lost River Events

Fly tying classes

Fly tying classes begin in February.  There is a sign-up sheet on the counter.  Cost is $20/class.  Materials provided.  Beginner to steelhead intruder classes offered.

Fly fishing film Waypoints

Benefit for the Nature Conservancy’s restoration project. Fly fishing film, Waypoints, will be presented by Lost River Outfitters and Waterworks-Lamson at the Next Stage Theatre on Jan. 24^th at 6:30 pm.   Raffle prizes include Smith sunglasses, a Waterworks reel, Ex-Officio shirt, men’s and women’s Scottevests, men’s and women’s wool base layer from First Light, a gift certificate from Enoteca, among others.   Raffle tickets are $5.00.   

A beer and wine reception begins at 6:30.  Tickets are $10, or six for $50 and are available at Lost River Outfitters.

Yellowstone Park Fishing Adventures

Yellowstone Park Fishing Adventures

We are booking our June and September Yellowstone trips now. Some dates are taken.  If you have not fished Yellowstone Park it you owe it to yourself. It is our domestic “international” fishing adventure, and is much more than just a fishing trip.  We make lodging arrangements and can help with your airline connections. If you are interested send me an email at scott@lostriveroutfitters.com and we will get you a photo album, details, costs and answer your questions.

Fish far and fine,

Scott Schnebly   

News from the store:

The new Patagonia Women’s fishing line is in!

Patagonia is introducing a new W’s wader, fishing jacket, and other W’s specific clothing items and we have the waders and jackets in stock!

The drop seat wader has many great features! One of the greatest innovations is the drop seat, making it possible to attend to Nature’s call in relative privacy and without removing your jacket! Come on in and check them out!

I will post more about these waders on our next blog! And, we’ll have another ladies night soon!

We also have the new Winston Boron III LS in stock now! Not only does this rod cast like a dream, it is also the sexiest rod Winston has come out with!

Stop in and cast this great new stick! We’ll gladly take you outside and let you try it! It’s always fun to cast a new rod, and the boys and gals in our shop would love to go out into the sunshine and let you play around a bit!

I am at the OR Show in Salt Lake right now and will report back next week.

Remember, if we don’t have what you’d like, we’ll gladly order it for you!

Susanne   Susanne@lostriveroutfitters.com

 w's wader video

Idaho Premier of Waypoints film

We have teamed up The Waterworks-Lamson company   to bring you the latest film by Montana-based Confluence Films, the well-known filmmakers of Drift and Rise.
 This Idaho premiere of Waypoints will be held at the nexStage Theater in Ketchum, on Friday, January 24th 
 The event will start with a 6:00 pm reception and show time is at 6:30.  
The proceeds from this event will benefit The Nature Conservancy's Silver Creek Preserve and will be earmarked for restoration at the creek.  A brief update on the Kilpatrick Pond project by a Nature Conservancy representative will precede the film, which is 80-minutes in long.
  The 6:00 pm beer/wine reception and $5 per ticket raffle will also contribute to the benefit.   
Raffle prizes will  include the newly introduced Waterworks-Lamson Litespeed IV reel, a Trout Unlimited membership and lots more!
  The event will be $10 per person and you can go to https://www.ticketriver.com/event/9524-waypoints--the-idaho-premiere to buy tickets online now,  r you can drop by Lost River Outfitters after Jan. 14 to buy event and raffle tickets can  -- a deal of 6 for $50 on the event tickets and 10 for $40 on raffle tickets will be available at the shop  only. 
 We hope you can join in for this evening of epic fly fishing on film for the benefit of our local waters!  Give us a call at LRO for more information – (208) 726-1706.

Fall is for Steelhead

Come September, all of the Idaho steelhead junkies start checking Columbia river fish counts religiously. We start tying flies and gearing up for fall trips. Once October rolls around, the Clearwater and Salmon start filling up with anglers looking to "swing up" a summer run steelhead. While this year's steelhead counts are well below the 10 year average, Columbia and Snake river tributaries have fished better than they did last year.

The Clearwater fished very well (by Clearwater standards) in early October.  Some buddies and I spent three days swinging flies around Orfino, and we hooked (and even landed) a few fish.  The biggest surprise on that trip was the incredible number of Chinooks in the system. We saw Chinooks rolling through many of the runs we fished, and I even managed to land one on a floating line and a sparsely tied spey fly.

 

The Salmon River has fished very well this year downstream of Riggins.  The stretch that gave up very few fish last year showed some mercy in October with multiple hookups a day for some.  The fishing downstream of Riggins has slowed down, but there are still fish being caught.  With cold, November water temperatures, it's time to put on a sink tip and fish slightly larger flies.  

The fishing on the Salmon River around the town of Salmon has been very slow.  If things warm up, that area should get a good push of fish, and fishing should improve. Unfortunately the catch rates have been bad so far. 

Our fall steelhead season is far from over.  If you haven't tried swinging flies for steelhead, now is as good of a time as any to start. Just be careful; the tug is the drug!

-CM

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

Fishing Report Aug 27,2013

Fishing report Aug. 26, 2013 

As probably all of you know we became the #1 priority in the nation with our Beaver Creek fire in mid August.  It was a déjà vu of the Castle Rock fire of 2007.  Smoke, evacuations, and fire conditions pretty much shut down the entire valley for a week.  The firefighters again did an amazing job with a virtual inferno over very dry forest, sage and tinder.  The fire is about 90% contained and not visible from the valley, except for the burn scars.  The valley corridor from East Fork north looks the same. The monsoonal air flows have also been a blessing clearing the air and giving us much needed rains over the last three days, with more rains predicted for the week.

 Even during the fire there was some great and smokeless fishing to be had if you were willing to cross Trail Creek summit and venture into the Big Lost River.  Many days on Silver Creek were clear in the afternoons when the southerly winds kicked the smoke out.  The fish have had a nice break as angling pressure was nearly non-existent. We stayed open, with more limited hours, all through the fire and swa quite a few local anglers who took advantage of the un-crowded fishing conditions.

Now that the fire Is behind us, we hope that our clients will return to the valley to enjoy our favorite fishing season, fall!  Cooler temperatures are here and fall fishing should begin to pick up soon.  Here is what you should expect if you venture into the valley in the next week or so.

           Big Wood

Very low water conditions with flows less than 130 cfs.  We fished 14 foot leaders tapered to 6X yesterday and a size 18 and 20 adams to raise fish.  There was a spotty trico spinner fall, some nice fish would rise to the dry fly.  When rises slowed a size 20 zebra midge under a size 16 attractor purple haze received attention. Don’t forget to throw a hopper into the faster water! The fish are definitely looking up for this big bug and it’s always fun to catch fish on hoppers! Expect  to see some larger fish begin to    show as size 10 hecubas begin to hatch and baetis on cloudy afternoons in early September.  

thank you, firefighters!fire video 

           Silver Creek

Flows and temperatures  are pretty normal on the Creek.  Although trico hatches have been       sporadic, you should look for some surface action on trico and baetis in the late morning if you visit the creek.  Also some callibaetis size 18 are still around.  Dry blue damsels and hoppers will get some attention in the afternoons.  

            Big Lost/Copper Basin

 Unfortunately we have seen evidence of a lot of harvest on these waters again this summer.  There are a few pockets of fish left in the upper river, but they are far and few between.  There are plentiful whitefish as they are protected, but many of the nice cutthroat and rainbow that we saw early season have been taken out.  A madam X size 10 with a dropper nymph size 16 on about two feet of 5X fluorocarbon tippet will fool some of those fish that are still there.   We did catch 4 grayling of spawning size in the upper reaches of the Lost in early August on a guide trip.  Please release the trout, although there is no protection on the trout and the Idaho Fish and Game department still believes there would be no trout in the system if not for their planting efforts. There is plenty of natural spawning in that system to replenish it with wild fine spot cutthroat, west slope cutthroat, rainbow, and cut bows.  It is one of the most pristine systems we have that is easily accessible and needs our protection.

             Lower Big Lost

              The lower river below Mackay reservoir is fishing well with nymphs.  Midge hatches have been strong so bring your size 18 and 20 zebra midge box and there also have been tricos early in the morning. Double nymph rigs produce the best in this system right now.  Tippets with this rigging should include 6X fluorocarbon.  By late September we should start to see some fall baetis and the return of surface feeding. 

  

              Yellowstone Park

               If you are interested in a trip to the Lamar Valley and some amazing fall fishing we can hook you up.  I leave on Sept. 9^th and return on Sept. 21^st.    We could still organize your fall trout trip.  You will fish the Yellowstone River, the Lamar River, Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek and Trout Lake on your trip.  Minimum trip is three days.  We will organize your lodging.  Call Scott at 208-720-3813 or Susanne at 208-720-1994 or send us an email for further details.

             High Mountain Lake Fishing and Backpacking

              Fall is the time to head out into the mountains! With the summer crowds diminishing, you can have some of the high mountain lakes all to yourself! Check out our Outcast Trinity backpacking float tubes! They only weigh 7 lbs, pump up in less than 10 minutes , and come in a nice pack that has enough room for food, clothing, and even waders! We are licensed to guide hiking and back-backing trips to the lakes in the headwaters of the Big Lost. This is one of the most fabulous experiences! The fish are ready to beef up for the winter and will eat just about anything you throw at them. We can also arrange to have the whole camp packed in, so all you have to carry is a day pack. This also makes it possible to have ‘real’ food and even a libation under the stars! Give Susanne a call on her cell 108.720.1994. She likes nothing better than spending a couple of nights under the stars!

            Steelhead

Fall steelhead season is approaching.  The numbers are not huge, but they are coming into Idaho over Lower Granite Dam right now.  Stop in the shop for a spey lesson or to check out the Air flow rage lines which will make your spey casting easier than you can ever imagine.

             Synopsis

              We have dodged the fire bullet once again thanks to another great incident commander, Beth Lund, and her awesome Incident 1 Team!  We also need to give a great round of applause to all the fire departments who sent fire engines for structure protection! We had fire trucks form all over Idaho and all over the country! We can’t thank all of the fire personnel enough for saving our towns, our valley, and the busiest weekend of the whole year: Wagon Days! Come help us celebrate the end of the Beaver Creek Fire and the beginning of a great fall fishing season!

               We have some great deals on clothing and hard goods! Don’t miss out on our awesome end of summer sale! All summer clothing and footwear is 30-50% off! Only on Saturday, Parade Day, we will discount ALL non-sale clothing items by 10%! We will also serve snacks and libations from 11:00AM to 3:00PM! Come join us for a fun-filled day of retail therapy! Our sale has already started, so if you are in town, check it out now before the crowds return!  

             Here are a couple of reminders of the Beaver Creek Fire......                                                             

          Fish far and fine,

          Scott Schnebly

           Lost River Outfitters