Finally...Some Fishing

The high water is finally starting to recede from Idaho's non tailwater streams and rivers. I have gone twice to the Blackfoot River and although the water has been exceptionally high and fishing slow, I did catch a few beautiful cutthroat trout. On opening day a caught a total of 2 fish but one was a beautiful 21 incher. Last week I caught 8-10, with four over 17 inches. My dad caught two over 18 inches. So even though fish have been few and far between the overall size of the fish has been excellent.

Oh...the hoppers are starting to come out. Can't wait for a glorious August and September of flyfishing!

All the big fish hit black or brown wooly buggers with bead heads.

The L.L. Bean Ultimate Book of Fly Fishing
Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die
Flyfisher's Guide to Idaho (Flyfisher's Guides)

Water Flow

Pretty much all Eastern Idaho streams and rivers are flowing high and are essentially unfishable. The silver lining...hopper fishing in August will be spectacular as bigger fish hold in the deeper water.

Check out the water flow here: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/current/?type=flow

Wright & McGill Co. Madison Pod Pack Grey/Black/Orange, One Size
Simms G3 Guide Fly Fishing Vest Medium - Gun Metal

Sage Quality Big Game Fly Fishing Package ( 8wt, 4 pc Fly Rod, with Reel & Line)
New Sage Z-axis 590-4 fly fishing rod 5 weight

Fishing Outlook 2011

Southeast Idaho drainages all have at least 100% in snow water equivalency this winter which means good runoff and good fishing late in the summer and fall. The Blackfoot River drainage is over 100% and the Bear River is over 125%. This may delay early fishing in streams until the runoff is done but late June through September should be fabulous.


The Snow Survey information can be found here: http://www.id.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/data/current.html

 Wild Water Fly Fishing Complete 5/6 Starter Package
Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die
Flywater: Fly-Fishing Rivers of the West
Dr. Slick Lanyard - LOADED

Best Grasshopper Fly Fishing Patterns

I know that I am jumping the gun by about 6-7 months but this last summer I finally discovered a grasshopper pattern that was exceptionally productive for Idaho Fly Fishing. Like many of you I have tried numerous different grasshopper patterns with varied success.

The Joe's Hopper has been all but worthless, including all the subtle variations.

The parahopper (grey and tan bodies) has been a good fly and has caught a lot of fish. It's always good to have some of these in sizes 8-14. One big problem with the parahopper: floatation! Once this fly is taken a few times you can't keep it on the surface. Add a dropper? It will sink the fly every time, which is frustrating at best!

I tried various foam hoppers with varying success.

Finally this year, thanks to Portneuf River Outfitters in Pocatello, I discovered a foam hopper pattern that the fish consumed with eagerness. One day on the Blackfoot, I caught around 50 fish (mostly 6-10 inchers) on this pattern. They were attacking it with abandon. I even hooked and landed 3 20+ inchers in this fly while losing 5-6 more.

So what is the pattern? Alas, I don't have a picture at the moment but I will post a picture with the additional info on my next post. Stay tuned!

Plastic Waterproof Fly Box - White
Terrestrial Trout Fly Fishing Flies Collection
Handbook Of Hatches: Introductory Guide to the Foods Trout Eat & the Most Effective Flies to Match Them
Okuma S-903-5 Cascade Fly Combo (5wt, 9-Feet)

Spring Runoff Outlook Looks Very Positive

So far this year the snow pack and snow water equivalent is well above average, which means that spring runoff should be good and late season fishing even better. The Bear River drainage is at 160% of normal while the Blackfoot River drainage is at 150%. Snow water equivalency is almost 10 inches more than last year.

If the weather pattern holds as predicted, Idaho Fly Fishing should be exceptional next year!

Flywater: Fly-Fishing Rivers of the West
Fly Box + 100 Assorted Fly Fishing Fly Package
Silver Lake Fishing Flies Assortment
Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die

An Amazing Day fishing on the Blackfoot River

The Blackfoot River was HOT today!! Idaho fly fishing for cutthroat trout could never be better than today. After landing more than 50 fish, I amazingly was worn out (and so was my knee after a few unceremonious falls into the river). The majority of the fish were in the 8-10" range. I did land 3 over 20", 2 in the 16-18" range, and after both long and short battles, lost 3 other fish that were over 20". One was probably a 24" that rivaled the biggest cutthroat I have ever caught on the Blackfoot River. It was an amazing, excellent, superb, wild, etc. day to be fly fishing.

Here are some photos from the trip. Note my excellent photography skills hastened by the need to release the trout :)

HOT FLIES FOR THE DAY:

Size 16 Bead Head Prince Nymoh
Size 8-10 Gray Colored Foam Hopper (with green strike indicator)

Cutthroats caught in No Name Lake

Here a couple pictures with me and some cutthroats caught in No Name Lake.

16" Cutthroat caught on a size 16 parachute adams

14" Cutthroat caught on a size 16 parachute adams

No Name and Yellow Lake Pictures

No Name Lake - taken from the ridge to the north

Yellow Lake - from the shore looking North

Yellow Lake

This last weekend I spent hiking and fishing at a couple of lakes near Leadore, Idaho. We camped at what I call "No Name Lake" (because the map does not reference a name), a small lake nestled below some of the impressive Lemhi range mountains. No Name is full of native cutthroat trout which range from the 4" to 16". I have seen a few bigger fish taken out of this lake but based on the number of campers/backpackers, No Name is no longer a secret. Fishing pressure and keeping the larger fish has taken a toll on the bigger fish. However, I did land two beautiful 16" inch cutthroats as well as a couple of 14" cutthroats.

I was fishing with my spinning rod, a clear plastic bubble, and flies. At first I tried wet flies and caught a few on bead headed woolly worms (green was the best) but overall it was pretty slow. I ended up catching three small cutts.

Friday morning we hiked over the mountain to Yellow Lake. Fishing was relatively slow at Yellow Lake. I caught three 12" rainbows. One on a size 12 black gnat and two on a size 4 bead headed woolly worm (green).

Friday afternoon changed things for me. I noticed the fish jumping and just happened to have a size 16/18  black bodied mayfly land on my arm. So of course I switched over to a the closed thing I had...a size 18 parachute adams. I drained my bubble to 3/4 so it would float and threw it out for a test run. First cast resulted in a nice 12" cutthroat. After about 6 fish I finally caught a hefty 16" cutthroat. The water was so clear that I was able to watch him take the fly about 20 yards out. I ended up catching over 10 trout with this set up.

I went back out later that night and after a very slow start finally found the right fly...a size 16 yellow bodied elk hair caddis that was similar in color and size to some golden stoneflies that I noticed flying around. I ended up catching 7 fish on the caddis, one was another 16" cutthroat that I watched sneak up from the bottom and take it off the surface.

The fishing wasn't the hottest but after 30+ fish I definitely call it a success. No Name and Yellow Lake are amazing high mountain fisheries and should be visited by any lover of trout fishing.

McCoy Creek - July 23

I spent Friday afternoon fishing on McCoy Creek, another beautiful Eastern Idaho stream. McCoy Creek flows into Palisades Reservoir and is comprised of small rim rock waterfalls and meandering flats. The fishing was pretty good for 6" cutthroats. I caught 20+ of these. I also landed one 14" cutthroat in a nice little hole below a willow bush. It was a really fun day but it would have been nice to see a few larger fish.

Hot Flies: Size 14 foam hopper (gray body) and size 16 bead head prince nymph

A few more pictures from the Blackfoot River

Here are a few more pictures from my Blackfoot River fishing trip:

Blackfoot River - July 17, 2010

I spent Friday evening fishing on the Blackfoot River and had a decent afternoon...nothing great but I ended up catching 10 fish. One was 15" and another 18" but the others were all 10" or smaller. All fish were cutthroats. The hot weather has heated the water up so fishing in the mornings and later mornings would probably be more productive. As often happens on the Blackfoot, I caught a fish on the very first catch which is just one reason why the Blackfoot is an Idaho fly fishing treasure. If you go, try the Stocking Ranch or the 8 mile stretch in the Monsanto property (you'll have to walk a lot!) for excellent fly fishing.

Hot flies: Size 10 and 14 gray-colored foam hoppers. My dad also caught some on size 16 bead headed prince nymphs

Pebble Creek - July 9, 2010

I went camping with my family at Big Springs Campground on Pebble Creek above Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. Friday evening I ventured out for about an hour and half to fish on Pebble Creek. Pebble Creek is a small stream with native cutthroat trout. Word to the wise - Pebble Creek is very brushy so casting is limited and you spend most of your time flipping your flies or doing small roll casts, but for someone who loves small streams it is a fun place to go. I ended up catching 9 fish - only one was 12". The rest were in the 8" or smaller category. I fishing a section that flows through a meadow about 1-2 miles downstream from the campground.

Hot flies: Beadheaded Prince Nymph (size 16)

Blackfoot River - July 15, 2010

After significant concerns over water flow this year, late spring rain storms have kept the Blackfoot River flowing at a normal rate which means outstanding fishing for native cutthroats. This last Tuesday I fished the Blackfoot River and caught 15+ fish, three were over 20". I also caught the largest cutthroat trout I have ever caught...a 24" bruiser that weighed in the 4-6 pound range. He smacked a grasshopper fly off the surface and then raced away downstream. After about a 1/2 hour of reviving, he swam away for hopefully another adventure in the near future. He was a beautiful fish.

Hot flies for Tuesday: Beadheaded Brown Wooly Bugger; Beadheaded Prince Nymph (Size 16); and medium sized foam or para hopper Grasshopper (grey or dark tan)

Skunks, badgers enlisted to control Idaho pelicans

Idaho Fish and game has introduced skunks and badgers on Gull Island on the Blackfoot reservoir to control pelican populations. Hopefully this will reduce the pelican population and likewise the predation on the spawning cutthroats that run up the Blackfoot River. See the full story here

My history fishing on the Blackfoot River

My mother dug up this photo of me, two of my brothers, and my grandfathers fishing on the Blackfoot River. Looks like it was a great day.

A Bad Winter Only Gets Worse

This winter has been one of the worst on record for snowpack which means a lot of Idaho's streams and rivers (non-tailwater of course) are going to suffer from low water flow probably starting in early July. Hopefully the next few months will bring ample rain. The bright side...it's 51 degrees outside and sunny!

IDAHO SNOTEL Snow Water Equivalent Update Graph

As of TUESDAY: MARCH 16 , 2010

Basin	Snow Water Equivalent Percent of Average
NORTHERN PANHANDLE REGION	69%
SPOKANE RIVER BASIN	52%
CLEARWATER BASIN	53%
SALMON BASIN	60%
WEISER BASIN	72%
PAYETTE BASIN	58%
BOISE BASIN	68%
BIG WOOD BASIN	65%
LITTLE WOOD BASIN	60%
BIG LOST BASIN	56%
LITTLE LOST, BIRCH BASINS	66%
MEDICINE LODGE, BEAVER, CAMAS BASINS	63%
HENRYS FORK, TETON BASINS	53%
SNAKE BASIN ABOVE PALISADES	52%
WILLOW, BLACKFOOT, PORTNEUF BASINS	55%
SNAKE BASIN ABOVE AMERICAN FALLS	53%
OAKLEY BASIN	76%
SALMON FALLS BASIN	67%
BRUNEAU BASIN	74%
OWYHEE BASIN	88%
BEAR RIVER BASIN	56%

Legend:

<70%

70-90%

91-110%

111-130%

>130%