Tailwater

Rivers are classified by fly anglers as either a tailwater river or a freestone river. For years I never really knew, much less cared, about the type of river I was fishing. It was just a river and I was too busy fishing to care. But the more l fished the more I learned about the many differences that tailwater rivers have and the complexities they unveil to the average fly angler. At first it seems simple; tailwater rivers are rivers behind dams and freestone rivers are rivers with no dams. It's the fish in the waters that make the real difference.

The water coming out of a dam and forming a river below it is coming from the bottom of the reservoir and usually stays at or near the same temperature all year. This new water creates a tailwater river and a bio system that just can't be duplicated by a freestone river. This biomass enriches the river with enormous plant life that helps breed healthy populations of aquatic insects that are so important to the health, size and population of the trout that reside in them. The consistent low water temperatures helps to keep the river healthy even during the heat of the summer whereas freestone rivers will normally suffer high water temperatures and low oxygen levels that further stress the trout that live in its waters.

There is a certain fatal attraction that pulls fly anglers from all over the world to fish tailwater rivers. Some of the most famous rivers in North America are tailwater rivers. Madison, Yellowstone, Bighorn, Henrys Fork and the South Fork Snake are just a few. Anglers are drawn to these rivers because of the size of the trout that live in them and the size of the insect hatches that drive these trout to their flies. It's amazing the power that these famous tailwater rivers have on the average fly angler. We spend millions of dollars each year just to fish for the first time or to come back again to these great waters that fuel our dreams during the winter.

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My Own Little Tailwater

With my friend Casey coming over from the Salt Lake City area to float fish the South fork of the Boise River with me I had no choice but to tell him that the river was at a level to high to fish effectively. At 2800 cfs you basically just hang on and hope a fish hits your bugs. A good alternative was the Owyhee River which was flowing only at 191 cfs. Casey agreed to the change of strategy and off to the Owyhee River we went.

Even for a Tuesday evening we weren't the only anglers with that knowledge who changed over to the Owyhee River for an evening of fly fishing. We arrived around 2:00 in the afternoon, not the best time to be on river fishing, with very little bug activity on the water. Both of us had our nymph rods and our dry fly rods ready prior to leaving Boise as this is usually the best approach to work the river and be ready for any changes.

Fishing in the early afternoon on the Owyhee river is like any other river, for some reason the fishing is always better in the morning and early evening. We managed to catch a couple dragging the bottom with Bead Head Baetis but were constantly on the alert for any sign of new insects on the water. It wasn't until later in the evening when the fish started to key in on emerging Caddis. For Casey and me it didn't take long to quickly change over to a couple of Caddis emergers as our initial offering to those hungry browns tailing on the river surface.

All fly anglers would rather catch their trout using dry flies and I'm not an exception. Drifting an emerging Caddis pattern through a pod of about twenty brown trout has to be the highlight of my fishing season to this point. I managed to catch four or five nice browns measuring from 20 inches to 24 inches. This is the toughest time of the year for finding good quality fishing water that isn't affected by spring runoff or the weather. Being flexible enough to change plans at the last second can make the difference between very difficult fishing, and in my case, extremely good dry fly fishing.

Season Opening

The general fishing season has now opened. Instead of opening with a bang it just kind of sputtered open. Most of the rivers and streams that anglers had planned to go to were high in run off or crowded with people. On the South Fork of the Boise River the fishing was slow with the trout still attempting to spawn on their redds. Sometimes spawning trout can be easy to catch and other times they just seem to ignore your every attempt.

The main problem with spawning trout this time of the year is they are not in the obvious places in the river that you would normally be fishing for them. In the case of the South Fork Boise River I fished it on opening weekend and I floated it again the following weekend. Those same fish were still on their spawning redds and were just as difficult to catch.

What we here in Idaho are experiencing is an abnormal amount of rain for this time of the year. The short period of time between opening day and when the run off really begins is almost nonexistent this year. A good bet would be to try fishing your local tailwater rivers as best you can from a boat or take the time to fish from the bank only the areas on the river that allow you to work the water safely. Spring creeks are a good bet; Silver Creek in Southwestern Idaho is always a good alternative to swollen rivers and streams. Lake fishing is really the best bet because all the lakes and reservoirs are open and you don't have to deal with swollen muddy water and finicky trout.

Keep in mind that on rivers and streams this time of year you are dealing with swift, swollen and deep water. The trout are still there and are willing to be caught, you just have to be able to get your flies to them. The mistake a lot of fly anglers make is not using enough weight to slow their drift down and present their flies right to the fish's nose. When there is no obvious hatch to fish to and you are forced to nymph fish, this strategy can make the difference between good day's fishing and an excellent day's fishing

Owhyee River Fish Report

June 12, 2011

The Owhyee River is still high at 2700 cfs and I wouldn't recommend it just yet.  However, if you want to avoid the crowds the the Owhyee usually attracts this might be a time to try it.  Use weighted nymph rigs in obvious tailouts and slicks.  Keep your eyes out for rising fish in the slow water as you might be seeing some BWO's or PMD's.  In the late afternoon look for the caddis to start coming off.

 

April 5, 2011

The river flow is currently at 7210 cfs so forget about it!

 

March 25, 2011

The Owhyee river flows have just been raised to 222 csf just the other day while I was fishing there.  I spent the day leap frogging just ahead of the muddy flows picking off a few browns just before the muddy water arrived.  Then it was down the river another mile to fish that section until the next wave of muddy water hit.  The fishing was great.  Lots of midges and baetis.  The BWO fishing was incredible with hungry browns gorging themselves on the duns and emergers and of course the fishing shut down when the muddy water arrived.  I would give this river a week or two to settle in before going again. However who knows how much water the powers that be will let out.  This river could be unsettled for quite a while so keep you eye on it.

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