Never and Exceptions

As far back as I can remember I've heard the phrase, "Never say never" and nowhere is that more accurate than in the world of fly fishing. How many times have you caught yourself saying, "I'd never do this "or "You should never do that". I sometimes catch myself doing that while teaching fly fishing to a new student and then have to explain that there are exceptions to every rule. The look I get back can range from somewhere between confusion to ineptitude.

For years I've fished a small trout stream deep in the Rockies and over the years I've gotten pretty intimate with that little stream. I know every run, hole and slide like my own back yard. But there is on section of river, maybe a couple of hundred yards long that I never fish anymore. It's not that I've never fished it; it's just that when I did I never managed to catch any trout there. So it was just a matter of time before I no longer took the effort to work that water.

Last year while on that little stream fishing with a good friend, I drove past the section that I never fish anymore and he looked up at me and asked why I passed up all that good water. I said I never fish that section because I've never caught fish there before. He looked up at me like I was crazy and said, "How can you pass up one of the best sections of water on the stream". The fact that I never fished there because the fishing has always been slow for me made no sense to someone who always caught fish on the same body of water.

The other day I was watching a video on streamer fishing by Kelly Galloup. Kelly Galloup in some fly fishing circles is considered an expert on streamer fishing. As I'm watching his video I notice he is using sinking line in one of his segments. I had just finished answering a question on streamer fishing on what type of fly line to use. I had advised never to use sinking line from a drift boat because of the fast sink rate and current induced drag plays havoc on retrieves from a moving boat. Now I'm being told it's OK to use sinking line. Never say never is all I can say. Read More

Trials of the South Fork Payette River

It always amazes me how the South Fork of the Payette River, 55 miles of trout nirvana, is totally ignored by fly anglers. Just 45 minutes from Boise, Idaho you would think that having an opportunity to fish one of the finest trout streams in Idaho would attract some crowds. In eighteen years of fishing this little jewel I can't tell you the last time I saw more than one serious fly angler fishing this river.

The South Fork Payette River is kind of an odd river in the sense that half the river is a tailwater river and the other half a freestone river so the good qualities of both types can be found in one river. The upper river coming out of the Sawtooth Mountains and flowing past Lowman is free and untamed. The water is gin clear and the trout are as wild as any in America. Here the trout may be a little on the smaller size but they will rise to a dry fly or snare a dropper as quickly as lightning.

The upper section is classic pocket water fishing where these little rainbows like to hang out safe from prowling osprey or bald eagles. Here the trout tend to be very completive when it comes to feeding and are usually fooled by good attractor dry flies. I love to fish the upper section because of the sheer beauty of the Upper South Fork. It also helps to have a good stack of pancakes at the Sour Dough Inn.

The lower section which runs from the confluence of the Deadwood River to Banks takes on a whole different look. Surrounded by deep canyon walls and swollen with the new water from the Deadwood River, the South Fork Payette turns into a deep flowing river surrounded by boulders and deep channels. The trout here tend to be bigger than on the upper river and more plentiful. I have caught trout up to eighteen inches there.
Here is what I think. The average trout in the South Fork Payette are on the small side. Right there you are going to lose at least two thirds of most fly angers. Arguably, the average fly anger would prefer to catch larger trout. The myth is the South Fork doesn't have any large trout in the river and all you catch are the small stuff.

But that is the payoff. All good, healthy and vibrant trout streams should have a lot of small trout in them. It's a sign of a healthy river. Rivers that hold only large trout are always on the edge. These rivers and streams are fragile and it doesn't take much to bring them out of balance. The South Fork Payette does offer larger trout for those anglers challenged enough to hunt for them.

The bottom line is there is a lot of good trout water in Idaho that hold large trout. Anglers here have a lot to choose from and the South Fork Payette is not on most of their lists. That in itself is a two edged sword. On one hand you don't have a lot of other fly anglers to compete with on the river but on the other hand you are truly missing out on one of the best dry fly Rivers in Idaho.

Trials of the South Fork Payette River

It always amazes me how the South Fork of the Payette River, 55 miles of trout nirvana, is totally ignored by fly anglers. Just 45 minutes from Boise, Idaho you would think that having an opportunity to fish one of the finest trout streams in Idaho would attract some crowds. In eighteen years of fishing this little jewel I can't tell you the last time I saw more than one serious fly angler fishing this river.

The South Fork Payette River is kind of an odd river in the sense that half the river is a tailwater river and the other half a freestone river so the good qualities of both types can be found in one river. The upper river coming out of the Sawtooth Mountains and flowing past Lowman is free and untamed. The water is gin clear and the trout are as wild as any in America. Here the trout may be a little on the smaller size but they will rise to a dry fly or snare a dropper as quickly as lightning.

The upper section is classic pocket water fishing where these little rainbows like to hang out safe from prowling osprey or bald eagles. Here the trout tend to be very completive when it comes to feeding and are usually fooled by good attractor dry flies. I love to fish the upper section because of the sheer beauty of the Upper South Fork. It also helps to have a good stack of pancakes at the Sour Dough Inn.

The lower section which runs from the confluence of the Deadwood River to Banks takes on a whole different look. Surrounded by deep canyon walls and swollen with the new water from the Deadwood River, the South Fork Payette turns into a deep flowing river surrounded by boulders and deep channels. The trout here tend to be bigger than on the upper river and more plentiful. I have caught trout up to eighteen inches there.
Here is what I think. The average trout in the South Fork Payette are on the small side. Right there you are going to lose at least two thirds of most fly angers. Arguably, the average fly anger would prefer to catch larger trout. The myth is the South Fork doesn't have any large trout in the river and all you catch are the small stuff.

But that is the payoff. All good, healthy and vibrant trout streams should have a lot of small trout in them. It's a sign of a healthy river. Rivers that hold only large trout are always on the edge. These rivers and streams are fragile and it doesn't take much to bring them out of balance. The South Fork Payette does offer larger trout for those anglers challenged enough to hunt for them.

The bottom line is there is a lot of good trout water in Idaho that hold large trout. Anglers here have a lot to choose from and the South Fork Payette is not on most of their lists. That in itself is a two edged sword. On one hand you don't have a lot of other fly anglers to compete with on the river but on the other hand you are truly missing out on one of the best dry fly Rivers in Idaho.

South Fork Boise River Report

June 12, 2011

There are conflicting reports coming from the South Fork Boise River.  Some are saying the river is dropping and down enough to put in a boat while others are saying the river is still up in the 3000 cfs range which is still to high to fish successfully.  I believe the river will be dropping soon as soon as this weekend.  The best thing to do if you want to know the real scoop is to wait until around Wed. and check the cfs at that time.  If the river is going to drop I would recommend that you wait until the fish get used to the drop in water levels and then make a trip.  If you want to go to the SF Boise real bad you might as well drive another hour and hit Silver Creek for some Brown Drake action instead.

 

April 5, 2011

The South Fork is now closed from Anderson Ranch dan down to Neil Bridge.  However the current river flow is at 600 cfs and the fishing is open all year from Neal Bridge down to the reservoir.  At 600 cfs you can fish that flow with good results.

 

March 25, 2011

I have been told that the road to the dam will be closed starting April 1st.  It will be closed for 90 days due to dam construction.  However the fishing has been really good up there lately.  Because of the bad weather we've had here lately not a lot of fishing pressure has been on the river lately.  Most of the trout will be just below the tailouts and you should be using a double bead head nymph rig to catch both rainbow and white fish.  Be sure to have a spare rod set up with midges because when the water warms up during the afternoon on certain sections of the river you will see rising fish.  Trouble is you have to figure out if those fish are rainbows or white fish.  The river closes at the end of the month so get up there while you still can, it will be worth it!

 

August 26, 2010

The South Fork Boise River is currently at 600 cfs and will probably drop to 300 cfs soon.  Be careful not to plan a trip right when they drop the flow to 300 cfs.  You should give the trout at least a week to get comfortable to their new feeding lanes.  When the river is at it's Winter flow of 300 cfs the fishing is the best of the year.  Dry fly fishing can be incredible with pink alberts, baetis, and caddis on the water right now.  Still to come are the flav's and mohogany duns.  So the outlook for the South Fork Boise is great.  The river is in great shape and the fish will be taking on the surface.

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