Your Order
Posts Tagged ‘dry fly fishing’
South Fork of the Boise River Report Below Neil Bridge- 12/11
|
Wow! It’s pretty winter like at the confluence of the South Fork and the reservoir. The reservoir is frozen all the way up to a quarter mile from the river. The banks of the river are covered with permanent frost because the sun doesn’t hit the water all day long in many places. The eyes on your rod freeze up every 13th cast, so you only cast to a specific fish. This doesn’t sound much like ideal weather conditions to dry fly fish, but when your box has no nymphs and nothing that sinks, you hunt for heads.
I reached the river in early afternoon and began roaming the banks looking for the onset of the BWO hatch and the inevitable pods of fish that follow the bugs on the surface. By 2:00 I had not seen one fish peak his head up even though the BWO’s were sporadically popping on the riffles and slicks. There was a fisherman at the confluence until 3:00, and I passed him as he was leaving the river.
I studied the confluence for a few minutes and recognized the place to position for best coverage was across the river. I waded the river and set up along an edge of large boulders. Some of the large boulders were in the water and they extend out to the center of the river. I was thinking to myself this would be a perfect place for fish to pod up; and all of a sudden, a fish’s head appears and eats a BWO. Then another fish broke the surface out a little further. I moved into position and served my BWO Comparadun (Tester Fly) to the first fish. No take. After 3 perfect casts to the fish, he wouldn’t eat so I changed flies to a BWO No Hackle. First cast, in slow motion the big rainbow sips the #22 BWO. Fish on! He jumps a couple of times and runs in and out of the boulder patch and finally I net him.
I look back to the feeding zone and all active fish had stopped feeding. The rainbow I had landed put the rest of the fish down. I waited a few minutes and another fish surfaced. I served him immediately and he ate the bug. I landed him and began searching for the next target. There was too much commotion and the fish vanished under the surface.
I looked up river, and bingo, two more fish were feeding in mid river out from a large boulder. I moved up above the boulder in casting range and waited. Seconds later the inside fish broke the surface and I put a cast on him. Without hesitation, I see his bright red cheeks appear as he ate the offering. I land him and search for the next fish. Almost completely across the river, I see a rise. I wade out and deliver. I missed. On the third cast I hit his trough and he eats. I land him.
I scan the hole top to bottom and see no fish. I waited a few minutes; and right in from of me about 18 feet away, a fish eats. I hit him on the nose and hooked him on the first cast and land the fish.
In the gray of late afternoon, the surface of the water became fishless and I waited for the next customer to raise his head. Down river form where I started, I see a fish rise, so I bounce down the bank to set up on the fish. I waited and the fish never resurfaced. I was about ready to move back up in the hole and the fish reappeared in the same spot I had seen him before. I served the No Hackle; and as it gently moved over to the bank and on the final glide to the ne,t he kicked the fly loose and I watched him swim away. Along distance release they call that.
I roamed the banks for a while longer and no other fish presented themselves as a target. On 12/10/2011 the hatch window was short, and there were a limited amount of fish working the surface. I saw the first fish at 3:15, hooked 6 fish and at 4:03, the action was over. Under the same conditions, I’ve seen hundreds of targets to cast to; but every new day is different when you dry fly fish the winter.
Fly that Caught Fish:
BWO No Hackle #22
12 Days of Christmas Sale- Day 5
|
|
On the Fifth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me: No, not 5 golden rings but mayflies! Hands down, the best mayfly selection of patterns on the market from DFI. December 9, 10% off all Single Upright Wing, No Hackle, Searcher, and Parachute patterns. If you need to match a hatch anywhere, rest assured DFI will have the pattern, color, and size you will need to chase a hatch!
SF Boise River Report 11/27
|
|
I saw a splash behind a boulder and knew it was a fish. I moved up and out to make a cast to it. Second try, BWO right ahead of the boulder, bang! A fish eats the bug. It was a good start.
Now an hour has gone by, and I haven’t hooked another fish. All of a sudden there are adult BWOs on the surface and fish there to eat them. The action happens quickly in winter. One moment the surface of the river is barren, the next there are fish noses all over. I targeted the first fish and hoped I had the right bug. Bingo it was! Fish on!! I land him and dry my fly. I spot another fish and cast to him, nothing. I serve again dead-on the fish. Fish on!! He zings me into my backing, down and across the river, and then rocks me up on the other side of the current. He goes on the right side of the boulder and after a noble fight, I land the fish. It was a beautiful deep red male.
I land three more fish in the hatch and all of a sudden the fish disappear from the surface. So I headed down stream in search of heads. There was still a splash of sunshine hitting the river below me so I thought maybe the hatch would extend there. I guessed right; and as I approach the run, I see three fish feeding tight against the bank along a bouldered edge. I chose the fish farther upstream and served the BWO Comparudun (tester fly) to the fish. First cast he eats it and I land him; but in the process of fighting the fish, I put the other two fish down. I waited and watched the surface, and sure enough, one of the fish peaked his head up. I immediately serve my fly slightly above the fish. The fly settles and slowly drifts over the fish; and right on cue, he eats the bug. He’s a smaller fish so I land him quickly and hunt for the third fish. That fish never showed himself, so I hunted a hundred and fifty yards of river without seeing another fish to target.
Earlier in the day I had seen a large male fish with bright, ultra red sides feeding in a deep riffle that I couldn’t get a cast to, so I thought I would revisit that fish just below me. I stood above his lair for a few minutes and he had totally settled back to the bottom. So I thought, what the heck, I’ll just let my BWO drift over the exact place I had seen him feed earlier. The sun was setting and there was a strange reddish glow on the surface of the water. The reflections were such that I could see my fly perfectly as it softly landed on the water and began to float on the surface. It gently bobbed and turned as it rode the riffle. All of a sudden! Bang!! The same fiery red-sided fish I had seen earlier does a half-body out take on the olive. I set the hook and all hell breaks loose…down river in a scream across the river in a roar and one nice jump in between. I finally land the fish about 40 yards down river from where I hooked him. I spent my final moments of the fishing day taking photos and admiring the fish. As I watched him swim way, I was reminded of how much I love to fish the winter.
Flies that caught fish:
1) BWO No Hackle #20
2) BWO Comparadun #20 (Tester Fly)
3) Baetis Comparadun #20 (Tester Fly)
4) BWO Emerger #22
SF Boise River Report -10/31
|
|
When I left Meridian it was overcast, 50 degrees, and no wind; by the time I reached the river, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing about 20 mph. The only positive note is the wind was blowing up river so you could still work a large bug. So I tied on a Black Searcher and served it to holding water.
The first stretch of water I fished was perfect Searcher water with a gentle riffle over a boulder field and a deep edge. It didn’t take long to start luring big fish off the edge to the Searcher, and I started the day by landing 7 fish in a row without losing a fish. It really helps that the Searcher is tied on a size #16 2312 Tiemco hook—it grabs a lot more meat than smaller hooks.
Even though the wind was stiff, the BWO’s were hatching all day and accumulating against the edge of the river. At times I’d get a shot at big fish right against the bank taking advantage of the consolidated bugs. You’ll hook almost every one of those fish, because they are actively feeding, and a nice soft quarter-angle cast will get him to take most of the time.
After fishing the lower end of the run, I changed flies to a Black Gold #16 because it’s easier to see in faster choppy water. There’s something really cool about watching a dry fly ride the surface in faster water, and all of a sudden there’s a big rainbow that materializes and eats the bug. I had that experience a lot as I finished out the rest of the run in fast choppy water.
I was hoping all day that the wind would settle and I’d have an opportunity to fish a small bug in a hatch, but it just didn’t happen. So I stayed with what you could do….fish a Black Gold or a Searcher upstream with the wind. That worked well also as I continued to catch fish until around 6:00 pm and then called it a day.
Flies that caught fish:
1) #16 Black Gold Stimulator
2) #16 Black Searcher
SF Boise River Report 10-26
|
|
Blog entered by Joe Bare (fly tyer for Dry Fly Innovations)
It was my original intention to fish with Nate and Geoff for a couple of days, but after my experience fishing the SF Boise River on 10/25, I had to fish that river again. Nate and Geoff had to work, so Nate let me borrow all his fly boxes and I headed for the river alone.
I hiked the river below Danskin to the end of the trail and slipped out to the river. I watched and saw some very large rainbows feeding in a narrow foam line against the bank. I waded the river above the hole, moved down river, then crossed back over underneath the feeding fish. My tie-on bug was a Black Searcher, which Nate said could work well early in the day. He was right as I hooked the first three fish I served the bug to. At the top of the run, the fish became hesitant on the Searcher, so I changed over to the Baetis Soft Hackle, which DFI will soon be marketing. I ginked it like a dry fly and dead drifted in the soft foam line. Immediately a fish ate the bug and I landed him, dried the fly, and served it again to what looked like a giant fish. Again the fish took, and the war was on, but it was a war I didn’t win. After a few major runs up and down the river, the fish showed himself at the surface in the middle of the river. He was a monster, but another plunge into the depths kicked the hook loose. Darn!!
I landed another fish on the soft hackle in that hole then began working my way up river. A quarter mile up river, I spotted a fish feeding on a hatch of BWO’s, so I selected a Baetis adult out of Nate’s box and served it to the fish. Instantly the fish targeted the bug and slowly rose up and took. I landed the fish and moved on up river to a long deep slick.
There were fish feeding for over a hundred yards up river and the water was covered with BWO’s. I changed flies to a BWO No Hackle, and I got the opportunity to fish some of the bugs I produce for DFI. Wow! The rest of my day was lights out. Almost every fish I got a good delivery on ate the bug. I guess I didn’t realize how devastating my No Hackle can be in a BWO hatch.
I left the river shocked at the number of gorgeous, large fish I had hooked. Dry Fly Innovations’ dry flies are like no other bugs I have ever fished; and every time Nate introduces me to a new line of his flies, I’m dumbfounded by the fish I catch!
Flies that caught fish:
Black Searcher #16
Black Gold Stimulator #16
PMD Searcher #16
BWO No Hackle #22
Baetis Upright Wing Mayfly #18
Baetis Soft Hackle #18 (tester fly)
SF Boise River (Below Neil Bridge) 9/17
|
|
The best excuse I could find was that Mudd needed an outing. So I just happened to throw in my rod, just in case. After Mudd took his plunge, I strapped on a hopper and began to work the edges. After about 15 minutes, I was convinced the fish weren’t looking for a hopper. So I tied on a #16 Adams Caddis – Green, which has been our hottest bug in September. I started working a riff raff edge with a beautiful foam line. The caddis was hard to see in the foam channels; but sure enough, there was a dimple, and the first rainbow of the day was on. He had a lot of spunk for a 13-inch fish which was an indication of things to come. I landed him without the net and let him go. The fish were hanging right on the bank on the deep edges, so that’s where I kept the fly. I landed another four fat, feisty rainbows and things were beginning to look a little easy. The next fish I hooked was a little bigger with a log of “go.” He zinged off downriver, plunged over a boulder, and busted me off.
I tied on another caddis and on the second cast, I couldn’t see the fly. I started pulling the hook out to re-cast, and I had a fish on. He was going one way, and I was pulling the other when he popped my hook off. I was glad no one was watching because I was beginning to look like a rookie. I ate my pride and tied on another caddis. By the time I’d finished the run, I’d landed three more fish. I moved upriver to another deep edge, caught a couple more fish there, and waded back across the river. I finished up my fishing excursion with a few more fish. The lower South Fork is well worth your time and effort to fish. I didn’t catch any giants, but the 13-17″ fish are real sporty. They are well fed, shiny, and beautiful. You get a lot of jumps per fish.
Side Note: I did something I haven’t done in quite awhile. I hooked a fish in a boulder patch and he ran sideways between two boulders and broke me off. I retied my tippet and my fly and casted back into the same hole. A fish came up and ate the peacock caddis. I landed the fish, and he had two peacock caddis in his mouth! I got my fly back and hypothesized that that was a very stupid 15″ fish. I thanked him and let him go. Fish on….
Flies that caught fish:
#16 & #14 Adams Caddis – Green
Adams Caddis
A gorgeous high-floating fly tied in body colors gray and dark olive with the classic grizzly and brown collar. Fish him in fast water and very aggressively. He floats like a cork and catches fish like a worm.
$1.95
- Color:
- Gray, Green.
#16 & #14 Peacock Caddis
Peacock Caddis
$1.95
Owyhee River 9/4
|
|
To conclude on an earlier blog, the peaches and pears were ready to pick so, of course, if you’re in Greenleaf, then you just as well drive over to the “O.” So go to the “O” I did.
There was a brisk breeze blowing up the river and tons of hoppers on the bank. So naturally the tie-on bug was a Bullet Head Hopper. The river was a bit crowded, so I fished the split tributaries around an island about 2 miles above the hot springs. It didn’t take long for the first brownie to come calling. He was a frisky little 13-incher. I fished through the rest of the run without a take, and I had to pull out of the river and go around to the next hole.
As I walked down the bank to reenter the river, the hoppers began to jump into the water. One specific hopper jumped out only a foot and began to float the inner channel about a foot off the bank. I watched him as it floated over the gentle riffle, and 10 feet below me, a big ole brownie in slow motion surfaced and ate the bug. I popped my hook loose from the rod and dropped it in the same channel where I had watched the hopper get eaten. Right on cue, as the hopper passed over where I had seen the fish, he rose up and ate my hopper. I set the hook and my leader was still within the eyes–that’s how close the fish was to me. He wasn’t all that lively of a fish and after a few runs from here to there, I slipped him into the net. He was a gorgeous real golden 19-inch fish. I snapped a few photos and watched him swim away.
After drying the hopper, I moved up river to a gentle riffle that flowed through a deep edge. I smacked the hopper down within a couple of feet from the bank and let it ride the riffle. As the hopper passed by an overhanging bush, a big old brownie broadsided the offering. I set the hook in the side of his mouth and he bolted to mid river, shook his head, and then plunged back into the same place I had hooked him. I tried to turn his head, but he was too big to turn, and he dove into the underbrush along the edge of the river. I felt my line catch in the weeds and the feel of a fish turned into a snag in the underbrush. Darn fish licked me and broke my hook off to boot! I tied on another hopper, ginked him well, and served the fly just above where I had hooked the previous fish. On the second cast, another brownie came out of nowhere and ate the bug. He wasn’t quite as big as the previous fish, but he had a bit of spunk. After a pretty good run, he turned angles, shook his head, and kicked my hook loose. Strike 2!
I finished out the run by landing a couple of nice fish and decided it was probably time to go home and unload peaches and pears. As I fished down the inner chute of the island, there was a beautiful foamline against a deep edge for about 40 yards. As I was walking to the car, I continued to flip the hopper and snuggle it in against the edge about 30 yards above the car. The final fish of the day attacked the hopper. After a few nice runs, I slid him into the net, right on the trail that led to the car.
And so it went: A bit of fruit harvesting, a short excursion to the Owyhee, and a fun line of fish.
Fly that caught fish
Bullet Head Hopper, #8 and #6
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
Owyhee River – 8/21
|
|
Had to check out when the peaches and pears would be ready to pick in Greenleaf so at 3:00, Peach, Mudd, and I jumped in the rig and headed toward the river. Amazing the excuses a fisherman can conjure up to get to the river!
The “O” was running pretty high, murky, and lots of debris in the water. We reached the river at 5:00 and the plan was to smack a big hopper at the edges until the sun went down, then chase heads until dark. I started fishing the riffle section below the powerline hole, splatting a #6 Bullet Head Hopper as tight as possible against the edge.
The action started innocently with a big old Bruiser “Brownie” finning up to the surface and kissing my hopper, but he didn’t take. Then another fish false took. I figured it was a good sign; if you can get them to come to the surface, it would only be a matter of time until a fish made the commitment. About 5 minutes later, the commitment was made and I drove a hook in the first “Brownie” of the day, a big golden guy with a little spunk. I got him almost into the net and he plunged into deep water and kicked the hook. Long distance release I guess they call that. I dried the fly and shot it back in the riffle. Bang a big fish ate it. I set the hook; he ran to deep water and shook the hook free. Darn it!!! I was looking forward to seeing fish in the net.
I moved up and started fishing the cut banks along the willows. It didn’t take long for a “Brownie” to appear at the fly, but this time a happy ending with a beautiful 19” fish in the net. The fish that were a little underfed earlier in the summer have put on some poundage in a hurry.
I worked the rest of the riffle and landed a half dozen nice fish. It was time to go hunt heads, but I had to make a final cast at the top of the run against a shallow edge. The hopper settled in the tiny current and began its slow decent back to me. The fly was only a foot off the bank when I saw a wake and big head encompass the bug. I hooked him hard in the side of the mouth and the war was on. Out to midstream, head shaking, then down the river he went. I began to follow, and after a few dosey does, the fish and I came together at the net. Wow!! He was a nice fish over 20” and nice condition. I admired him awhile, shot a few photos, and watched him disappear in the murky water. Life is good!!!!
I bounced out of the riffle and headed down river to a spot I calculated some big “Brownies” would be targeting a caddis before dark. Upon my arrival at the hole, I immediately saw a head. I changed my tippet to 5X, tied on a Midnight Caddis, and piled over the bank.
I was in the river in no time and spotted the first fish in the glow of the surface ahead of me. I hooked him on the first cast. He was about 11” long. I spotted another fish and hooked him. He was about 12” long. At least they were getting bigger. There was another fish in close to the bank that looked bigger, so I served him a fly. Bang he ate it, and I landed a fish about 14” long. Then I caught another small fish. It was getting almost black dark and I thought I saw a big nose appear on a small inner riffle. I zinged a cast to it. Nothing. I tried again and that same big nose appeared and ate the bug. I pounded the hook to him and down the river he went; then across to the other side against the willow line. I felt him graze over a few large boulders then back over to my side of the river where he rooted into a few debris piles against the edge. I still didn’t know what he looked like or how big he was. It was dark and I finally got him in position and slid him into the net. I used the flash component of the camera to get the first good look at the fish. He was a big old dude 20” and very colorful. After a couple photos I slid him over the net and he immediately disappeared.
So it went on the “O” on August 21. I think I might go back sometime soon!!!
Flies that caught fish:
Bullet Head Hopper, size #8 & #6 I think I did better on the #8 than the #6
Bullet Hopper
$2.35
Midnight Caddis #16 That fly almost never fails after the sun goes down
Midnight Caddis
Midnight Caddis the absolute perfect sundown to dark caddis fished on sheen water. It has awesome visibility and can be fished aggressively in heavy riffle. This fly was created to match the large black caddis hatch in the high country, but recently it has sparkled on low elevation rivers in twilight hours. It's a party animal after sundown!
$1.95
Twenty Mile Lakes (Day 3) – 8/17
|
|
Up a steep mountain chute, through a saddle, and across a ridge top, and we found ourselves at the upper lake in the chain (East Lake) to start Day 3. We fished around the lake and saw a few feeding fish beyond casting range. I caught one fish then moved down to the center lake (South Lake). Again this lake was being fished, so the obvious choice was to revisit Long Lake where the fishing was fantastic the day before.
Steve started in the southeast corner of the lake and immediately hooked and landed a beautiful 14-inch cuttie. I started about center on the southern side of the lake and on the second cast, I hooked and landed the largest fish of the trip. It was a beautiful 17+ inch rainbow. From there, we both continued to hook fish of all sizes: 8 inches to 14-inch fish. We pulled off the lake in mid-afternoon and decided to chase fish at our home lake the rest of the day.
Steve landed two nice cutties, and I landed one to finish off the day. All told, it was an awesome backpacking trip to Twenty Mile Lakes. Great scenery, ice-cold spring 40 yards from camp, and lots of rainbows and cutties. Life is good!!
Flies that caught fish:
Adams Stimulator; #16 & #14
Adams Stimulator
$1.95
Emperor Caddis – Black; #20 & #18
Emperor Series
Our #1 fishing fly for 2009 was the “Emperor” caddis series. We fished this series of flies at all elevations, from May through September and they are truly super flies. We featured the “Emperor” black caddis in a video we shot in the Idaho Wilderness called “Fishing the High Country,” and it took the place of our Black Flying Ant as the #1 fly for alpine lakes. Every place we fished, these flies it put on a show!!!!
$1.90
Flying Black Ant, #16 & #14
Ants
An enormous percentage of a trout's diet above 6,000 feet is ants. Fish cruise the edges under the canopy in search of these crunchy, high-octane morsels. The four ant patterns displayed are the ultimate weapons in the most prevalent color selections. They have tightly wound oblong body segments, beautifully crafted wings, and present themselves exactly like the natural. They have no deer hair shells over the tail so they are tough and won't fray or break like many commercial flies. You will catch more fish with less refusals using DFI ants!
$1.80
- Color:
- Black, Cinnamon, Red.
Beetle, #14
Beetle
The most realistic beetle pattern available. It has a peacock belly, a sculptured body, and exactly 6 moose hair legs. DFI beetles are killer flies in almost all waters.
$1.80
Green Sedge, #14 (Tester Fly)
Adams Caddis, #16
Adams Caddis
A gorgeous high-floating fly tied in body colors gray and dark olive with the classic grizzly and brown collar. Fish him in fast water and very aggressively. He floats like a cork and catches fish like a worm.
$1.95
- Color:
- Gray, Green.
Big Creek (Above Big Creek Airfield) 8/7 – Dry Fly Fish Idaho
|
|
Sometimes the journey turns out to be as exciting as your destination. It’s a long way to Big Creek! Over skinny, little roads, through high elevations, past Yellow Pine and its famous Harmonica Contest and Festival, to settle into camp on the upper Big Creek. Large, native salmon were on the reds in crystal clear water in the creek at our camp (south of Big Creek Guard Station). It was a spectacular show of miraculous fish. The pictures below do not really do the fish justice. Didn’t fish today–just set up camp and viewed salmon. But as we scouted for the perfect campsite, we jumped several does and fawns and one really nice mule deer buck. But the highlight of the day was seeing a mature black bear lope across the road in front of us. He looked a little lean. Check in with tomorrow’s blog (8/8) for a detailed fishing report.
