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Posts Tagged ‘Idaho’
Twenty Mile Lakes (Day 2) – 8/16
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After pancakes drenched in syrup and smeared with peanut butter, we were off to explore the other three lakes in the basin. Long Lake was our first stop; and aw always, Steve kicked the day off with a nice run of four rainbows. I picked up a couple of fish, and we then moved on to the center lake (South Lake). There were people fishing the lake and another group of packers with goats arrived shortly after and set up came across the lake. With seven people on a small lake and one group headed for the upper lake, we decided we would return to Long Lake for the afternoon fishing.
I crossed a bluff line and dropped into the south side of Long Lake and Steve took off for the west side with the idea that we would fish until we met in the middle. The second I reached the far side of the lake, it was obvious it was the perfect place to be. The bank was grassy with boulders and a deep drop-off into shimmering blue water. It was the epitome of fantastic transition water and it didn’t take long before I began hooking rainbows one after another .I had landed a couple dozen fish ranging in size from 8 inches to 13 inches and had settled into the idea that this would be the kind of fish we’d continue to catch. There was a large, sunken boulder on the edge of the transition water that I casted my black ant to. The fly gently rocked at the wind-blown surface of the lake and all of a sudden, bang! A big guy came out of nowhere and ate the bug. I saw him vividly as he broadsided the fly. The fight was on; he jumped, bolted, and dove, but in the end, a beautiful 17-inch rainbow laid submerged in the water along the bank.
The fishing never stopped all afternoon. Dry flies floating on a perfect transition. It was an awesome spectacle in the gin-clear water; you could see every fish suddenly appear and without hesitation, eat the bug. Later in the day, I tied on an Adams Stimulator #14 to mach a large caddis that began to hatch. The fish chewed it relentlessly. At 5 pm, Steve and I were both fished out, but the memories will live on for a long time to come.
Flies that caught fish:
Adams Stimulator; #16 & #14
Adams Stimulator
$1.95
Emperor Caddis – Black; #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
Get Her Done Caddis – Green; #16
"Get Her Done" Series
The “Get Her Done” Caddis Series could be the hottest new patterns on the market today. The days of the elk hair caddis are over once you use this life-like masterpiece. We had phenomenal results in the testing period on these flies and we’ve tied them in all the predominant caddis colors. These flies are a must in your fly box and a game changer on the surface of the water.
$1.95
Tantalizer – Black; #18 and Tantalizer – Gray; #18
Tantalizer Series
The “Tantalizer” Series of emergers maybe the most significant break through in dry fly fishing in years. This fly has tested magnificently over every species of trout at every elevation. It’s a super fly that was so successful we featured the Pink Tantalizer in a video we shot on the South Fork of the Snake River last fall.
$1.90
Cream Sedge, #14 (Tester Fly)
Twenty Mile Lakes (Day 1) – 8/15
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If you’re going to fish high-mountain lakes, there is always a physical price that must be paid. The trailhead is always much lower than the lakes that are tucked in at the highest peaks. Twenty Mile Lakes, northeast of McCall, are no different with a 3,000 ft. vertical climb to a wonderful cluster of lakes.
We started up the trail early; and three hours and seven miles later, we’re setting up camp at North Twenty Mile Lake. After gathering wood, making the firebox (see our video), and consuming a few quarts of water, it was time to check out the fishing on our home lake.
The tie-on fly was an Emperor Caddis – Black, Size 18, and it didn’t take long for Steve Feldmann, my backpacking buddy, to hook and land the first cutthroat of the day—a nice 12-inch fish. I settled in on a corner of the lake with a stiff wind blowing directly in my face. By using the wind as a gatherer of food, then pushing it into a concentrated corner, this often consolidates fish in a small section of the lake. I guessed right, and without moving from the corner, I picked up a half dozen beautiful cutties.
We fished the same lake for the rest of the afternoon, selected a few nice fish for dinner (see filleting a fish video) and finished off the day with a beautiful sunset.
Flies that caught fish:
Emperor Caddis – Black; #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.
Adams Caddis – Green’ #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.
PMD Humpy- Dry Fly Fish Idaho
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If your summer vacation plans are bringing you to Idaho this summer, we have the perfect attractor fly that can be used anywhere in the state. The PMD Humpy from Dry Fly Innovations is the ideal summertime fly that is a big, plump, and juicy morsel that trout have a hard time turning down. With the standard hook down wing up, the PMD Humpy will have perfect presentation every time, and it floats like a cork in the water. There is absolutely no mystery where the PMD Humpy is on the waters at any time. You can effectively dry fly fish with the PMD Humpy at all elevations and on any lake, river, stream, or tail waters. The PMD is a great universal fly that should be in any fly box when hitting any Idaho waters.
Dry Fly Innovations ties the PMD Humpy in four sizes (#16, #14, #12, and #10). If you have been reading the previous blogs, then you are privy on my recommendations on what sizes to use in the Idaho high country and on lower elevation rivers. If this is your first time reading, then you are in luck because I will give you the right recipe right now on what flies to use. If you are dry fly fishing in the higher elevations, I would tie on a PMD Humpy in a size #16 or #14. If you are dry fly fishing on the South Fork of the Boise River, I would tie on a #12 or #10. The PMD Humpy has an iridescent thorax that has the ability to attract the monster trout that come from the depths of the water. The PMD Humpy does not mimic anything in the wild and should be fished just like a stimulator. All species of trout that Idaho has to offer are vulnerable to the PMD Humpy. Grab some PMD Humpy’s and come dry fly fish this summer and have the ultimate Idaho fly fishing experience.
Humpilators
This fly has become one of the best attractor flies I have ever fished at any elevation. You should own this fly in every color offered.
$1.95
- Color:
- Black, Brown, Golden, Gray, Olive Brown, Orange, PMD, Yellow.