Excited to have the back cover in the current issue of American Angler. Perfect timing as the Brown Drake thing just ended...
Brown Drakes smother a wooden fence post on Silver Creek, Idaho.
Silver Creek
Here are a few images from last night on Silver Creek. Still the mildest and strangest Brown Drake year I've seen. No massive spinner fall yet. Still could happen... Maybe even tonight.
John Huber and a nice brown.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes
A Brown Drake trying to fill its wings and airlift itself to relative safety.
Picabo, Idaho
So far, the Brown Drake hatch has been extremely moderate to say the least. A few bugs here and there with 10 minute spurts of smoldering spinner falls. I have not yet seen the grassy banks loaded with Drakes. Hopefully that is all in front of us... In the end though, it's all an excuse to be on Silver Creek during the magic hour when the warm light is perfect and all kinds of different birds are calling singing their choir and the wild iris is hit with the end-of-the-day warm light and you know, even though you are likely tired, there's no better place to be on an early summer evening.
The images below were taken last night, May 31st.
Picabo, Idaho
Silver Creek & Riser
Zac Mayhew waits for a riser and an emergence.
Guide Zac Mayhew getting ready to move on to another spot on Silver Creek.
Riser and fisherman.
Night Heron
The FlyFish Journal
Here's a two page image of mine appearing in the new spring issue of The FlyFish Journal. It was taken on Silver Creek last June during a prolific brown drake spinner fall.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes II
There was a great Brown Drake Spinner Fall on Silver Creek last night and hopefully we have another really good night tonight.
Brown Drake Spinners. Silver Creek, Idaho.
Father & daughter and son in the background.
Brown Drake Spinners litter the water.
Two nights ago the Drakes didn't happen but fun was still had.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes
Brown Drakes, the Grandaddy of Silver Creek mayflies, have started...
This Brown Drake dun was likely obliterated in the hail storm that occurred roughly two hours after I took this shot. It's game on though...
Brown Drake Nymphs
I seiened a few silty areas near gravel on Silver Creek recently looking for Brown Drake nymphs. Here's what I found:
Brown Drake Nymphs. Ephemera Simulans. Silver Creek.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes V
Brown Drake Spinners
Spinner Fall From Heaven. Brown Drakes. Silver Creek, Idaho.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes IV
Here are a few more images from the last few evenings on Silver Creek...
Nick Anderson finds a target during a decent post 9 pm emergence.
John Huber and an after dark Brown.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes III
The Drake thing this year in addition to coming off early is creeping upstream at a snails pace. There was a small emergence and spinner fall late this morning as we had a little cloud cover. Hopefully tonight is a good as last night...
Brown Drake & Negative Space. Silver Creek, Idaho.
Brown Drake. Silver Creek, Idaho. There were not many bugs in the grass this morning but I did find a few including this one.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes
The Brown Drakes on Silver Creek started two nights ago. This is one of my favorite times of the year to be on Silver Creek. Expect to have about 5 more good nights with tonight and tomorrow night likely to have the most prolific bugs...
Bent Rod, Brown Drakes and Silver Creek.
Silver Creek Brown Drakes III
The Brown Drakes on Silver Creek have essentially ended but it was a great Drake year. There were 6 strong nights and a handful of really good mornings. Below is a sampling of some of the images I took during the Brown Drake frenzy.
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: Nikon 14-24 ƒ2.8
Silver Creek Brown Drakes II
We have had 5 consecutive Brown Drake nights and tonight should be another great night as there are a ton of bugs in the grass. This hatch kick starts our summer season here and it has been a great one so far. Look for at least two more nights of the frenzy and then a couple of days of sporadic bugs...
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: Nikon Micro 105 ƒ2.8
Silver Creek Brown Drakes
Yesterday's Brown Drakes go like this; the kind of wind that makes eyes tear and spring-green tall grass blowing around like millions of cheering fans and crepuscular nighthawks whooping overhead and then like the hatching of something not visible came tens of thousands of Brown Drakes. It was cold too. Almost no prairie caddis and not a mosquito to be found. Look for the bugs to continue over the next 3 to 5 nights.
Camera: Nikon D3s
Lens: Nikon 14-24 ƒ2.8
iso: 17,959 (no joke) There was no noise software used.