Idaho Landscapes & Sun Valley Fishing Report

Silver Creek Preserve & Storm

Upper Salmon River After Sundown

Sawtooths & Moonlight

Salmon River Long Exposure

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 35 f2

The Fishing:  OK, lots of changes.  First, the Big Wood.  The Wood has finally dropped to a fishable level upstream of the Warm Springs confluence.  Clear enough water and tough wading but it's fishable and working.  The flow has dropped down to 1,250 cfs and as few as 5 days ago the flow was just over 2,000 cfs.  It's dropping pretty fast and expect better fishable water south of Ketchum soon.  Think green drakes and big stimulators. 

The Lower Big Lost has also dropped down to essentially 950 cfs which is still pretty high.The upper Big Lost as measured at Chilly is running at 1,050 cfs which is still too high to work.

The crowds have finally diminished at Silver Creek as there is finally other fishable water and the Creek has been inconsistent.  I guided Silver Creek this morning and early afternoon and had sporadic baetis and pmd's.  There were enough bugs to keep the fish on the surface until around 11 AM and then we needed to walk to find feeding fish.  Damsel flies, beetles and ants are great afternoon searching patterns.  The best time of day on Silver Creek at the moment has got to be the evening.  Pmd's and lots of fish on the surface.  Just bring long sleeved collared shirts and be prepared to utilize your deet as the mosquito population before dark has been prolific.

Silver Creek Black & White

Silver Creek & Storm.  July 2011

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 35 f2

There was a pretty dry and super windy and dusty storm at Silver Creek last night.  A few people were on the water braving the elements.  Can't imagine the fishing was any good but the light was fantastic.  No lightning as I was hoping for but the dark brooding sky was more than enough.

Nik Software's iPad Application Snapseed Review

Here are a few images I just took this evening with my Nikon D3S near Silver Creek. I have been struggling to find a method to upload RAW files from my Nikon bodies to an iPad to later edit on the iPad. What I just figured out is by setting your DSLR to capture RAW + JPEG or if you have two card slots setting one to capture in RAW and the other to capture in JPEG allows one to fully utilize any editing software on an iPad. By only selecting RAW the iPad can read the file but with a Nikon NEF file any editing software only displays a tiny thumbnail which makes it incredibly difficult to edit.
Ok, now that I can actually edit an image where the image appears on the iPad as it should, I must say that NIK Software's relatively new photo editing application, Snapseed is an incredible tool! From simple black and white conversion to selecting certain portions of an image to work on, to selective focus, frames, cropping, etc, this app seems to have it all. Without owning a laptop I can now process files on the very iPad I am now typing on, edit those images, then post them to this blog. Pretty cool stuff...
If you have an iPad this photo editing appplication is by far and away the best I have found.

Sun Valley Fishing Report & Chinook Salmon...

Here's an image taken yesterday at Dagger Falls on the Middle Fork Of The Salmon River.  It's a Chinook Salmon trying to make it up the very long and fast Dagger Falls.  There were at least a dozen or so Chinook hanging out below the falls and then trying to leap and make it up. I enjoyed a great day just cruising Idaho roads looking for shots and trying not to donate all of my blood to the very abundant mosquito population...

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon AFS 2.8 80-200

Aspen Study 1

Aspen Study 2

Camera: Nikon D3s

Lens: Nikon 24 PC-E

 

The Fishing:

The Lost and Wood are still too high to reasonably fish.  The Wood just dropped back down to 1,870 cfs and the historic mean flow for today is 886 cfs!  So we still have time on our hands before the Wood becomes fishable.  I just got back from my trip to Silver Creek this morning and it was SLOW.  I fished the Nature Conservancy section and we had a very light baetis emergence and just a few pmd's and callibaetis.  Very few fish were up eating anything where I was. Hopefully today was more of an anomaly and that things will pick up as we are super limited on our fishable water at the moment...

Sun Valley Fishing Report

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 24 PC-E

 

Finding clear water other than Silver Creek right now is hard.  While the Big Wood has finally started to drop, it's still flowing just over double where it usually is this time of year.  It's really anybody's guess as to exactly when the Wood will become easily fishable, but it won't be long before the aggressive wade fishermen can get out there and enjoy some big water dry fly fishing.  Think green drakes and big stimi's.  The Big Lost has dropped to 1,350 cfs which is still pretty high...  And, well, Silver Creek.  Silver Creek has been busy and difficult and inconsistent but the wind the last couple of days has not been a problem.  The water level seems to have gone up a bit and there have been plenty of risers but they have not been easy.  Still the same bugs: Baetis, pmd's, green drakes, and a few callibaetis.  The day time highs are forecast to be in the upper-eighties for Picabo.

Sun Valley Fishing Report & Black & White Tilt/Shift Images

Lines & Sky 1

Here's a series I am calling, "Lines & Sky." 

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 24 PC-E

Ok, the fishing:  The Big Lost and the Big Wood are still blown and it's really looking like it will be at least 10 or so days until we see any worthwhile changes.  The Wood, even north and upstream of Trail Cr. & Warms Springs Cr., is super high and chocolate milk; just about zero clarity.  That leaves us with Silver Creek which is still pretty inconsistent.  The high in Picabo today was somewhere just under 90 degrees and the wind picked up by 9:45 AM which blew many of the little bugs right off the creek.  The wind did taper off by 12:30 or so.  The bugs are: baetis, pmd's, green drakes, and callibaetis.  Think beetles and ants too.

Sun Valley Fishing Report

Big Wood River:  Running around 2,450 cfs the Wood is off color and cruising.  It will be awhile, probably after the 4th of July, before it becomes reasonably fishable.  The Big Lost keeps going up as expected and is running at 1,350 cfs as I write this.  Silver Creek is our only real viable option and has been inconsistent.  Pmd's, baetis, callibaetis and a few green drakes in the Nature Conservancy area.  I fished the S-Turns in the Nature Conservancy today and it was SLOW.  We had a good but short pmd and baetis emergence and by 10:30 or 11 it was over.  On the brown drake front, it could be over other than a few little trickles here and there.  Could still be worth the effort to head down tonight but there were very few bugs in the grass today which means you would be hoping for a spinner fall...

 

Here are a few images taken on Silver Creek 2 nights ago:

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 24 PC-E

Brown Drakes & Spring Green

 

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lenses: Nikon 24 PC-E & Micro 105

The Big Lost is now just over 1,000 cfs and is cruising right along and the Big Wood is just under 2,500 cfs.  Silver Creek is in the middle of brown drake madness and there are baetis, pmds, callibaetis and a few green drakes in the Nature Conservancy area.  The mosquitoes have also arrived...

Sun Valley Fishing Report

2 image pano taken with the Nikon 24 PC-E lens & Nikon D3S

The Lost is still flowing just under 500 cfs which can't last for that much longer and the Wood is right around 1,900 cfs.  Silver Creek is the place right now and the BIG question has been whether or not the brown drake madness has started yet.  And the answer is not really or kind of but mainly not...  There was an emergence yesterday afternoon that got some bugs out of the water and fish looking at them but nothing--or at least nothing where I was--last night happened.  This is looking like a summer solstice hatch this year.

Bugs or no bugs, an evening on the "Creek" is still spectacular... 

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 24 PC-E

Sun Valley Fishing Report & Happy Father's Day!

Camera: iPhone 4

I took this image with my iPhone camera looking through the viewfinder of my DSLR.

OK, the fishing:  Well the Big Lost has been slowly gaining in volume and is currently flowing at 494 cfs.  The Big Wood is still cranking out somewhere just below 2,000 cfs and has no clarity.  It'll be awhile before the Big Wood becomes a viable option.

Then there is Silver Creek.  Our spring fed gem has yet to produce brown drakes and it is just about June 20th!  Today was cool and wet this afternoon.  Certainly not the typical brown drake weather, BUT everything seems to be a bit late this year including the leaves on the disiduous trees.  Warm weather is slated for next week and we can only hope...  Mosquitoes and prairie caddis have still been few and far between and their presence is often a precursor to brown drakes.

Upstream in the Nature Conservancy section baetis and pmds have made for some fun technical sight fishing...

Sun Valley Magazine

The new summer issue of Sun Valley Magazine is out and I have done the photography for a feature piece titled, Fish Food.  Check out the new issue in person or visit their web site.  Here's a link to my piece on their site:  Fish Food

Camera: Nikon D3S

Lens: Nikon 14-24 f2.8

 

On a fishing note: I was back on Silver Creek again this morning through the early afternoon and did not see a single drake...  The wind event was not bad and the temps were quite nice; mid to upper sixties.  The late morning baetis seems to be picking up momentum.  It has been starting around 10:30 or 11 and coming off in pulses contingent on the weather.  They are small so bring plenty of #20 patterns with you.  There are also pmd's lingering.

Are those temps coupled with our very cool spring enough to get the brown drake hatch going?  Who knows...  You can either head on down or read about it here once it starts.

Silver Creek Fishing Update

Another beautiful day and evening on Silver Creek without brown drakes...  OK, a few came off late morning and were taken by greedy swallows and red-winged blackbirds and trout too.  But nothing really has happened yet.  The temps tonight were cool but not windy like the night of the 15th when it blew through much of the night.  Around 7:30 or so there has been a heavy twenty minute baetis but the fish really have not keyed into them.  Something bigger is on the way...

Above images taken with the Nikon D3S and 14-24 f2.8 lens.

Image taken with the Nikon D3S and 50 f1.8 lens

Silver Creek Update

 

Having some fun while waiting for brown drakes.  We found a giant beetle and hucked into the creek.  No takers, but it made for an interesting minute or so as we watched it float downstream...

First, the answer is I have still yet to see brown drakes on Silver Creek.  The evenings have been spectacular but essentially bug free.  Who knows when this thing will actually get going but it is very likely to be this week.  There were enough baetis around 8 PM to get a few fish up but that was it. 

Images taken with the Nikon D200 and 14-24 f2.8 lens

Sun Valley Fishing Report

 

Nature Conservancy.  Silver Creek Preserve

Rain Drops On Silver Creek

Quick update on our local water:

The Big Lost is running about 288 cfs which cannot last that much longer...  Get it while you can.  The Big Wood is running a hair under 2,000 cfs with very little clarity.  It will be awhile, like the end of June or so, until the Wood becomes easily wadeable.  On Silver Creek many of us are waiting--no real sign yet-- for brown drakes.  The weather has ever so slowly gotten nicer and nicer with highs near 70 in Picabo daily.  While the Nature Conservancy section does not see any brown drakes, the bug deal there has been sporadic with baetis and pmd's coming off here and there.  The Nature Conservancy section has NOT been crowded at all and is quite fun if you are willing to hunt for rising fish...