Some Great Places for Introducing Neophytes to Fly-Fishing

                                                                     Some Great Places to Introduce Neophytes to Fly Fishing

Certainly there are numerous locations in our area suitable for introducing a family member, young, middle-aged or senior person to fly-fishing.  There, however, certain locations having attractions which make them choice candidates for this action.  First and foremost, these locations are relatively safe when compared to large flowing waters. Then they are tranquil, meaning tending to be less crowded. And these locations offer superb chances for encountering feeding fish.

Definitely, these places cannot compare to the convenience of such as Ryder Park Pond, an excellent example of foresightedness on the part of Idaho Falls city administration and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.  But because of being near urban areas, these can become crowded during prime time.

We experienced fly-fishers tend to overlook an absolute when considering introducing a person to fly-fishing. That absolute is that big waters can be intimidating to the neophyte, let alone generally more perilous. Small waters reduce a location into “classroom size” thus offering a better chance of concentrating the entire fly-fishing experience of reading water, appropriate presentation, hooking, playing, landing, and releasing sport fish.  All this comes about because salmonids tend to feed less selectively and more aggressively in small waters. Concentrating the beginning fly-fishing experience places the neophyte more quickly on the road to success on all waters.

To begin, let’s look at some streams that are great locations. For each of these a strategy applies. Resident trout tend to take wet flies until, around mid-day, when waters warm to the point that aquatic and terrestrial insects become active and thus available on the surface for feeding fish.  As summer advances and waters warm, early and late in the day become the best times to fish but especially on still waters. Also, light weight tackle systems (ranging from 2-weight to four weight) are most appropriate for encountering these fish these waters.

Birch Creek

Add great scenery to the above mentioned small water aspects, and no stream is as good a candidate as Birch Creek.  Just above Lone Pine and adjacent to State Highway 28, the Birch Creek Family Fishing Area is ideal. It features eager brook and rainbow trout. Both are wild and full of vigor.  These tend to feed throughout the season, and will take any properly presented fly in small and medium sizes.   Wet wading is a good choice for this easily approached stream, but no more than hip waders are necessary. This part of the creek is on private land, so practice due respect to fences and any structure or stock. A good way to express appreciation would be to carry out any trash encountered and to close open gates.

Upper Warm River

Upper Warm River is another good stream for introducing fly-fishing to an entry level person.  Eager brook trout are the residents here, and all are endowed with the aggressive brook trout nature.  Almost any small bead head nymph or peacock woolly worm presented using lightweight gear will bring responses from these small but aggressive brookies.  The Pole Bridge campground makes a great base for enjoying fishing on this stream. It is not totally developed but serviceable. Access it by traveling the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway to the Warm River Road or the Hatchery Butte Road from the same highway.  This is bear country, so particularly for overnight stays, follow proper procedures.

Sawmill Creek

If you do not mind taking a one hundred and thirty mile drive, mostly across the desert then through the scenic Little Lost River Valley, Sawmill Creek is another great candidate for an entry level fly-fisher.  From State Highway 33, follow the Little Lost River Road to the Sawmill Creek Road. There are no developed camping facilities here, but there are plenty of pull-outs from which fishing can be enjoyed.  As with Birch Creek, wild brook and rainbow trout are the residents, and they are just as eager to take the same flies presented using light weight gear.

Some still waters make good locations for entry level fly-fishers. All of these feature the option of fishing from the shore or from a non-motorized boat or flotation device.  Non-motorized means powered by an internal combustion engine.

Horseshoe Lake

Horseshoe Lake Is a good example except that shoreline fishing takes a back seat to fishing from a flotation device or small boat. To get there, travel the Cave Falls Road off the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway. After entering the Caribou-Targhee National Forest (where pavement ends) travel about five miles to the Horseshoe Lake Road which heads northeast.  About five miles later the lake comes in view on the right. Camping is primitive there, but relatively tranquil. The east arm of the lake is off limits to fishing, but the west end features lily pad banks in front of which is the best fishing.  Grayling, supplemented by annual stockings, are the featured fish here. They are accompanied by rainbow trout, also stocked annually.  When mayflies and damselflies are active these fish will feed on the surface and take any correctly sized imitation offered.

Jim Moore Pond

Jim Moore Pond (aka Roberts Gravel Pond) off the Osgood-Roberts Road (old Highway 91) is a good candidate. Stocked with rainbow and tiger trout (cross between brook and brown trout) , it offers a lengthy shoreline for bank fishing.    These fish are supplemented each year by Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDF&G) releases. Bank fishing here is ideal for fly-fishing because of ample room for back-casts.   Best fly patterns are those simulating leeches, the main food form for trout. Small boats and flotation devices are easily launched and because of a small size this pond is not greatly impacted by winds.

Paul Reservoir

Paul Reservoir is another small still water ideal for teaching fly-fishing. The back side of the dam and the right-hand shore line offer great locations to cast from shore, and flotation devices can be launched conveniently from the dam. To get there, take Interstate-15 to the Humphrey Exit north of Spencer, Idaho. Coming from the south exit to the right, go underneath the Interstate and turn right onto the gravel road. After paralleling the Intestate for a short distance, the road loops to the left and proceeds for about twelve dusty, bumpy miles. Finally, after crossing a couple of small creeks it goes up a short rise, and Paul Reservoir lies in view.    Cutthroat trout are residents here, and when damsel flies and speckled dun mayflies are mating and laying eggs, they come to the surface, and will take any floating imitation of these insects. Primitive camping sites are present in the pine grove above the right-hand shore. A bonus for fishing here is that Modoc Creek below the reservoir is loaded with small brook trout that take any small fly offered.

Snow Creek Pond

Snow Creek Pond (aka Teardrop Lake) is not far from Horseshoe Lake as the crow flies. To get there, take the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway to Three Rivers. Just below Warm River Campground, cross the river and travel up the Fish Creek Road about eight miles. Turn off right onto the Snow Creek Road, and proceed about three miles to this pond which is roadside left.  Primitive camping sites are along the south shore where shallow water prevails for safe wading. Small boats and flotation devices can be launched here as well as at the north tip of the pond. Small brook trout have inhabited this pond as long as it has existed, and IDF&G replentishes its rainbow trout population.  Both trout respond to small black leech patterns as well as drifting insect patterns.

This is but a sampler of the suitable locations in our area for entry-level fly-fishing, but those given above are among the most convenient. For sure there are others we can recommend.  Visit the shop or contact us for more candidate waters to introduce that beginner to the fascinating fly-fishing world.

Palisades Creek

Palisades Creek

                                            Lower Palisades Lake and Creek Above

A while back we took a look at Big Elk Creek.  In a number of ways it and Palisades Creek are physically similar, and some of the comments made for Big Elk apply to Palisades Creek with respect to fishing. But there are also major differences when comparing these two first class fisheries.

First; whereas Big Elk Creek empties into Palisades Reservoir, Palisades Creek empties into the South Fork reach of the Snake River below Palisades Dam.  It is reached from U. S. Highway 26 where its access road goes roughly northeast leaving the highway about four miles below the dam. Within two miles the access road enters Caribou-Targhee National Forest where a full-service campground provides a base for fishing the creek or neighboring waters during an overnight or multi-day stay. The trail head for accessing the creek is above the campground on the opposite side and has ample parking.  The trail from which the creek is mostly easily accessed is well maintained and non-motorized being open to mountain bike, horse, and foot traffic.

Through emptying into the river, Palisades Creek is a major spawning stream for cutthroat trout.  Idaho Department of Fish and Game, as part of efforts to enhance cutthroat trout populations, operates a fish trap on the lower creek. Here cutthroat trout are allowed to pass to upstream spawning areas, and rainbow trout are denied access. Harvest of cutthroat trout is denied in Palisades Creek, and it is closed to fishing yearly during the month of June, all to minimize disturbance to this native salmonid while spawning. There is no harvest limit on rainbow and trout hybrids within the creek during fishing season.

The best fishing throughout Palisades Creek begins after run-off leaves, and dry fly fishing can be most enjoyable. It’s a stream of some gradient from lower Palisades Lake downstream, so most trout there will occupy holes, deeper runs, and just below structure.  Access at some places as well as an uninterrupted back cast, can be a challenge because of willow thickets, but the creek is small enough that it can be safely waded and crossed in a number of places after run-off leaves. During summer months wet wading is practical. Light-weight gear makes playing trout in the fast water fun,  so three and four weight systems are ideal. Trout here range up to moderate sizes with an occasional individual reaching trophy size. Caddisflies and stoneflies are the major aquatic insects present, so life cycle fly patterns for them are usually effective. So are traditional attractor patterns, dry and wet. Mayflies including PMDs, BWOs, and flavs are present but are relatively minor.  As mid-summer approaches terrestrial insects become abundant along stream banks adding another interesting dimension to dry fly fishing in fast water.

Here’s another way Palisades Creek differs from others in the South Fork-Palisades Reservoir drainage. Two major lakes, Lower and Upper Palisades lake are within its drainage.  The upper lake, on a tributary, has a subterranean outlet, and much of the outflow from the lower lake, on the creek itself, is also subterranean.  This flow helps keep good water level in the creek during dry weather periods. The lower lake is a bit over four miles by trail above the campground, and some of the best fishing on the creek is in the low gradient stretch just above the lake.  Because of beaver channels, willows, and marshy areas moving around here can be a challenge. But doing so is rewarding because the trout here average larger than in the fast water below the lake.

So Palisades Creek is another stream that offers great fishing, an easy approach, and solitude. Its trail is non-motorized so its tranquility means the only noise is the creek itself.

South Fork Winter Fishing

We surely have been lucky to have such good warm weather recently, and it looks like more is to come during this second half of winter (Let’s hope summer isn’t correspondingly as warm!).  All this means getting out to fish should be really enjoyable. Much of the South Fork, even around Swan Valley is free of ice and snow, now offers many locations for wading.  Since February 6th flows out of Palisades Dam have been stepped up from around 900 cfs to around 2100 cfs today (February 10th). This change in flow should not have a major impact on fishing and certainly will not have a big impact on choosing a wading location.  Water temps are around the mid thirties in degrees Fahrenheit, so don’t get in over those waders!

See that picture above? It was taken just above the far side of the Heise Bridge. Look at all the accessible river just in this view alone.  There is good water in front of the far side gravel bar.  And you cannot see it that well, but even better water is in the upstream bend with another gravel bar  giving easy access. That is typical along the river. The river road above Heise is passable with care, but close to motorized travel above where the road from Table Rock joins, and offers many places where you can get to the river to fish.  For sure come springtime, all this accessible water such as we have now will not be available for wading.

If you want to enjoy top water fishing, midge emergences provide the most consistent action. Some will take place on sunny days, but densest activity takes seems to take place overcast days without wind (if that’s possible).  Pack such as black or red zebra midges, high voltage midge pupa, and spent midge patterns. Don’t overlook those old favorites the Griffith’s gnat and the renegade. You can fish these on top or as an emerger just under the surface.  Use all these in sizes about the same as the natural insect.  Expect most of the action to take near or at the surface, so go with a floating line and long, fine leader. A downstream drift with a gentle rise of the rod tip when the fly reaches rising fish will bring strikes. Expect many of these to be from whitefish.   If you prefer to present wet flies in deeper water golden stonefly nymph patterns are numerous, and each can be effective when drifted along riffles and into tops of runs and holes Try the same with rubber leg patterns. Usually a sink tip line allows the best presentation, but a full sink line can be used for fishing long slow runs.  Try patterns that simulate an aquatic worm. San Juan worm and wooly bugger patterns are some of these.  Another favorite technique for encountering bigger fish is presenting streamer patterns.  Best time for presenting these is during low light conditions. That means early or late in the day and when overcast conditions prevail. Clouser minnow types are very effective and therefore popular, but small fly rod jigs work just as well during these times. Presenting feather wing streamers also have enthusiasts. Sink tip fly lines seem best for presenting streamers.  Be sure to use a stout leader. And bring that camera!

End of an Era Coming

End of an Era Coming

                           Don’t let that color fool you: he (the fish!) fought like the devil!

Since 2001 I have much enjoyed fishing for huge Kodiak silver salmon.  So much, in fact that I have returned every year except three for family reasons, during this twenty-first century. This Kodiak strain produces the largest, on average, silvers in Alaska. Tying into these in fresh condition is like no other salmonid I have experienced. They jump and run to challenge your personal durabilty, the length of your backing, the flexibility of your rod, your knots, your leader strength, and the drag system on which your reel operates.

I owe most of my pleasure in fishing for these superb salmonids to Dan and Randy Busch’s Kodiak Island River Camps operation. For the last twenty-one years Dan and Randy, husband and wife retired school teachers, have offered services second to none for fly-fishers seeking a memorable experience. They begin the season with whale watching outings, then July outings for sockeyes and chum. The real fun begins with their mid-to-late September outings to the Pasagshak River system for the fresh silver salmon.  Their scheduled trips end in mid October with fly-in steelhead outings to Kodiak’s fabled Karluk River. I did the Karluk trip about ten years ago. What an experience: steelhead and a late run of fresh silvers. Talk about fly-fishing heaven!

What does their service consist of, you ask?  Their fee, which for five solid days of fishing, is perhaps the most reasonable to be found during Alaska’s silver salmon season. From the time Dan picks you up on arrival at the Kodiak airport (usually on a Sunday afternoon) to when he returns you for departure (usually on the morning of the following Saturday) all meals, all transportation, all accommodations are covered under his fee. The only items outside their fee is your fishing license ($55 for seven days) and any particular food or beverage you wish to supplement the superb meals you will experience. On Sunday arrival you go to Dan & Randy’s home for a superb welcome dinner. From that you leave for the Pasaghak system forty-some-odd miles south of town for five days full of fishing. On Friday evening return you go to Dan & Randy’s home for another superb meal, their farewell dinner.

Where do I fish, you ask? Dan leases a summer home with all utilities near the Pasagshak River. Comfortable and clean, it is the base of operations for upcoming fishing on the Pasagshak estuary which you can walk to, the river itself, and Lake Rose Tead about a mile above the home. Then there is a special location about five miles away on the road back to town. This is Kalsin Pond which drains into the Olds River which also hosts silvers and can be fished.  When Kalsin Pond’s silvers feel like hitting your offered flies, it can be an unforgettable fly-fishing experience. For fishing the lake, pond and estuary, Dan provides kick boats and fins. The rivers (Pasagshak and Olds) can be waded. Whether you fish the lake, the rivers, or the pond your day begins with a hearty 6 AM breakfast then fishing begins soon after until a lunch break and ends just before 4PM with a return to the home to relax for a while before an excellent dinner.  Evenings can be used for sea-side walks, fly tying or “philosophy” of all kinds.

What are the silvers like, you ask? Full of energy, they come in from the ocean a bit more than a mile away. They average fifteen pounds and run up to just over twenty.  Other than an occasional jack, (early returner), it is not common to encounter an individual under twelve pounds.  A good day is when you land five of these devils. A fifteen to twenty minute fight is usual, and for sure you are doing good to land half of your hook-ups where near hundred yard runs are possible.  Between encountering fish, the wise fly-fisher checks flies, knots, leaders, lines, and rods for integrity.

What equipment do I need, you ask? An eight or nine weight system including a nine to ten foot rod works well. For shallows in the lake, pond, river and estuary a floating line works best. Two-handed rods can be used when wading the river or shorelines. When fish move to deeper water in the relatively shallow lake, an intermediate line is ideal.   Nine foot leaders of fifteen pound test are almost a requirement. Simple fly patterns patterns in infra-red (fucshia, pink, red) and ultra-violet (blue, green, purple) colors are the norm. So are needle-nosed pliers or stout forceps for removing flies from toothy mouths. A reliable raincoat, waders of the same property, a stripping glove, and clothes comfortable enough for fifty degree Fahrenheit air and water are musts.

What is the weather like in this northern location? With a marine climate, Kodiak, will have daytime air temperatures in the 50s of degrees Fahrenheit. Nighttime is mild, but a light frost is possible. Any visitor must expect rain, sometimes mild and pleasant, but other times ferocious and pounding with strong winds. Therein lies the need for a reliable raincoat!

Alaska Airlines has the best connections for reaching Kodiak from the lower forty-eight. We in east Idaho can leave Boise in the morning and, with connections met in Seattle and Anchorage, arrive in Kodiak that afternoon. Be advised that weather can interfere.

Dan and Randy will wrap up their operations in a few years, and that is why I offer this description of an unusually great opportunity to enjoy fresh, powerful silver salmon. You can get more details from them at their email address: [email protected]. We, here in the shop, can also help you contact them and provide the benefit of experience.  A hospitable and action filled fly-fishing experience awaits you through Kodiak Island River Camps.