Annual Silver Creek trip

[Rick J]

Well I am up at 3 AM tomorrow to drive to Reno and meet Don and the group and we are off on our annual Silver Creek trip (been 20+ years in a row). PS this is where the little 2 wt shines!!!!

Sounds like the tricos are going in numbers and this is the main reason we go this time of year - this little extended body is killer on the fish



Besides the trics there are the callibaetis mid day and at night - see attached photo of a couple of spinners



Will post on my return a week from Monday

[Hairstacker]

Good luck Rick, hope you have a great trip!

[dtp916]

Good luck and have a great trip!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I bought a new Chevy Suburban in 1986 so Don and Rick invited me on their annual trip to Idaho/Montana in early July.

I drove up to Reno and we took my new vehicle over to a shop and had a boat rack installed so we could put Don's 10' pram on top.

Then we hooked up Don' tent trailer and off we went first stopping at Silver Creek. It was so wonderful there with a big Trico spinner fall in the AM and some small 18 gray duns too. It's a cool place. We would drive over to Ketchem in the PM and eat at a big Italian restaurant that was once an old church.

We went over to Hebgan Lake for some 'gulpers' and then went to the Missouri River which was kind of a new thing in 1986. It was unbelievable fishing.

It was the best trout fishing of my life.

Don Rotsma and Rick Jorgensen are really veteran trout guys so it was like fishing with guides every day.

I see why we have so many people come in getting ready to head for Montana every summer. Some of them have never bought a CA fishing license?

[bp]

Rick

i am in Ketchum right now, Monday 7/30 and will be here through Wednesday. would be really wild to maybe hook up.

which days fishing and where here in Ketchum/Hailey? i will check a reply here and you can pm me if you want.

Brent

[Rick J]

Brent - sorry I missed you - no access to BB while on the road so did not get your message until my return.

Silver Creek was really tough this year - the hatches were early so the tricos were really winding down when we got there and were SMALL Size 24 to 26 which is probably 1 to 2 sizes smaller than normal. The Callibaetis were also small - 18's and 20's. Even so, I had one of my best days ever on the creek using a size 24 comparadun tric followed by a size 20 Callibaetis spinner. The next day (day before leaving) was similar in bugs and conditions but less wind and I could not buy a grab until very late AM when I managed a couple of cruising fish on the Callibaetis. The 7x looked like cable on the still water. The water was also very low with lots of heavy weeed beds which made access and drifts tough!

The weather was also squirrly!! Only 2 nights did we get a good hatch and spinner fall and 2 nights were so windy we could barely cast and saw few if any bugs.

Still hands down this is my all time favorite fishing (as much as I enjoy the salt water game and steelhead with a 2-hander). So until next year - back to tying size 26 trics.

Here are two photos - first of the tric spinners and second jsut a nice shot of the creek with a few fishing rising

[Blane]

From the pics you were fishing pretty low(near Purdy) did you fish the conservancy at all? The bugs seemed to be larger a bit up the creek.

[Rick J]

Brent - we used to fish the Conservancy all the time but the last fe years the crowds have driven us down to Purdy's below the bridge where we have the area more to ourselves - it is all out of tubes (without fins). Great hatches down here and fewer people

Rick

[bp]

Rick

sorry we could not hook up was in town on business and only got to sneak out to the Big Wood. had pretty good success just wading likely water in and around both Haley and Ketchum.

Hopper dropper for a total of a dozen fish or so. couple of 15's and rest pretty small. wild cutts and cuttbows can really tug the string for their size though.

bp

[SteelieD]

Looks and sounds like a great place. FYI - there is an article on Silver Creek in this months (July/August) NW Flyfishing magazine.