Earlier this year, both Idaho Fish and Game (IDF&G) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) predicted poor steelhead returns in 2025. The good news is that this year's steelhead A-run is the largest in the last 10 years! The bad news is that if you compared it to the previous 10 years, this year would be the worst. A telling example of how much our steelhead returns have changed.  Here is an article by Idaho Fish and Game about the early A-Run. A more in depth update is expected by the end of August.

One good thing about dams is they provide points to count fish passage, which is very helpful to track the size and progress of the steelhead run (once steelhead make it over Lower Granite, the last dam on the lower Snake River--below Lewiston--there are no in-river counting stations). It is worth learning to use the DART Adult Fish Passage webpage, which is where many of the graphs in this article were created. Here is a graph that shows steelhead over Bonneville Dam, the first dam on the Columbia River. It compares our current 2025 run (as of 8/23) to last year and the two decades before it.  Some things to note:

• The 2024 run was better than the last 10 year average--especially the B run.
  
  
• The 2025 A-Run is better than 2024! The B run is just getting started.
  
  
• Look at how much the 10 year average has dropped!

But let's focus on the good news--there are lots of steelhead to go chase this Fall! Now for a little on the when, where, and how. In this article I’m going to give some background on the steelhead’s lifecycle, walk you through the migration of the A run to give you some good ideas about where to fish when, and then talk some about fly choice and presentation. The B run fish haven’t entered the Columbia in big numbers yet so it’s too early to know how that run will be, but these concepts all apply to B run fish as well.

STEELHEAD LIFECYCLE

Steelhead are anadromous: born in freshwater, migrate to sea as smolts, feed and grow (LARGE!), then return to spawn—and unlike salmon that die after spawning, steelhead can survive to return again the next year (keep this factoid in mind when you read the section on choosing a fly). Wild steelhead typically spend 2–3 years in freshwater before smolting and the annual wild smolt output varies with spawner abundance and freshwater conditions. Hatchery programs rear fish to smolt size on a set schedule and release fairly consistent numbers each spring.

Steelhead have many life histories and spend different amounts of time in the ocean and migrate at different times. A-run steelhead typically spend 1 year in the ocean and enter the Columbia river first, typically starting in early June and going through the end of August. The B-run typically spends 2 years in the ocean and enters the Columbia river after the A-run, with some overlap, generally from mid-August to the end of October. While most of the steelhead runs each stay in ocean the same amount of time, there is a subset of each run that stays in the ocean an extra year, which makes for an even bigger fish! Last year, 2 ocean fish were an unusually large part of the A-run. This year early PIT tag data looks like a good third or more of the A-run is 2 ocean fish, so we will again have some bigger than normal steelhead.  Here is a good article from IDF&G that talks more about the A vs B run steelhead.

TIMING THE RUN

To catch a steelhead you have to find where they are, which changes as the season progresses and steelhead migrate upstream to their natal areas to spawn. The river is their highway, and their journey up the Columbia river starts in June-August and they will spawn in May: That's nearly a year in fresh water! And for those steelhead that spawn upstream of Stanley, their migration will take them over 900 miles! 

On their journey, steelhead swim around 4 dams on the Columbia river and 4 dams on the lower Snake river before they make it to a free flowing river at Lewiston.  Travel up the Columbia goes pretty quickly as the historic big rapids are essentially gone—drowned by reservoirs.  

Thermal Blocks

[edit after IDFG update comes out and add relevant info. Put thermal block diagram beside text. ] Two things will slow down or stop their migration. 1) A thermal block of water that is warmer than 72°F or colder than 40°F;  and 2) Flows that are too low to safely move upstream.  Here is a graph of fish passage and water temperature at the John Day Dam (taken from a different year) that shows how fish passage stops when water gets too warm and how it resumes when the water temperatures drop.

The A-run is primarily headed up the Snake and Salmon rivers. Here is a map that shows where A-run steelhead are headed on the Snake and Salmon rivers (in Idaho).  Once steelhead enter the free-flowing Main Snake river above Lewiston, the difficulty of travel increases significantly. River gradients get steeper and the rapids get harder for them to negotiate, which slows their progress.  And as water temperatures drop, so does their metabolism which reduces their migration speed.  While migrating, Steelhead try to take the easiest path up a river and like to travel up secondary seams of the river, often close to the bank. Sometimes you will see them rolling/porpoising along the surface, almost like they are visually using the bank as their guide.  Studies have shown that steelhead will travel at night, but tend to hold up below navigational hazards, like a rapid, and resume moving when there is enough light for them to safely negotiate the hazard (remember this factoid, as it will come up later).

While traveling the highway they pause to rest.  In July and August, water temperatures on much of the Columbia river are near the upper thermal limits for steelhead and can stall their upstream migration. Steelhead often seek thermal refuge at the mouths of cooler tributaries and frequently swim up a few miles into those tributaries to cool off (yet another factoid to remember.)

Other classic resting areas are: Below side tributaries; Below rapids (big and small) or even river-wide shallow gravel bars; Tailouts above those rapids; Large boulder fields and ledge-rock.  Years ago a friend and I strapped a GoPro to some bait-divers and backed the camera down some runs on the Clearwater river. We rarely saw fish in the main parts of the run (where you would typically swing a fly) but when the camera went over a short section of ledge rock we would always see steelhead holding there!  The lesson: STRUCTURE = HOLDING FISH. NO STRUCTURE = TRANSIENT FISH THAT ARE ON THE MOVE.

1) Migration: June - September

During this time the A-run steelhead travel 325 miles up the Columbia, then 140 miles up the lower Snake river to Lewiston. They start arriving in good numbers at Lewiston by the end of August. Once steelhead make it to Lewiston, their migration gets stalled by the warmer (over 72°F) water temperatures of the Snake river coming through Hells Canyon. During this time, many steelhead move up into cooler water of the lower Clearwater river, which typically is running in the mid 50°s--thanks to the cold water coming out of Dworshak reservoir at Orofino. These few weeks while steelhead are holding over in the lower Clearwater can provide a good opportunity to go fishing—although be careful as the Clearwater is typically running high at that time of year to help cool off the Columbia river for fish migration. 

[Possibly add something about the lower snake river thermal block if it is still in place, and/or if IDF&G's update talks about it]

2) Migration: September - November

In early September the Snake river cools enough for steelhead to resume their migration upstream, and it is GAME ON for the Snake!  Once steelhead start up the Snake, they have many possible destinations up different tributaries.  In this article I am talking about their journey to the furthest destination in the upper Salmon river, but many will take a different path and go up tributaries like the Grande Ronde, Imnaha, Little Salmon, the South Fork or Middle Fork of the Salmon rivers.  

It is about 50 miles to get to the Salmon river, or 110 miles to get to Hells Canyon Dam. Historically steelhead swam up the Snake river much further including up the Boise river, but sadly, the Hells Canyon dam does not have a fish ladder.  Once in the Salmon river, steelhead have another 85 miles to get to Riggins, and they typically show up in force there in early to mid-October. From Riggins they have another 150 miles to get to the upper Salmon river below North Fork Idaho where most of them will pause their migration until Spring as the main Salmon river above North Fork (after the middle fork and north fork flows are gone) is too shallow in the Fall for them to feel comfortable moving any further. This causes steelhead to accumulate in the 40 miles between the Middle Fork and North Fork of the Salmon river, which can make for good fishing until the water temps drop.

3) Migration: December - April

Over the winter, steelhead will hold in the deeper slower water section of the Salmon river below North Fork called "Deadwater". After ice-out in late winter, steelhead will resume their journey to their spawning grounds. From the North Fork it is 86 miles to Challis and another 55 miles to Stanley. Depending on the ice out date, steelhead typically make it to Stanley the last week of March.

One closing note on this migration example. As steelhead find the tributary of their natal water, if flows are low then they will often hold in the main-stem river above or below it and wait for increased flows in the spring to make their last mad-dash to their spawning grounds.

WATER FLOWS AND TEMPERATURE

Two things that can make or break your steelhead trip are water flows and water temperatures. I have had seasons when the run was below average but we have good migration conditions that made for excellent fishing. And there have been times when there were excellent runs but we had poor migration conditions and fishing wasn't very good.

Steelhead are cold blooded, and just like trout their behavior will change as water temperatures rise and fall.  Steelhead are on a journey to their home waters and will continue moving until water temperatures drop below 40 degrees or they run into low water conditions.  Steelhead are also influenced by increases in water flows after a rainstorm (which we call a Freshette).  Freshettes cause steelhead's metabolism to rev-up and makes them want to move upstream and increases their interest in your fly! Conversely, extended periods of low flows causes their metabolism to drop, they tend to hold and can become "stale" and less interested in your fly.

One of the things to watch out for is the "dreaded drop" of water temperatures in late Fall--usually November--where we get a cold snap and water temperatures drop sharply below 40 degrees. This signals to steelhead it is time to prepare to over-winter, and they move to deeper, slower runs for the winter. It takes them a couple of weeks to acclimate to the colder water temperatures after which they are again more receptive to your fly.  During this time of year, an increase of a degree or two of water temperature can increase the fish's metabolism enough to get them to take your fly. Thus, it can pay to fish later in the the day when water is the warmest.

For example, last year was the best B run in many years, but we had a dry October and the Clearwater ran low for much of the Fall and steelhead didn't move upstream very well. The BVFF Clearwater outing was 40 miles up the Clearwater by Orofino, and we had very slow fishing. The day after the outing, Brian Martin and Dave Asker went out with a guide who wisely took them to fish the river closer to Lewiston and Dave hooked into a BIG B RUN fish. Given the conditions (a low water Fall with no freshettes), I think we all would have been better off taking the time to drive downstream to find fish.

Later that season I was fishing on the upper Clearwater around Kamiah. Fishing was decent, but then we had a cold snap and fishing turned OFF.  Jeff Jones and I decided to go downstream and fish below Orofino, as the water temperatures were warmer there (because of the influence of Dworashak outflow). And it paid off with this nice fish! Here is a graph that shows the "Dreaded Drop" last fall, and how water temperatures are warmer below Orofino/Dworshak.

CHOOSING AND PRESENTING YOUR FLY

There is much debate about why steelhead take a fly. A few years ago, steelhead guide Tom Larimer wrote the excellent article Why Steelhead Eat Flies in Fly Fisherman Magazine, which is worth reading. In it, Tom talks about the “Chase Response”, the “Curiosity Response” and the “Food and Nourishment Response”.  Here are some of my thoughts on Why Steelhead Eat Flies and some important lessons I've learned about presentation.

1) The Food / Nourishment Response

I think the food/nourishment response is under-rated, as most anglers believe steelhead have stopped eating. As I mentioned earlier, Steelhead have a different lifecycle than salmon that allow them to return to the ocean after spawning vs dying like salmon. This makes them genetically programmed to eat along their long journey (this is more true of our Summer Steelhead, which spend a long time in fresh water vs the Winter Steelhead who have relatively short journeys up coastal rivers and enter the river "ready to spawn").  For fly fishermen, the food/nourishment response is something we can use to our advantage by using food-like flies. Especially if we target water where food items are available for steelhead to eat, such as below riffle heads and side streams.

One early experience that got me thinking about "food flies" for steelhead is fishing the Clearwater during the summer while I was going to school at UofI for my Masters in the mid 90s (which is when I really got bitten by the steelhead bug).  I was out trout fishing with a friend, tumbling and swinging a woolly worm through riffles.  We were catching good numbers of trout and then WHAM! I had a big grab that broke me off.  I tied on heavier tippet and a fresh woolly worm and soon had a hot bright steelhead on!

I know many steelhead anglers who have a favorite fly and fish it all day long, all season long. This is an efficient strategy as it minimizes down-time, but I feel it is short sited. In order take the fly, the fish must see it. Underwater visibility varies throughout the day, and seasonally with rainstorm events. Purple works well in low light and is a great first and last light color to use, but it might not be the best color when the sun gets overhead or the water is off-colored. Trout guide and streamer expert Kelly Galloup has a great streamer searching strategy that varies colors to find what fish are going to react to. If he gets no action in 15 minutes, he changes flies. From bright to dull, flashy to natural, etc. While I think switching flies for steelhead every 15 minutes may not be appropriate, I do think that switching it up is worthwhile. As a reinforcing example, early in my steelhead fishing years,  I spent a lot of time pulling plugs. We would run 4 plugs out of the driftboat, each a different color. When one color got bit, we would change out other plugs to that color and then BAM! The other plugs start getting some action.  I had the same experience tossing spinners--matching the color to the light and water conditions was key to consistently hooking up. 

A few food items to keep in mind as you choose your fly.

• Minnows and small baitfish are common in riffles--a good case for a muddler minnow or a Green Butt Skunk. 
  
  
• If your river has stoneflies of any kind, FISH THEM! Dead drift or swing a Prince Nymph. Some rivers get a short-wing "mutant stone" that is primarily nocturnal Watch for their shucks on the cobble by riffles, and if you see them consider tying on a tan foam skater at last light.
  
  
• October caddis are common on many steelhead streams and make a good skater--especially at last light. 
  
  
• If you happened to be fishing water that has spawning chinook salmon, on years when there are a lot of Chinook, steelhead can get keyed into Chinook eggs. It pays to fish an egg sucking leech during this time!  
  
  
• Several times in the spring I have had steelhead key in on a March Brown hatch.  Be prepared with some olive-brown soft hackle flies.
  

2) Curiosity and Chase Response

In addition to the food/nourishment response, try to use the steelhead’s curiosity and chase instincts to your advantage. I feel like the Steelhead's curiosity response to attractor-style flies is similar to a cutthroat trout, which are notorious for liking colorful flies.  The cutthroat's "wide search engine" for food stems from living in waters that often do not have prolific bug hatches, so they learn to investigate anything that looks like food.  I think steelhead are similar because they are constantly swimming upstream into new watersheds with different conditions and have to be adaptable in what they eat.

I have talked to several steelhead guides who describe watching steelhead follow their client’s fly, almost like the fish are in a trance. If the client mends their line during this time and the fly pauses, then the steelhead stops following it. Steelhead guide Dennis Dickson described presenting your fly like pulling yarn across the carpet in front of a kitten, who would watch the yarn intently, but quickly lose interest if you stopped moving it. Dec Hogan described watching the reaction of steelhead in a holding pen as he flipped pennies into the tank. He said the first penny got a number of steelhead to come investigate. The second penny only a couple of fish came to look, and by the third penny, no steelhead reacted. These are a great examples to think about as you present your fly. You want the fish to see your fly and be curious.

I have been guided by Tom Larimer and he emphasized for me to think about 1) Where the fish might be (along a traveling seam, in front of a boulder, etc); 2) Where my fly was going to land; and 3) Work on activating my fly (bring it to life with motion) where the fish would see it. This is similar to the Leisenring Lift presentation where you let the current activate the fly and let it rise and escape from the trout, which triggers their chase instinct. Tom taught me to focus on actively presenting my fly to the fishy-zones vs just blindly bombing out long casts and letting them swing all the way across. I’ve used this strategy quite successfully at times working a traveling seam or by splatting down a big fly near boulders at the head of the run and then swinging the fly away. The SPLAT gets the steelhead’s attention (like a small fish that rose to the surface) and the fleeing motion triggers their chase response.

One other presentation aspect that Tom taught me is to think about where the sun is and to not present your fly such that the steelhead have to look into the sun to see or follow it. Look for runs to fish where you have some shade, or the sun is to the side or behind the fish. That will help them see and track the fly. Another good option when the sun is bright overhead is to fish choppy water that breaks the sun's intensity, or strap on a sink tip and fish deeper water.

3) Late Season

After ice out and steelhead resume their migration upstream, their behavior changes to be focused on finding a mate, fending off rival steelhead and procreating. At this time they are less likely to forage for food and more likely to react to an intruder invading their space. Swinging a larger profile bright pink fly in front of a ruddy buck can result in a smashing grab! Although they aren't actively feeding as they approach spawning time, they still will respond to an egg pattern drifted into their lie, as steelhead and salmon have a natural instinct to pick up that egg and remove it from their nesting area. And while they have the egg in their mouth… SET THE HOOK!!!

4) Look For Rest Stops

Steelhead are much less likely to take a fly when they are on the move. While they’re traveling they prioritize miles, not mouthfuls. I like to think about it like standing on the interstate, waving a free twinkie at a truck driver who is zooming by. They love twinkies, but they're not going to stop the truck for one. On the other hand, if you try to hand out free twinkies at a rest-stop you will have much better luck! Steelhead are the same way. Present your fly at a rest-stop where the fish has paused, and you're more likely to find a willing fish. Key spots to focus on are at riffle heads and tailouts—especially above and below a bit of a rapid at first or last light (I particularly like fishing the "armpit" inside seam, right below the riffle); Boulders and ledge-rock; and my favorite--below a side tributary. Side tributaries are a magic spot because they bring in cool, fresh water that steelhead want to stop and smell to determine if it's their natal water (there are numerous studies that document this behavior). And the water below tributaries tends to have a lot of natural food items, perfect for imitating with your fly!

5) First / Last Light

Time of day matters for a steelhead fly fisherman. While a gear fisherman can work a team of diving plugs along a traveling seam and get an aggressive response from the steelhead in the middle of the day, it is easy for them to ignore our fly. Traveling steelhead will accumulate through the night below a rapid and wait for morning to navigate it. Fishing these spots at first (and last) light means you have a better chance to present your fly to a resting fish-- And a resting fish is a much more willing target than a traveling fish. Once they are on the move you have to play the game of finding them and hoping they are resting and not moving.

This point has been driven home by my experiences fishing on the Grande Ronde in the fall, where setting up camp below a rapid has paid major dividends. Fishing is great at first light as the steelhead that have stacked up and rested below are ready for a quick breakfast before they resume their upstream journey.  It has also been a very observable phenomenon in the Spring on the upper Salmon River by Stanley and the upper South Fork of the Clearwater river, as you spend a lot of time walking the banks and spotting steelhead to fish to.  Early in the morning you can sit on a high bank above a rapid and watch the "targets" appear in the tail-out below.

GET OUT THERE!

I hope this article has motivated you to get out and chase some Steelhead this Fall. Consider joining BVFF’s Steelhead Outing on the Clearwater river, October 15-19.

When you go to tie on your fly, think about the water you are fishing, and Why a steelhead might take it.  Do more than just "Huck and Hope"! Remember to target resting water; Cast deliberately and fish your fly. And make sure to check out Scott Blackhurst’s article on tying the Green Butt Skunk. It’s a confidence fly for myself and many other anglers. Tie some up and get out there! Remember to keep your hooks sharp, and keep your fish wet.

RESOURCES

Here are some good resources to help you prepare for going fishing.

• Joe Dupont from the Lewiston Idaho Fish and Game office just released his fall Steelhead update. <Add when available, or link last years  https://idfg.idaho.gov/article/idahos-steelhead-update-8282024>
  
  
• As I mentioned earlier, the DART Adult Fish Passage website is a great place to check on the steelhead and salmon run status (https://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/query/adult_graph_text).
  
  
• IDF&G has a nice summary graph of steelhead counts .
  
  
• One way to get an idea of where the steelhead run is at, is to use Idaho Fish and Game's steelhead harvest report. It will show you where people are fishing, what the catch rates are, and give you water temperatures. In the spring you can also check IDF&G's hatchery return page to get an idea of when steelhead start showing up there.
  
  
• IDF&G's Salmon river region has some great information about steelhead fishing on the upper Salmon river. Their Steelhead Pocket Guide is one of the best resources I have ever seen on the subject. . It is also worth following them on Facebook as they are good about posting updates 
  
  
• It helps to check water flows and temperatures before you go. BVFF has a good "Steelhead Waters" page that shows you current and forecast flows. Paying attention to river flows is one key to successful steelheading. Here is something I wrote about Hydrographs for Steelhead in a Hackle Bender many years ago. 

Some books that will elevate your steelhead fishing game. Yes, some of them are focused at gear fishing. Ignore that aspect--they have key insights into steelhead fishing.

1. Dec Hogan's "A Passion For Steelhead". Read it cover to cover, then read it again!
   
   

2. John Larison's book, "The Complete Steelheader", will up your game! Some of the best information on advanced presentations you will find. 

3. Lani Waller's "A Steelheader's Way". This is where it all started. Read it--it will take you back in time.
   

4. Boise's own (and friend of BVFF) Rick Williams' book "Managed Extinction" is a MUST READ to understand what has happened to Steelhead and Salmon in the Pacific Northwest. It's jaw-dropping and heart-breaking at times, but a rare look into the system that is failing our fish.  Here is a short review of that book.

5. Bill Herzog's "Color Guide to Steelhead Drift Fishing". This book has one of the best descriptions of how steelhead behave in different water temperatures than anything else I've ever read.
   
   
6. Dave Mangers book "Striking Steelhead". This is a plugging book, but written about fishing the Clearwater river. There are some key lessons and a few secrets in here worth your time.

The Deadly Pause

By Ted Eisele

Think back: How many times have you paused while retrieving your nymph or streamer and then immediately had a fish hit? Or, had a hit the moment you resumed the retrieve?

It’s a technique that’s worth including in your fly retrieval repertoire. It’s what I call “the deadly pause,” and it pays off in both lakes and streams.”

(Reprinted with permission from Salmon Trout Steelheader magazine.)

Read the full article by opening the following attachment:

The Deadly Pause STS articlePDF.pdf

Dave’s Strategy Session

by Dave Shuldes, shuldesd@gmail.com

The Arctic Grayling Challenge

One of many challenges that Boise Valley Fly Fishers offers to our members each year is the Idaho Arctic Grayling club. Details are listed at this link: Idaho Arctic Grayling Challenge.

There are currently 9 BVFF Grayling Club members, including Mike Mclean, Tom Old, Tim Old and George Butts from 2019-2023. At our BVFF club meeting in March, Jim Kazakoff recognized the new 2024 additions including Patti Bantam, Jill Bradley, Greg Hitchcock, Johnny Rogers and Lisa Szentes. Congratulations to all!

In short, the challenge is to catch, photograph and release an Arctic Grayling in Idaho. These beautiful fish with their neon blue sail fins are planted by the Idaho Department of Fish & Game (IDFG) in Alpine lakes throughout the state. Stocking locations and schedule can be found here:

1. Where have Arctic Grayling been stocked by IDF&G LINK
2. Where have Arctic Grayling been observed in SW Idaho LINK

A tip for our statewide members; the search linked above was set for SW Idaho. You will note that you can check off all the regions of the state you are interested in to expand the results for your area of interest.

During our planning for our annual backpacking trips, my hiking partners and I often research the stocking schedule for our destinations so we know what to expect. The Frank Church Wilderness, McCall area and Sawtooth Mountains are all good targets. These lakes are usually quite remote, so we often schedule an initial day to pack in and establish a base camp, then day hike to the lakes, which may contain Grayling and other uncommon species, such as Golden Trout and or Tiger Trout. Once established these species can over winter for years in the same high elevation lakes. Many of these lakes are unnamed and can only be referenced by their altitude.

Finding the location of Grayling is the key. Once you’ve found your target, the fishing strategy is similar to alpine lakes cutthroat and rainbows. I use a four or five weight rod, floating or sink tip line, a 9 foot leader and 4X or 5X tippet. My favorite fly patterns are a Gartside Sparrow pattern customized with black Krystal Flash in the tail and pointing toward the hook tip from the eye, or a customized Prince Nymph with olive brown goose biots. Hook size is #10, 2X long. I start with a 3 or 4mm tungsten bead head in bronze or olive, and finish with a subtle collar of red thread just behind the bead.

In the right conditions (generally low to no wind) Arctic Grayling will also feed readily on surface flies. A #14 or #16 Elk Hair Caddis, Renegade, or Flying Ant pattern will usually do the trick. When casting, I generally seek out deeper water. Underneath deep ledges and pockets behind boulders are common hangouts.

These Grayling, living in pristine water conditions, will live for many years if treated well. Use of barbless hooks and photographing the fish while they remain in the water are strongly recommended. Catching these relatively rare, colorful species in our Alpine lakes are one of the many delights of fishing in Idaho. There are relatively few places throughout the US and around the world where the right combination of wilderness preservation and wildlife management provide us with these fishing opportunities. We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful state!

Always bring the 10 essentials, travel with a partner, and be prepared for extreme changes in weather at these altitudes which often exceed 8,000 feet in elevation. Tight lines & good luck with the Grayling challenge!

Idaho Arctic Grayling Challenge

Fun and Games!
by Michael Elsden, Fly Casting Program Lead

March 22nd saw our first ‘Casting Social’ and I’m happy to report that it was very well received by hardy club members who bravely turned out on a windy afternoon. The purpose behind this first event was to have some fun with casting games, get to know each other better, and discuss upcoming casting related activities.

So what precisely is the point of Casting Games? At its most basic, it’s a way of practicing fundamentals with an added element of challenge and fun. Joan Wulff talks about ‘Picking Leaves’ where you select a leaf on a tree and cast until you hit it. Challenging and fun to do, but has the underlying purpose of developing loop control, accuracy, and hand/eye coordination. My own version of ‘tree oriented’ practice requires you to walk through a wooded area while keeping a fly in the air, sometimes casting sideways, always being aware of what’s in front and behind. For added fun, hold your favorite beverage in your line hand while walking/casting and if you make it through the trees without tangling or spilling, you can take a drink and start over.

                                                        

The ‘Roll, Baby Roll’ game (pictured above) is one I learned from Australian master casting instructor, Peter Hayes. Fiendishly fun, the purpose is to throw tight roll cast loops that will gradually wrap around the planted pool noodle. As the noodle gets more and more wraps, you get close to the target which is where you reverse and start unwrapping (and backing up). This develops tight and focused roll cast loops on both left and right sides.

These are all examples of ‘task based learning’. There’s a challenge, or task, that requires building and honing particular skills in order to complete the game. Fun! One idea we are working on is Fly Casting Golf where we select a Frisbee Golf course and instead of flinging a plastic disc, we cast at each target. Sometimes it will be a distance cast, other times roll casting because you are up against a tree, or maybe curve casting around an obstacle…

How about creating your own fly casting games? We’d love to hear your ideas, bring them along to the next Casting Social.

The BVFF website is filled with information about our Education, Conservation, and Access missions as well as our annual fishing Outings. Other information that you might find helpful includes contact information (email and telephone) for other members. You might wish to contact a BOD member or Officer, or someone you met at our member meeting to connect and have coffee or go fishing.

To learn how to access this information, follow this presentation:

BVFF Membership Hackle Bender Website Wonderings Member Contact Info.pptx

Only active BVFF members can access the contact information. Please be respectful of the privacy of our members and do not share this with anyone outside of BVFF.

For Publishing in the January 2025 BVFF Hackle Bender

Dave’s Strategy Session

by Dave Shuldes: shuldesd@gmail.com

The Back End of the Game

Among the many delights of fly fishing strategy are choosing where and when to fish, presentation of the fly, and landing a fish once hooked. Gear preparation is critical and it all starts with the front end – fly rod, line type, tippet selection, fly patterns, etc. The back end – reel, drag setting, and backing condition – is rarely on my priority list. Too often I consider the reel to mostly be a “line holder”, an oversight I recently came to regret.

On the front end I generally match the tippet to the size of fly – 6X for hook sizes 22 and smaller, 5X for sizes 16-20, 4X for sizes 10-14, 3X for size 8 or larger. I use nylon tippet for dries and fluorocarbon for nymphs and streamers. Anticipated size and weight of fish are another factor, but I rarely plan ahead on playing fish larger than 20 inches. A shout out to Cortland Ultra-Premium Fluorocarbon tippet as I find it has proven to have less risk of breaking off in smaller diameters – 5X and 4X in particular. I used to be big on use of 9-foot tapered leaders but these days the Airflo Polyleader in its various models, from the 6.5 and 8 ft. floating versions to the various sink rates, has allowed me to tie a single strand of tippet from the tippet ring to the fly. Less knots make for less potential weak points! This has improved my success in landing fish.

The “back end” has fewer nuances to it but it can become essential. As an example, I was fishing an alpine lake in the Pioneer mountains this past fall, targeting Arctic Grayling with good success. I was fishing a variation of a prince nymph pattern in size 10 with a red collar, 3mm olive tungsten bead, brown olive ice dub, olive goose biots and Krystal Flash in the tail. With this set up a floating line and leader was working well. The heavy beaded fly with 8 feet of 4X tippet was all I needed to gain plenty of depth. 16-18 inch grayling were finding it frequently and these fish were easy to play to the net.

Then, with my line already cast out, a long torpedo of a rainbow suddenly emerged into view, swimming directly toward me along the near shoreline. I carefully maneuvered my fly to be visible in front of the fish. Once it saw the fly there was no hesitation. Something I love about alpine lake’s clear water is we can often see it all happen right in front of us!

The initial run after the hook set took the fish a good 20 yards away where it leapt into the air. At that moment I had a memorable, spectacular look at the specimen. Next was a run toward the center of the relatively shallow lake like I have never experienced before. The line was quickly out into the backing and I started to tighten the drag. Here’s a tough decision… how much drag is too much? What setting will allow too much line to escape vs. creating too much torque, resulting in a broken knot or hook release? The tippet strength rating was definitely less than the fish weight, I thought, so I erred on the light side, relying on my backing length to hold out.

Then my lack of preparation came into play. With more than 50% of the backing off the reel, it reached a spot deep in the arbor where the backing had overlapped on itself. The increased resistance was just sudden enough and strong enough that the fish was able to pull itself away from the hook. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I was out of breath. I slowly reeled back in… leader, tippet, knots and fly were all still intact.

I later checked stocking records for that particular lake and learned that Troutlodge Triploid Rainbows had been stocked there 8 years prior in 2016. Whew… I’ll never forget this long-time resident who took advantage of my oversight in not checking my backing for a smooth release. Could I have salvaged a landing with a tighter drag setting? I’ll never know… but I’ve replayed it many times in my mind. That’s the experience of fly fishing. The fish that win the game can be the most memorable. In the meantime, I’ve been through my reels and re-wound the backing, and I’ll now be doing that with my main reel of intended use before each trip!

For Inclusion in the Hackle Bender, Winter Issue, January 2025, Education Eddy

Casting Skills Development at Boise Valley Fly Fishers

I want to take this opportunity in the first edition of the new year to introduce myself. Brian asked me to step up when Don and Joy decided to take a well-deserved break from heading up Casting Skills Development at BVFF. Many thanks to them for everything they’ve contributed over the years. Big shoes for me to fill!

Some of you might recognize a slight accent as I’m from someplace east of here. I’m fairly new to Idaho, having moved here a year ago, so I’m definitely a novice when it comes to Idaho waters. Feel free to educate me! I do love fly casting, however… and I also love to teach. I passed my FFI Casting Instructor exam back in 2018 and the following year completed the Joan Wulff Casting Instructor School. I gotta tell you, Joan, despite being tiny and (now) late nineties, could strike fear into your very soul. Somehow, you can sense when she’s looking at your casts… then, when you turn around, she’s walking toward you (oh no)… and when she gets next to you and says, ‘what ARE you doing!?’ - boom! ---> crushed.

So, what do I see happening at BVFF in regard to casting skills development? We will continue to hold events for the excellent FFI casting skills program - foundation, bronze, silver, and gold. I’d love it if we got several through the gold level, as that expands our available team for future challenge events. In addition, Brian and I are thinking up some fun ‘casting socials’ for all skill levels where we can have informal casting ‘games’ aimed at building skills and camaraderie. We are open to suggestions too, so please let us know if you have any ideas. How about fly casting ‘golf’?

I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2025, and please stop by to say ‘hi’ at the expo later this month.

Michael Elsden

Hackle Bender Editor and Publisher – Each January, April, July, and October 1, publishes the Hackle Bender using MailChimp or another Board approved platform, receives and edits articles from individuals to include in the publication, produces articles, stays abreast of BVFF activities by communicating with committee chairpersons and publishes noteworthy information, etc.

Access Committee Chairperson - oversees all activities/projects assigned by the Board, sets monthly(?) meeting dates, reports monthly to the Board on progress for each activity/project, directly manages or delegates projects, researches and determines all public fisheries in the Boise River watershed and assesses current access and access needs, etc.

Education Committee Chairperson - oversees all activities/programs for our Education mission and as assigned by the Board, sets monthly(?) meeting dates, reports monthly to the Board on progress for each activity/program, directly manages or delegates programs, researches educational topics and opportunities, and develops programs beneficial to our members and the public, etc.

Outings Committee Chairperson - oversees all monthly outings, the Yea Buddy/Member Meetup program, and any other outing assigned by the Board, sets monthly(?) meeting dates, reports monthly to the Board on progress for each outing and needs, directly manages or delegates outings, ensures that all outings are posted to the BVFF website in a timely manner, researches new fisheries for outings, plans outings well ahead of time (one year suggested), timely communicates the planned outings with the Monthly Membership Meeting Presentations/Demonstrations Lead to coordinate presenter topics with the upcoming outing, etc.

Communications Committee Chairperson – oversees IT/AV, Publications (Quarterly Hackle Bender and Monthly Member Update (except when Hackle Bender is published), Marketing (BVFF Website, Expo Website, Social Media Outreach/Postings) and any other related items assigned by the Board, sets monthly(?) meeting dates, reports monthly to the Board on progress and needs, directly produces content or delegates responsibilities, etc.

Individuals to participate on each established committee – participates in monthly committee meetings, manages/completes activities/projects assigned (they volunteer to do this rather than be assigned?) by chairperson, etc.

Substitute Instructors for Fundamentals of Fly Fishing Program Classes – teaches one of the four classes that have been developed for this program. Communicates with the class developer to obtain class syllabus and maintain consistency in materials/information presented. Primary instructors who developed a class and the classes are:

Brady Kallas – Equipment - Rods, Reels, Fly Line, Leaders, and Tippet

Troy Pearse – Entomology (and Imitative Flies)

Joy Knickrehm – Fishing Knots

Tom Governale? – How to Fly Fish (Now that I know all this stuff, what do I do with it? Where do I find the fish and how do I catch them?

When headed out fishing, it is helpful to understand the weather and water conditions, so you can be prepared as well as make smart and safe decisions.

For weather, I find NOAA’s forecasts the most accurate for our area and includes forecasts for the “Dreaded W”. I use the app “NOAA Weather Unofficial” which gives an hour-by-hour temperature, “W” and precipitation forecast that is very useful. Here is an example that shows when a recent storm is expected to stop raining. (Update: Looks like this is an Android only app--sorry. Here is a link to the app developer's page.)

Another handy tool for checking the weather is the Bureau of Reclamation’s Hydromet website which includes weather sites at many dams and rivers. For example, in the winter it’s nice to see when the air temperatures got above freezing the last few days, and it’s always good to see how much rain the Owyhee got before you head over, as larger rain events can cause a dry side canyon/creek to blowout.  

One tip about fishing in “the W”: It can be difficult, but river canyons like the SF Boise and Owhyee have protected areas that make it easier to cast, depending on the direction of the wind. Make a “W Plan” by paying attention to how much grass and tree movement you see when you’re driving along the river and make notes of these areas.

Understanding water flows and water temperatures is also very important. Spring runoff can make rivers dangerously high to fish and rainstorms can bring flows up on freestone rivers. The NOAA River Forecast page will give you an idea of how the river might come up from forecast precipitation and how the current river flows compare to the average (median) flows. Upcoming changes in dam outflows are also shown in the river forecast, which will let you know when flows are expected to change. Here is an example that shows when the Middle Fork of the Boise River will drop after our recent heavy rainstorm.

There are some good apps to track river flows. I like “Rivercast” and “Riverflows”. BVFF’s “Local Waters” web page is extremely helpful as it includes links to river flows, forecasts and water temperatures. As well as reservoir levels and Bureau of Reclamation’s Boat Ramp page that lets you know if you’ll be able to launch at your favorite boat ramp.  Bookmark it and make a habit of checking it before you head out on your fishing trip.

You can also sign up for USGS “Water Alerts” and get notifications for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose. For example, I have a water alert set for the SF Boise to let me know when flows have gone above or below 600cfs (note, to avoid duplicate notifications I set it for flows that are greater than 400 and less than 500 ft^3/s – daily). Similarly, I have an alert set on the Owyhee river for “Discharge is greater than 75 and less than 100 ft^3/s – daily”.

Knowing water temperatures can help you anticipate what bugs are hatching and help you choose where you want to fish. For example, in the early summer fishing the lower end of the MF Boise will have warmer water temperatures and better fishing. But by mid summer the lower MF Boise can get too warm for fishing and you’ll have better luck moving upstream to cooler waters. For more details on how to use water temperatures to improve your fishing, see this previous blog article .

Showing up at a river when it’s not in prime condition can ruin your fishing day. Spending a few minutes checking the river flows and forecasts will make you a more effective fisherman.

EXAMPLE FISHING CONDITION QUESTIONS

• What are the flows on the Boise River in town ?
• How will the MF Boise River respond to the rainstorm?
• Is the boat ramp in the water?
• What were air temperatures on the S.F. Boise yesterday?
• How much rain did the Owyhee river get last night?
• What are water temps in the Boise River in town? 
• What will "The W" be like on the SFB today?

Dave’s Strategy Session

The Flow of Fly Fishing

By Dave Shuldes

shuldesd@gmail.com

“The more I know, the less I understand. All the things I thought I knew, I’m learning again.”

Don Henley, The Heart of the Matter

The other day I nearly lost out on a memorable fish by giving up too soon. I was standing in a familiar drift on the Boise in town, tight line nymphing with a reliable #18 midge pattern. The technique and fly I was using had results for me in this run at this time of year countless times. I worked the run hard, several dozen drifts, and my busy mind told me it was time to move on.

Fortunately, I needed to add some tippet. While digging around in my sling,  a fly sitting on my foam pad stood out to me. It was a #14 caddis pupae pattern. Chartreuse and black “Houdini weave” abdomen with a green Ice Dub thorax.

I paused and relaxed for a minute. My first thought was “March… it’s still too early for caddis”…. (Pick up the story here) But then my intuition drifted to the recent weather pattern – a lot warmer than normal for this time of year. Well, it seems futile but why not? The first drift through the exact some run was just as the previous dozen casts… BAM! A heavy fish took me deep into the reel, almost to the backing. A delightful battle on what would never have happened had I acted on my habitual thought.

Whether it’s fly fishing, or nature in general, often what I think I know stands between an impatient move and allowing the flow of the situation – the river, the weather, the season, what I’m seeing and hearing – to guide the next decision. Being in a hurry to make things happen is all too frequently my frame of mind. I’m learning slowly in fishing (and in life) that slowing down can have good results.

Regarding strategy, I’ll always start my plan with my past experience and instincts. But flexibility is paramount – especially in shoulder seasons where entomology cycles are evolving. Weather changes and transitions in time of day also can change the game. As I write, runoff time is almost here, and the river flows are coming up. Other than our freestone streams, it’s time to gear up for spring stillwater season. Hope you enjoy the warming weather and all the options that Southwest Idaho fishing has to offer!