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Recreation
Fishing with Dry Flies Is Amazing on Silver Creek
Fly-fishing is a popular sport in Southern Idaho where trout are abundant.
Flies are a welcome sight in Southern Idaho. No‚ not house flies. These are fishing flies‚ especially the ones used to catch brown trout and rainbow trout along Silver Creek.
Fly-fishing involves casting artificial insect-looking lures made of hair‚ fur and feathers‚ and tied onto a hook with thread. These lightweight flies can either float on the water (dry flies)‚ partially submerge (emergers) or delve deeper below the surface (nymphs‚ steamers and wet flies).
In the case of dry flies‚ they float atop the water and look like delicious insects – such as grasshoppers‚ dragonflies and mayflies – to the fish.
“Dry fly-fishing is probably the most popular way to fish Silver Creek because of the interesting challenges it presents‚” says Doug Megargle‚ regional fishery manager for the Idaho Department of Fish & Game. “The creek is so clear that anglers can see the fish and the fish can see them‚ so it all becomes a battle of wits. Any bad cast in fly-fishing might scare the fish and drive them deeper into the water‚ so it really forces anglers to refine their casting technique.”
Megargle says the overall outdoor experience is the main reason why sportsmen come to Silver Creek.
“Pristine water‚ the challenge of dry fly-fishing and a relatively remote and tranquil atmosphere – you can’t beat it‚” he says. “Personally‚ catching two nice-sized trout in four hours on Silver Creek is more rewarding to me than catching 20 fish in one hour somewhere else.”
Megargle says the creek has little sediment and stable water levels for quality fishing on a year-round basis.
“There are 25-inch brown trout to catch – yes‚ they often get that large in this creek‚” he says. “As for the best places to dry fly fish in this part of Southern Idaho‚ I would suggest The Nature Conservancy or near the Point of Rocks‚ as well as near the Brown Drake Hatch. Those are probably three of the best spots I can suggest for catching a big trout.”
Megargle says Billingsley Creek is also a popular waterway to fish in the Hagerman area‚ although it has seen its share of difficult times lately.
“A lower water table due to little rain has recently affected fishing there‚ plus a lot of sediment seems to get stirred up‚” he says. “In addition‚ the narrowest part of the creek is where most of the fish live‚ and those narrow conditions are difficult for anglers to reach. But Billingsley still remains a popular spot to fish‚ although it is not in the same league with the excellent standards found at Silver Creek.”
Story by Kevin Litwin
Photo by Antony Boshier
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