Post by ShadowCaster on Aug 24, 2011 4:49:31 GMT 8
<Silver Creek>
There are several legendary Spring Creeks in North America known for their notoriously technical fly fishing and finicky trouts. The one that holds a special place in my heart is Silver Creek, just a 30 minute drive South of the resort town of Sun Valley Idaho. Besides the fabulously pristine fly fishing waters and challenging trouts, the allure of Silver Creek is established as the backyard of one of the greatest writer and sportsman of our time, Ernest Hemingway. Moreover, the ecology success story of the Nature Conservancy Society in preserving Silver Creek as a fly angler's and bird watcher's paradise since 1975 serve as an inspiration to outdoorsman and sportsmen like us. I had the privilege to spend a Sunday on Silver Creek recently. Although I'm now back at home in Singapore, part of me is still meandering down the bends of Silver Creek with the #24 tricos.....
<Silver Creek Rainbow on #24 Trico>
In mid to late 1930s, Ernest Hemingway was invited by the developer of Sun Valley resort to come and sample some of Idaho's hunting and fishing, and the word would quickly spread among outdoor writers and enthusiasts; Sun Valley was a paradise.
<Silver Creek valley>
Papa Hemingway was also told of the terrific duck and goose hunting on a placid spring creek about 20 or 30 miles south of Sun Valley. Silver Creek it was called, and he visited the creek often when staying in the valley, frequently taking his young son "Bumby" (Jack Hemingway) along. Years later, Jack Hemingway, having outgrown the childhood nickname, would spend much of his adult life living in the revered Wood River Valley of his youth. The younger Hemingway's presence in Sun Valley would also have a major impact on the long term prognosis for Silver Creek.
<Silver Creek 1>
<Silver Creek 3>
In 1975, the original owner of the Sun Valley resort began looking around for someone to buy him out, including the priceless Silver Creek land parcel. Jack Hemingway sensed that here was an opportunity to secure the future of a precious ecological resource, and he quickly organized a group to contact the Nature Conservancy. Six months later the Conservancy purchased the original 480 acres of the Silver Creek Preserve, and subsequently retired the debt by raising $500,000 from the private sector of citizens and business. That was only the beginning of great things to come. Fly fishermen, conservationists, bird lovers, and all naturalists near and far were assured that Silver Creek was forever protected from threats of development and misuse.
<Silver Creek Video : Click on image to play Video>
Seldom would any fly person rank Silver Creek below the top three in North America. Those that should know, the fish and game analysts, stream biologists, outdoor writers and fishery specialists rate Silver Creek on top. Small wonder. Silver Creek is extremely rich with mineral nutrients so essential to lush acquatic vegetation. As is common among spring creeks, with the profuse vegetation come the dense hordes of mayflies, caddis and stoneflies. Silver Creek is an ecologically unique, high-desert cold-spring system formed by springs that rise from underground aquifers. Perhaps the miracle of all this is that the public is allowed to use and enjoy almost the entire length of river at absolutely no charge. Fly fishing on Silver Creek is strictly on 100% Fly Fishing Catch-and-Release barbless hook only, and due to the lush underwater vegetation, most fish exclusively with dry flies.
<Silver Creek Underwater Vegetation Video : Click on image to play Video>
Considered by many to be the pure definition of a perfect spring creek, anyone who is serious about dry fly fishing will find his or her way to Silver Creek. It is, in many ways, a crafty stretch of water with even craftier trout.
<Silver Creek Rainbow Trout Underwater Video : Click on image to play Video>
Notwithstanding dramatic weather changes, hatches on Silver Creek are, extremely predictable and frustrating. Callibaetis mayflies, PMDs, Tricots, Baetis and emergers are regular fare for picky trout. Effective flies are those that matches the hatch PERFECTLY and their size ranges from #18s to almost-imperceptible #28s. Terrestrial patterns such hoppers and beetles may also work in the windy afternoon when the hatches slow.
<Silver Creek HookUp Video : Click on image to play Video>
The finicky and educated trout population demands long delicate leaders of 16 to 20 ft and often down 6x or 7x for the #28 flies. For my day on Silver Creek, the most productive flies on my leader was a #18 Baetis, and the staple were #22 to #24 tricos, mainly to match the morning hatches.
<Fighting Silver Creek Rainbow Video : Click on image to play Video>
<Silver Creek Rainbow>
While most part of Silver Creek are shallow enough for wading, the bottom vegetation and silt requires anglers to be on float tubes for better mobility. While the trouts did not spook easily perhaps due to the high fishing traffic since 1975, they are extremely demanding on a perfect matching of the hatch and a drag-free drift. All my sloppy casts and any drifts showing the slightest signs of drag were punished with refusals. Frequently, big educated trouts will rise continuously on the prolific Tricos and Callibaetis hatches within inches of my flies, but yet politely avoided my flies for countless drag-free drifts. I had clear views of their gentle and controlled rises from their lie, sipping tiny tricos so delicately and beautifully that my heart almost melted.
<Silver Creek Rainbow Underwater>
There are several other blue ribbon trout rivers within an hour drive of Silver Creek. Among the most well know and most accessible is the Big Wood River.
Unlike Silver Creek which is spring feed and meanders at about 100cfs, the Big Wood is a free stone river flowing at 600cfs. It holds a healthy population of Rainbow and Brown Trouts.
The prime time to fish the Big Wood is during the evening Caddis hatch just prior to sunset.
Fishing conditions are certainly less challenging than Silver Creek and the Trouts are generally more co-operative.
<Click on Image to Play Video>
I can't wait to go back!
There are several legendary Spring Creeks in North America known for their notoriously technical fly fishing and finicky trouts. The one that holds a special place in my heart is Silver Creek, just a 30 minute drive South of the resort town of Sun Valley Idaho. Besides the fabulously pristine fly fishing waters and challenging trouts, the allure of Silver Creek is established as the backyard of one of the greatest writer and sportsman of our time, Ernest Hemingway. Moreover, the ecology success story of the Nature Conservancy Society in preserving Silver Creek as a fly angler's and bird watcher's paradise since 1975 serve as an inspiration to outdoorsman and sportsmen like us. I had the privilege to spend a Sunday on Silver Creek recently. Although I'm now back at home in Singapore, part of me is still meandering down the bends of Silver Creek with the #24 tricos.....
<Silver Creek Rainbow on #24 Trico>
In mid to late 1930s, Ernest Hemingway was invited by the developer of Sun Valley resort to come and sample some of Idaho's hunting and fishing, and the word would quickly spread among outdoor writers and enthusiasts; Sun Valley was a paradise.
<Silver Creek valley>
Papa Hemingway was also told of the terrific duck and goose hunting on a placid spring creek about 20 or 30 miles south of Sun Valley. Silver Creek it was called, and he visited the creek often when staying in the valley, frequently taking his young son "Bumby" (Jack Hemingway) along. Years later, Jack Hemingway, having outgrown the childhood nickname, would spend much of his adult life living in the revered Wood River Valley of his youth. The younger Hemingway's presence in Sun Valley would also have a major impact on the long term prognosis for Silver Creek.
<Silver Creek 1>
<Silver Creek 3>
In 1975, the original owner of the Sun Valley resort began looking around for someone to buy him out, including the priceless Silver Creek land parcel. Jack Hemingway sensed that here was an opportunity to secure the future of a precious ecological resource, and he quickly organized a group to contact the Nature Conservancy. Six months later the Conservancy purchased the original 480 acres of the Silver Creek Preserve, and subsequently retired the debt by raising $500,000 from the private sector of citizens and business. That was only the beginning of great things to come. Fly fishermen, conservationists, bird lovers, and all naturalists near and far were assured that Silver Creek was forever protected from threats of development and misuse.
<Silver Creek Video : Click on image to play Video>
Seldom would any fly person rank Silver Creek below the top three in North America. Those that should know, the fish and game analysts, stream biologists, outdoor writers and fishery specialists rate Silver Creek on top. Small wonder. Silver Creek is extremely rich with mineral nutrients so essential to lush acquatic vegetation. As is common among spring creeks, with the profuse vegetation come the dense hordes of mayflies, caddis and stoneflies. Silver Creek is an ecologically unique, high-desert cold-spring system formed by springs that rise from underground aquifers. Perhaps the miracle of all this is that the public is allowed to use and enjoy almost the entire length of river at absolutely no charge. Fly fishing on Silver Creek is strictly on 100% Fly Fishing Catch-and-Release barbless hook only, and due to the lush underwater vegetation, most fish exclusively with dry flies.
<Silver Creek Underwater Vegetation Video : Click on image to play Video>
Considered by many to be the pure definition of a perfect spring creek, anyone who is serious about dry fly fishing will find his or her way to Silver Creek. It is, in many ways, a crafty stretch of water with even craftier trout.
<Silver Creek Rainbow Trout Underwater Video : Click on image to play Video>
Notwithstanding dramatic weather changes, hatches on Silver Creek are, extremely predictable and frustrating. Callibaetis mayflies, PMDs, Tricots, Baetis and emergers are regular fare for picky trout. Effective flies are those that matches the hatch PERFECTLY and their size ranges from #18s to almost-imperceptible #28s. Terrestrial patterns such hoppers and beetles may also work in the windy afternoon when the hatches slow.
<Silver Creek HookUp Video : Click on image to play Video>
The finicky and educated trout population demands long delicate leaders of 16 to 20 ft and often down 6x or 7x for the #28 flies. For my day on Silver Creek, the most productive flies on my leader was a #18 Baetis, and the staple were #22 to #24 tricos, mainly to match the morning hatches.
<Fighting Silver Creek Rainbow Video : Click on image to play Video>
<Silver Creek Rainbow>
While most part of Silver Creek are shallow enough for wading, the bottom vegetation and silt requires anglers to be on float tubes for better mobility. While the trouts did not spook easily perhaps due to the high fishing traffic since 1975, they are extremely demanding on a perfect matching of the hatch and a drag-free drift. All my sloppy casts and any drifts showing the slightest signs of drag were punished with refusals. Frequently, big educated trouts will rise continuously on the prolific Tricos and Callibaetis hatches within inches of my flies, but yet politely avoided my flies for countless drag-free drifts. I had clear views of their gentle and controlled rises from their lie, sipping tiny tricos so delicately and beautifully that my heart almost melted.
<Silver Creek Rainbow Underwater>
There are several other blue ribbon trout rivers within an hour drive of Silver Creek. Among the most well know and most accessible is the Big Wood River.
Unlike Silver Creek which is spring feed and meanders at about 100cfs, the Big Wood is a free stone river flowing at 600cfs. It holds a healthy population of Rainbow and Brown Trouts.
The prime time to fish the Big Wood is during the evening Caddis hatch just prior to sunset.
Fishing conditions are certainly less challenging than Silver Creek and the Trouts are generally more co-operative.
<Click on Image to Play Video>
I can't wait to go back!
