Common Tips for Spring Fishing Success

Spring fishing is always a bit of a gamble. 'Hit or Miss' is the February and March mantra and a slight shift in weather can make all the difference -- for the good or the bad. If you plan on heading out be sure and understand the 'general approach'. Here's what we recommend:

• Scout Key Spring (Midge & BWO) Structure
• Understand Where Fish Hold in Cooler Weather
• Pay Attention to Subtle Rise Forms
• Know the Typical Hatch Windows (Heat of the Day)
• Select Appropriate Fly Patterns for the Phases of the Hatch
• Have A Game Plan
• Be Willing to Change Your Plan to Accommodate the Conditions 

That said, we've listed a few guidelines that will allow for greater success throughout an 'unpredictable at best' spring.

If you’re nymphing this time of year, be sure to cover your water methodically. Here are a few tips that will help you out:

• Take a thermometer and get a temperature reading. If it’s below 36 degrees, expect a long day. As temperatures cool, the fish become really lethargic – you practically have to bounce the rig off their heads to get them to eat.

• The water temperature becomes significantly cooler the further you head down stream (the opposite is true in the summer). Fish will likely be more active in the upper stretches if you’re fishing tailwaters, i.e., the South Fork of the Boise, the Owyhee, and the Boise River through town.

• As water cools fish will migrate to more efficient holding lies. This means slower moving, deeper water. Don’t expect to find much in the shallow, faster moving water (heavy riffles). 

• Fish ‘opposite patterns’ on a double nymph rig under an indicator – something realistic like a Crawling Caddis pairs well with attractors like the Bead Head San Juan Worm. Regardless of what you’re dredging, the idea is to increase you odds by offering up a ‘buffet’.

• Cover water methodically, but don’t spend too much time mindlessly pounding one particular part of the run. Likewise, hit the inside water first (closest to you) and then work outward. Take a step out (or down) to switch things up if necessary.

• Slow moving foam lines are key. If you find the foam, you’ll find the fish. Foam is a clear indicator as to where the food is being condensed. That’s where you’ll need to focus your attention.

• Rise forms are subtle so you’ll want to pay attention to every little ring in the surface. Don’t let the lack of commotion fool you. A lot of big fish appear small at first glance. This is the ‘iceberg effect’ – there’s often a lot more mass just underneath the nose dimple.

• Your ‘quality’ fish are going to hold up higher in the run. Bigger fish dictate the pecking order. More times than not, they’ll get first dibs on the prime feeding lanes.

• Go easy on the hook set. Fish are lazy this time of year and they're eating tiny bugs. Rises are slow, deliberate, and subtle so give the fish time to wrap his lips around the steel. From there, all you need to do is (slowly) raise your rod tip to set the hook. Don't try to rip out the mandible.

• Long, light leaders are given with Midge and BWO fishing, but you’ll also want to use a high quality desiccant to dust up your bugs.  Time is a limited resource. De-icing your guides takes long enough, do you really want to have to treat your fly every other cast? Fish efficiently, and try to eliminate the ‘time wasters’.