A Rainbow at Dusk in Downtown Boise



I can take you!

 The good old days of me picking a river drainage on the map and, "headin out" are all but stymied. A new baby girl  (Sawyer), an underappreciated  (kickass) wife and a demanding night job at St. Lukes have eliminated any free- spirited, spur-of-the- moment weekly fly fishing trips. It does not mean that I haven't found the time to flick out some fly line though. Now that my, "me time" is more precious and scarce, I have learned to be more practical in choosing my fly fishing destinations. A general rule (laid down by the wife) is that I can go as far as I want, as long as I am home before dark or just after dark if I apologize and bring home food. 

 In response to my crazy life, I have gained a new appreciation for the greenbelt hemmed river that flows blessedly through the middle of my city of trees. Not exactly known as a world class fishery, the Boise river in town makes up in close proximity what it lacks in fantastic fishing and hatches. Hit the local fly fishing venders in town they'll all usually say something like, "the fishing in town is ok, mostly hatchery fish, there's really not much of a sustained hatch through town." The Boise river through town is a fickle beast and hours of marching up and down the banks from Barber Park to Glenwood Bridge have taught me one thing; It's better than sitting on the couch. I remember learning to fly fish on the Boise and recall not catching a single fish for about three months in the fall. If my father-in-law had not taken me to the, "O" I might have pawned my stuff off and tried basket weaving.

What the guides and shop owners don't outright tell you is that there are some truly beautiful and healthy fish hiding in the Boise river, if you know where to look or if you earn (or pay for) their respect enough to pick up a secret or two.   5 years, 5 waders, 1 lost fly box (that still stings) and 3 broken fly rods later and I now feel pretty confident that I can catch a fish on the downtown section of the Boise on just about any day of the year. 

For anyone looking at fishing in town here's what I recommend.

1. Don't limit yourself to dry flies, fishing nymphs through town is a must. I like prince and zebra nymphs as well as zugbugs with or without a bead head---->.
2. Fish in early spring, late fall and warm winter days (above 40F). Lower water flows make the whole river more accessible and condense fish into nice runs and holes. Summer is best reserved for the bikini hatch, which I also recommend should not to be missed.
3. Fish streamers at dusk to lure out, "the big one." I like the olive and black Matuka with the red gill flare.
4.  Speed fish the river because it's so accessible, don't stand in one spot for hours. I like breaking the river into chunks and try to fish a whole section. For example, I break it up as follows, the Barber section, the golf course, the campus and the garden city section. I've hooked a nice browns right in front of the Ram Restaurant just up stream from the Broadway bridge. I know there are nice fish in there but they can be rather spaced out.
5. If you just want to catch fish, follow the stocking report on the Idaho Fish and Game website and fish a few days after they stock the river.  I spoke with a IDFG biologist who told me that only 10% of the stocked hatchery trout survive the first month Apparently most of the fish die of starvation due to never learning to rest in back eddies and simply swim themselves to death. 
6. If you can think of a place that's harder to get to or off the beaten path, get there and fish there. The Boise river gets hammered by fisherman especially on nice weather days, any strategy that limits the number of fisherman per mile will help you catch fish.

  The fierce looking rainbow above was caught last February on a black Matuka streamer a few runs below Barber bridge. I hooked this beautiful 21 inch fish at dusk and it was dark before I played her into the net. This rainbow had the most girth of any fish I have caught on the downtown section of the Boise river and it was a thrill to catch it and set it free.

P.S.
A great video of browns feeding on damsels.
http://vimeo.com/85147880