Fly-fishing in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains

As the Big Wood River winds its way south between the sharp crags of the Sawtooth Mountains through Sun Valley, it enters a dry, high-desert and lava rock landscape, gradually disappearing underground somewhere north of Twin Falls.

Out there for miles in every direction a lava field created from 15,000 to just 2,000 years ago stretches south, east and west.

The biggest and most well-known part, Craters of the Moon Lava Field and National Park, spreads across 618 square miles. The park, although quite remote, is worth a visit. It definitely has a moonlike appearance.

All that porous lava rock causes the river water to seemingly disappear. Then it flows underground for many miles. But, for reasons a geologist can probably explain, it emerges in icy cold springs further out on the desolate plains.

Some of these springs created Silver Creek, a phenomenal trout stream slowly flowing gin-clear through the high desert at the base of the Picabo Hills about 10 miles southeast of Sun Valley. The creek’s valley is an awesome incubator of life, supporting elk, moose, mountain lions, coyotes and more than 150 species of birds.

It also has one of the highest densities of stream insects in North America, which in turns supports a healthy population of well-nourished trout that grow big and strong on their bug diet.

Fortunately for anglers, 851 acres of land along Silver Creek is now owned by the Nature Conservancy. In addition, the conservancy has protected more than 12,600 acres along the creek through conservation easements.

W.C. “Scooter” Gardiner was our guide as we drove along a bluff overlooking the preserve. Silver Creek snaked its way through a verdant green landscape below us. The water was so clear we could easily see the dark torpedo shapes of enormous trout lazily waiting for the many bugs that floated on and in the stream.

A few anglers were already in the water. Fishing is permitted in the preserve, but anglers must sign in and agree to strict policies protecting the preserve and all of the creatures within.

After signing in, we drove down to a parking area, put on our waders and headed for the stream.

Each of us had a float tube on our shoulders because the stretch of Silver Creek we were going to is impossible to wade because of the very muddy bottom.

The water was ice cold. There was a slight breeze. The creek has a steady, gentle current barely noticeable to the eye, but strong enough to push our tubes along when we needed it to.

Scooter saw a few small mayflies over the water so we fished with his best imitations of them. Drifting along with only our heads, shoulders and arms above the tube rim gave us a nearly water-level view of any possible rising fish.

At first, I saw nothing. But soon fish noses began breaking the surface as the hungry trout sipped down the little grey-colored bugs (callibaetis) that floated by.

The trick was to place our imitation bugs a few feet upstream of a fish without spooking it, then let it float naturally into its feeding zone.

When our casts were accurate, we often got rises, and hooked and landed some beautiful rainbows, which we gently released so they could grow even bigger.

We drifted and fished our way downstream for about two hours until our feet, legs and posteriors were numb from the cold water, then got out for a lunch break.