Best fishing in Idaho... Boise, Twin Falls of Idaho Falls?

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by jwest09

When we lived in the Wood River Valley, fishing Silver Creek was more of for the rich out of state tourists. The Big Wood was ok , but then became catch and release in sections with small trout. Many of the locals, did like we did, and went over Galena, to the Salmon River Valley for better fishing and larger trout.

Yup. Time goes by and things always change.

My Granddad has been gone a long time now, along with my childhood. Things were a lot different in many ways back then.

[Jake's_dad]

What type of fishing are you into? I do not live in Idaho yet, so i wouldn't be much help, but the answers to where has the best fishing for trout and where has the best fishing for bass maybe quite different.

[banjomike]

I come from the 'use what you got' school. If I'm fishing a creek, I go looking for old cow pies to flip over and get the grubs under them, as they are always trout catchers. No grubs, same water, I may use a wet fly, or some mini-marmallows, or some Mexican style canned corn, or go hunting small crawfish on the creek bank. Or any nymphs I can scoop off the bottom with my net.

If the creek isn't all willowy on both sides, or if I'm fishing a beaver dam, I'll use a dry fly first, if there's enough room to cast it.

On the rivers, I try to use dry flies that imitate whatever hatch is going on first, but if the water isn't clear, I may use a small spinner with no sinker, worms, grubs or other live bait with sinkers, or anything I have.

My favorite rig is a 77-year old rod with an ancient automatic fly reel that's now 3 generations old. The balance is crappy until a person learns how to hold it, but it works with everything. The line varies a lot over the season, as does the leader.

i've forgotten the brands of both rod and reel, and the decals wore off long ago. I can't even remember what kind of material or construction the rod has anymore, but it's always been a fish-getter. My grandfather bought 3 of them, all alike, before I was born, and it's one of them. My bro and another, and our mother has the 3rd, a spare that we never use.

The rig I use the most is a cheap short rod w/ an all-purpose reel that breaks down into a real short length that can be stuffed into a back pack. It was a birthday gift from my brother, who uses the same one, and is better than I.
I don't pack it as much as I once did, but I keep it in my car along with a few flies and a bottle of fish eggs, just in case I get the urge to stop and try my luck while on a road trip.

I keep a pair of canvas hi-tops with the fishing gear to wade in if I have to wade.

I get my flies from an old friend who ties them as a hobby and only gives them away to a few buddies. Once in a while, I'll give him a hand on his little hobby farm as a repayment token, as he can be reluctant to part with them sometimes. He's a serious fisherman and goes through a lot of flies every year. Keeps chickens just for fly feathers, and keeps a razor knife in his car to scrape the fur off road kill for his flies. Fish love them.

He gives me a fly or two, tells me where the fish are biting on them, and I go there, more or less. Sometimes it's in town, sometimes it's a cruise. if the fish don't bite, I always have a camera and take pictures instead of fishing.

...and that's it.