Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Three Western rivers earn a dry fly trip: the Big Wood River in Idaho, where wild rainbows take a caddis almost any hour of the day; the Deschutes in Oregon, where caddis emergers often beat the salmonfly the crowd is fishing; and the small, permit-booked streams of northern New Mexico.
Andy Weiner is a career book publishing professional, author of the children's book Down by the River, and board president of Reeling in Serenity, a nonprofit that runs free fly fishing retreats for people working their sobriety.
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Why is the Big Wood River good for dry fly fishing?
The Big Wood River near Sun Valley, Idaho holds wild rainbows that will take a caddis at almost any time of day and hit it hard. Over two separate trips to the Big Wood, roughly ninety percent of the fishing days were spent at a single campground access point that allows day use; the fee was still under ten dollars. The Big Wood is also forgiving underfoot compared with rivers like the Madison, where the cobble runs to bowling-ball size and is slick as grease.
When should you fish the Big Wood River?
Late summer into September is the window that has produced on the Big Wood River, with September trips fishing well on dries alone and no need for a dry dropper or a euro nymphing rod. Earlier in the year, after a heavy snow winter, local fly shops will tell you flows on the Big Wood are up and steer you elsewhere - in one case to the Henry's Fork, where the hatches were reliable. Calling two shops before committing to a river is what turned a wasted drive into a better trip.
Where do you fish the Deschutes River near Steelhead Falls?
The Steelhead Falls water on the Deschutes sits outside Smith Rock State Park. The drive runs north of Bend through Redmond, then west along a winding road to a very small community, down a dirt road to a modest turnout with a hiking trail; the walk down to the river takes about twenty minutes, and the falls themselves are below the fishing water. Above the falls the Deschutes flattens into a long, slow, nearly bank-to-bank wadeable run with fish rising steadily against a backdrop of cliffs and raptors.
What flies work on the Deschutes when salmonflies are on?
Salmonflies come off in the Steelhead Falls stretch of the Deschutes and draw a line of anglers throwing big dries, but the fish are not always eating them. Switching off the salmonfly to a caddis emerger produced noticeably better fishing on those days. The stretch is large enough that several anglers can spread out and all find water.
What is the fishing like in northern New Mexico?
Northern New Mexico holds several streams worth a trip, including the Red River, and a national preserve northwest of Santa Fe where the creeks run only eight to ten feet wide. That preserve runs a reservation system: you book a beat online and it is yours for the day, which keeps pressure off the watershed. The fish there are spooky enough that you stay off the bank and fish from well back, and a beetle is enough fly.
Which dry flies should you carry on Western rivers?
Confidence beats matching every time on these Western rivers. A parachute Adams, a Purple Haze, a Royal Wulff and a caddis cover nearly everything, and all four are visible on the water and buggy enough to draw a look. Cinnamon ant patterns are another quiet producer. For caddis, a CDC-winged pattern with a foam butt keeps floating after repeated fish - elk hair versions tend to mat down and stop riding high after a few.
What safety gear should you carry when wading alone?
Wading alone deserves a wading staff or a collapsible trekking pole in the pack, a flotation device on the vest, a charged phone, and someone who knows where you went. Waders do not pull you under - they go roughly neutral - but the water weight makes swimming feel like dragging a body twice your size, so a cinched wading belt matters. Places like the Steelhead Falls trail have no cell coverage, which turns a small mistake into a serious one.
How do you judge whether a wading spot is worth the risk?
Before stepping in, read the consequence rather than the depth: if you go down here, do you swim into a soft pool or a long wave train, and is there old fence wire or metal in the river below you. Falls happen on streamside rocks as often as mid-river - two slips off two-foot rocks in one afternoon on the Red River produced a bruise the size of an eggplant that only showed up back home. A fall that costs three weeks of an already short season is a bad trade for one more step.
Key takeaways
- Day-use access on the Big Wood River near Sun Valley costs under ten dollars and puts you on wild rainbows that eat a caddis all day.
- The Steelhead Falls stretch of the Deschutes is about a twenty-minute walk down from a small turnout reached by driving north of Bend, through Redmond, then west.
- When salmonflies are coming off the Deschutes and the fish ignore them, switch to a caddis emerger.
- In the northern New Mexico preserve, book a beat online, fish well back from the bank, and use a beetle.
- Carry a wading staff or collapsible trekking pole, a flotation device, and tell someone where you are before fishing alone.
- Call two local fly shops before a trip - high flows after a heavy snow year can make a planned river a bad choice.
