Middle Fork Salmon River fly fishing is one of the most popular activities in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Fly fishing can be a challenge, but it’s also one of the most rewarding hands-on experiences nature can provide. Here are a few things that might help you get the most out of fly fishing Idaho or anywhere else for that matter.
Try Different Retrieves
Most fly fishers cast, and then they pull back their fly with the same speed, the same smooth motion, and the same pacing that they’ve used for years — for many of us, it’s second nature. But while this might work often, sometimes you just run into a batch of fish that’s feeling lazy. They can’t be bothered to charge after a bug that’s zipping long at what they see as a rapid pace. Similarly, some fish want a fast-moving, energetic bug to snap up.
The end result is that, if your normal retrieve isn’t working, you should switch it up. Mix up the speed — make it quick and jerky, or slow and smooth, or slow and jerky, etc. Twitchy retrieves work particularly well on fish that can’t be bothered to do any chasing
and want to snag something that looks injured.
Change depths
Some days, fish hang out near the surface — other days, not so much. That means that if your floating line isn’t working, it’s time to grab one of those sinkers that will have your fly slowly moving toward the bottom until you start your retrieve. Wait different amounts of time on each cast until you figure out where the fish are sitting today.
Fish Downwind
If there’s a decent wind blowing, go to the downwind side of the river. It’s a small effect, but the wind tends to blow the bugs and other fish food, and the fish often gather on the side of the river that has all of the food blown over to it. This move alone can mean the difference between wasting your day and hooking several decent ones in an afternoon.
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