Seasonal Hatches
Bugs Found on Silver Creek
May
The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend is always opening day on Silver Creek. This May hatch chart reflects what you may see during those last few days of May.
PMDs (Pale Morning Dun) and Baetis are the dominant hatches, but Callibaetis, Brown Drakes, Ants and Beetles may also be in play. What you see depends on the weather and where you are on the Creek.
June
June hatches include strong PMD activity, as well as Baetis, Callibaetis, Prairie Caddis, Green Drakes, Ants, Beetles and from late May to the middle of June the Brown Drake. Keep in mind this hatch does not happen in the Nature Conservancy section. It usually starts downstream east of Picabo and works its way upstream to the HWY 20 bridge just upstream of The Willows.
July
July hatches ramp up with the heat, but we also begin to see peak activity happening earlier and later in the day. The hatches continue to be PMD, Baetis, Callibaetis, Ants, and Beetles. Anglers should begin to see the first Trico spinner falls of the season in the mornings and the first of the Damsel flies in the afternoon.
September
September is the beginning of transition on the Creek. The month starts out with summer hatches and ends with fall hatches. It is a time for great fishing, but load your fly box! Anglers will still see Tricos, Baetis, Callibaetis and Grasshoppers and by the end of the month the first of the Fall Baetis, October Caddis and Mahogany Duns begin to show up.
December, January, and February
Only the lower half of Silver Creek is open to fishing in the winter. The regulations change to catch and release, and anglers can fish from the Highway 20 Bridge downstream. Don’t count on seeing hatches this time of the year on the Creek. Fishing continues, but it is almost all Streamer action.
April and May
Silver Creek is closed for spawning activity through all of April and most of May. The Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend the season begins anew!