Fly Fishing Report On The Boise River In Idaho

Boise River Fly Fishing Report: 11/20/24 bottom of page

Perfect Flies are designed and tied to to imitate and behave like the natural foods the trout rely on to survive as much as possible. The more your fly looks like and moves through and on the surface of the water like the real things, the higher your odds of success.

Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.

We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.

Type of Stream
Freestone and Tailwater

Species
Rainbow Trout
Brook Trout
Brown Trout

Location
Northern Idaho

Size:
Medium

Nearest Towns
Boise

Season
General Idaho season except “catch
and release” sections open in the
winter

Access:
Good in most areas but hiking
required to reach most of the
headwaters

Non-Resident License
State of Idaho

Weather
National Weather Service Link

USGS Real Time Stream Data:
In Boise
North Fork and Middle Fork
At Anderson Ranch Dam

Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 &12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.

Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:

Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.

Fly Fishing the Boise River In Idaho:
The upper Boise River consist of three forks – the South Fork, Middle Fork and North Fork. By far the most popular of the three is the South Fork of the Boise River. The main reason for this is the Anderson Ranch dam tailwater below the Anderson Ranch Reservoir on the South Fork of the Boise River. It has a population of big rainbow trout and flows through beautiful wilderness-like country. The Boise River itself is a 102-mile-long tributary of the Snake River. The North Fork is a 50 mile long stream that rises in the in the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. It flows through the remote mountains in the Boise National Forest. The Middle Fork is 52 miles long and also flows from the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. It joins the North Fork to form the Boise River. The South Fork is a 101 mile long stream that rises in the Smoky Mountains and the Soldier Mountains of the Sawtooth National Forest. It flows through a canyon into Anderson Ranch Reservoir. Its tailwater flows into the southern arm of the Arrowrock Reservoir. The main stem Boise River flows through the city of Boise. The North Fork Boise River has a population of wild rainbow trout but hiking is required to reach them. One roadless section is from the North Fork’s confluence with the Middle Fork upstream to Forest Service Road #327. There’s a roadless section that runs from the Deer Park Campground to the Johnson Creek Campground. You can also fish the stream upstream into the Sawtooth Wilderness section. Crooked River, a tributary of the North Fork, also provides some hike-in opportunities.The Middle Fork also offers some good wild trout fly fishing opportunities from its confluence with the North Fork upstream. Its headwaters can be accessed from the old mining town of Atlanta. It can also be accessed from the Hellroaring Lake Trail in the Sawtooth Wilderness which eventually leads to the headwaters of the Middle Fork. Forrest Service Road #268 follows along the Middle Fork from the Wilderness Area to Arrowrock Reservoir. The trout are mostly small, wild rainbows.The lower section of the Boise River flows through the city of Boise, Idaho. The stream is managed as a “put and take” fishery but the river in town is actually a very good section of tailwater. Some sections hold very large wild rainbows and brown trout. Its a very popular area to fish simply because of its close proximity to many anglers. The main fly fishing attraction of the Boise River is its South Fork. It not only has some very large rainbow trout that go up to twenty inches, it flows through a beautiful canyon with lots of wildlife. For the most part, the South Fork flows through BLM or National Forest land. A winter “catch and release” season is yet another reason for its popularity.

Boise River Fly Fishing Guide: The Boise River begins in the Smoky Mountains near Pine. There it is a typical, small freestone stream with wild rainbows and brook trout. Even though it isn’t fished very much, it offers as much fly fishing opportunity as the other freestone sections of the Boise. It’s far overshadowed by the tailwater section below Anderson Ranch Dam. There you will find about 26 miles of water that hold large rainbows. Downstream of Neal Bridge the Boise river slows down and flows into Arrowrock Reservoir.The most popular section is between the dam and Danskin Bridge, a stretch about ten miles long. It is closely followed by an unpaved road that provides easy access. The only disadvantage to fishing this section is that it can become crowed during prime times. This section can be waded or fished from a drift boat. The lower sixteen mile section of the river below Danskin Bridge is much less fished because you either have to fish it from a drift boat or do a lot of hiking. It is right the opposite of the upper section of the tailwater. It sees very few anglers. The main reason is the Class 11 and 111 rapids. It requires a an experienced guy on the oars to navigate it safely. The river runs its highest levels during June and July. Wading can be tough but thanks to some braided channels, one can carefully pick and choose various locations to fish it on higher flows. The best wading opportunities usually come in August and September. Flows of around a 1000 cfs and lower are most desirable with 300 to 600 being ideal. The south fork tailwater has good hatches of mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies and tons of midges. The river even has a population of the large Salmonflies and Golden stoneflies that hatch in June and July.

Boise River Hatches and Trout Flies: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the Boise River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726. The water chemistry is suitable for a large variety of aquatic insects including the famous Salmonfly. During the winter, the hatches consist mostly of Blue-winged Olives. These hatches can occur from late November until near June. Several species of baetis exist in the river.Midges are the only other substantial hatches that occur during the winter months and imitations of their larva, pupa and adult stages of life can produce well at times. You can actually catch trout in the tailwater on midge imitations whenever you choose to fish. It’s just that they may be the only thing hatching on most winter days. Little Yellow Stoneflies show up during late May and can hatch until late June. The Yellow Sallies can be an important insect to imitate during this time. Hatches are normally very consistent. The Salmonfly nymphs usually start moving to the banks to hatch during the middle of June. Hatches are normally over by the middle of July. Golden Stoneflies follow just behind the Salmonflies and also start appearing in June. They can last until near the end of July. Other than the BWOs, the bulk of the mayflies will be the Pale Morning Duns. They start hatching in June and last into the first of August. The Blue-winged Olives (baetis) mayflies will reappear during the month of August. Hatches of these little mayflies can last on into September. Caddisflies are the most consistent hatches of aquatic insects. Little Short-horned Sedges and Green Sedges (Rock Worms) hatch starting in May and last through June. Different species of Spotted Sedges start in early June and hatch until late September. They represent the most important caddisfly hatches. There are several more species of caddisflies in the tailwater but they are not usually heavy hatches. Terrestrial insects become important during the month of June. Imitations of ants, beetles and grasshoppers can produce until as late as the end of September. Specific imitations of the Little Yellow, Golden and Salmonfly stonefly nymphs are important flies to have.Imitations of the BWO and PMD nymphs are also effective for sight fishing during low, clear water conditions. Of course we recommend our “Perfect Flies” not just because they are the most realistic imitations but also because they are also the most productive flies you can purchase. Imitations of the stonefly nymphs have been proven to work on the Boise River.

Fishing Reports:

05/02/21 The stream is in good shape. The stream levels are a little below normal in both downtown and below Anderson. We are getting a few good reports. Send us an email or call us at 800 594 4726 for a recommended fly and gear list.

05/08/21 The stream levels in town and below Anderson Dam are low. The North Fork is at a normal level. There are good hatches taking place but the water is still a little too cold for the Spring time explosion of insects. Now is the time to get prepared.

05/16/21 Conditions remain good. We are getting good reports and there are some good hatches taking place.

05/23/21 The stream levels are at a normal level in all three sections. We didn’t receive any reports from the past week but conditions are good. You should be able to catch plenty trout.

05/31/21 The stream levels are a little low but trout are still being caught in good numbers by our customers both in town and below Anderson. There are very good hatches taking place.

06/09/21 We continue to get good reports from customers fishing in town and below Anderson. Good hatches are providing some good fishing opportunities. Stream levels are still low.

06/22/21 All sections of the river are turning out good numbers of trout for our customers. The stream is low in all sections and you have to use extra caution to stay hidden from the trout. Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.

07/05/21 We continue to get good reports from customers fishing below Anderson dam and in town. There are good hatches and terrestrials are also working.

07/15/21 The river level in low in all sections. Trout still eat in low water but you have to stay low and hidden from them to fool them. The tailwater below Anderson is the best option right now.

07/21/21 The river is sill low but we continue to get some very good reports from the tailwater below Anderson. The water is much cooler there and there are good hatches taking place.

07/28/21 The river is low in town and below Anderson. We are still getting good reports from below Anderson where the water is cooler. There are good hatches taking place.

08/04/21 The discharges and levels are low below Anderson and a little low in town. We are still getting some good reports from customers.

08/13/21 The South Fork below Anderson is still turning out some good catches. Discharges and stream levels are rather low again.

08/20/21 Conditions remain okay. The stream levels are still a little low in town and low below Anderson. We are still getting some good reports from customers.

08/27/21 The stream levels are still low in both the tailwater and in town. We are still getting some good reports from customers mostly from those fishing below Anderson.

09/04/21 The stream levels are still low but we continue to get some good reports from customers from both town and below Anderson. Good hatches continue to take place.

09/12/21 The stream level in town is still a little low. it is a little above normal levels in the tailwater below Anderson. We are getting good reports from customers fishing below the dam.

09/22/21 The stream levels are just a little below normal level in town but at a normal level below Anderson. We are getting some very good reports from both sections. Conditions are good and there are good hatches.

09/30/21 The stream levels in town are still low. Those below Anderson dam are at a normal level in good shape. We are getting some very good reports from customers fishing below the dam.

11/24/21 The stream is still low in all sections. We continue to get good reports in spite of the lower than normal levels. Good BWO, and Midge hatches continue to take place and our articulated sculpin streamers are catching some big ones.

12/04/21 The river is just a tad below normal level in town and at a normal level below the dam. We received several good reports from customers the past week. Midges & BWOs are hatching good and our articulated sculpin and leech patters are working good.

12/12/21 The stream levels are down to near normal level in all sections and we are getting more good reports from customers especially below Anderson dam.

12/20/21 The stream is at a normal level in the below Anderson and a little below normal in town. We received two more good reports from customers this past week.

12/28/21 The stream is still at a normal level in all sections and in good shape. We received two more good reports this past week below Anderson.

01/05/22 We didn’t receive any reports from the previous week. Good midge hatches continue to take place. Our articulated sculpin streamers have been catching some good ones below Anderson.

01/12/22 The stream level are still good in town and below the dam. We received two more good reports from customers fishing below Anderson. Water temps there are in the high thirties.

01/29/22 The stream levels are a little below normal in town, and normal in the tailwater below Anderson. We didn’t receive any reports from anyone this past week.

02/06/22 The stream is a little low in town and normal below the dam at Anderson. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.

02/14/22 We received two more good reports from customers fishing below Anderson this past week.

02/22/22 We didn’t receive any reports from the past week. Stream levels are low again in the freestone section. The tailwater below Anderson should currently be okay.

03/02/22 Downtown stream levels are near normal levels and the tailwater below Anderson is at a normal level. We received two good reports this past week from customers fishing below Anderson.

03/10/22 Conditions remain good in town and below Anderson. We received two more good reports from customers fishing this past week.

03/18/22 The river is at a normal level in the Anderson tailwater and a little below normal in town. There are good hatches taking place including March Browns and Skwala stoneflies.

03/26/22 The stream is a little high in town but at a normal level below Anderson. Trout are being caught below the dam in good numbers.

04/03/22 We are still getting good reports from customers fishing below Anderson Dam. Good hatches are taking place.

04/11/22 The stream is flowing near a normal level in town and a little below normal below Anderson Dam. Good hatches are taking place. Blue-winged olives, Skwala stoneflies, Little Black caddis, March Browns, and Cream Midges.

04/19/22 The stream is low in town and below Anderson Dam. There are still good hatches taking place and we are still getting good reports from customers.

04/27/22 The stream is still low in town and below the dam. We still received two good reports from customers fishing below Anderson.

05/05/22 The stream is still quite low in town and below Anderson. We did receive two more good reports from customers fishing below Anderson.

05/13/22 Low water conditions still exist but trout are still being caught in the tailwater. Good hatches continue to take place and we continue to get good reports from customers.

05/21/22 The water level is still low in town and below the dam. We are still getting some good reports so it isn’t a huge factor. Good hatches are taking place. Send us an email for a list with the dates you plan to fish.

05/28/22 The river is still very low below Anderson and in town; however, we received two good reports from customers fishing this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.

06/05/22 Stream levels are a good bit below normal level in town and below Anderson. We continue to get good reports from customers fishing the tailwater and some from town. There are lots of hatching insects.

06/12/22 Stream levels in town are a little above normal level and below Anderson dam, very low but still okay. We are getting good reports from both sections. Good hatches continue to take place.

06/19/22 Stream levels are down a lot in town and the tailwater. Both sections could be fished successfully.

06/26/22 The stream levels are down to normal levels and the water mostly clear. We received two good reports from customers fishing below Anderson this past week. Good hatches continue to take place.

07/07/22 The stream levels are down in good shape in town and below Anderson. We received three good reports from customers fishing this past week.

07/21/22 The stream is a little high in town and a little below normal level in the tailwater. We received two more good reports from customers fishing the tailwater this past week.

07/28/22 Conditions are about the same as last week. It is a little high in town and a little below normal level in the South Fork below Anderson. We received four good reports this past week from customers.

08/04/22 Conditions are still very good. We continue to get good reports from town and below Anderson Dam. Very good hatches are coming off.

08/11/22 The stream is still a little below normal level in town and at a normal level below Anderson. There are multiple hatches taking place and we continue to get several good reports a week.

08/18/22 We continue to get good reports from customers fishing below Anderson dam. Good hatches continue to take place. It has been low enough to wade the past days.

08/25/22 The stream is still turning out some very good catches of trout in town and below Anderson dam. The stream is flowing just a little below normal level in both locations.

09/02/22 The river is still in good shape in all sections. We are getting very good reports from customers fishing it.

09/09/22 The stream is in good shape and we continue to get good repors from customers fishing it. The section below Anderson is turning out some very nice trout.

09/16/22 The stream is still turning out good numbers and good sizes of trout for our customers. Conditions remain good.

09/23/22 All sections of the river are near normal levels in good shape. We are getting very good reports from customers fishing in town and below Anderson. October caddis are hatching among others.

10/07/22 The river is in okay shape in all sections. We are getting very good reports from customers fishing below Anderson dam. Some very large rainbows are being caught.

10/21/22 We continue to get some very good reports from customers. Stream levels are okay. The tailwater below Anderson is still producing some good ones.

02/09/23 Good BWO hatches and Cream and light green midges are working good. Our sculpin streamers are catching some big ones below the dam.

02/21/22 We continue to get good reports from downtown and below Anderson. Midges are still the main food and flies you should be using, especially our Cream and Light Green midge larva and pupa.

03/07/23 Conditions have been good and we have been receiving some very good reports from customers fishing below Anderson.

03/17/23 The stream is still in good shape with the Anderson tailwater turning out some nice catches for our customers.

04/29/23 The river is near a normal level in the Anderson tailwater and a little below normal in town. There are good hatches taking place including March Browns and Skwala stoneflies.

04/05/23 The stream is still turning out good numbers of trout below Anderson. Good hatches continue to take place.

04/13/23 Conditions remain good in town and below Anderson. Good hatches continue to take place.

04/22/23 Some very good reports are coming in below Anderson. Sculpin streamer are working good but hatches are also producing very well.

05/10/23 The stream is very high from runoff. Keep in touch. We update the report often.

05/20/22 Runoff is still taking place.

05/29/23 The stream is still very high from runoff.

06/09/23 The stream levels are still high. Give it a little more time to drop and clear.

06/18/23 The stream is still high and stained but can be fished below Anderson with a larger drift boat. There are good hatches taking place.

06/29/23 The stream is down near good levels in good shape. Trout are being caught below Anderson Dam. There are good hatches taking place.

07/10/23 Conditions are good especially below Anderson. We received two good reports of good catches and good hatches taking place from our customers this past week.

07/17/23 The stream is a little high in Boise but at a normal level below Anderson dam. It is red hot right now. Very good hatches and our articulated sculpin streamer patters are catching some big ones for our customers.

07/25/23 The stream is in good shape in all sections of the river, especially the tailwater below Anderson. Good hatches continue. PMDs, PEDs, spotted sedge caddis, little sister caddis, Golden stoneflies, little Yellow stoneflies and more.

08/03/23 Conditions remain very good. We are still getting good reports from customers. Good hatches are still taking place.

08/10/23 The stream is still in good shape. Stream levels below Anderson Dam still favor a drift boat trip. Soon the level should drop below the 1200 cfs flows to those ideal for water and drift boats.

08/19/23 The stream level is okay in all sections. The tailwater flows below Anderson dam are still favoring a drift boat. We continue to get good reports from customers fishing it.

08/27/23 The stream is in good shape in all sections but the water below Anderson dam is a real hot spot as the flows are down and wading easy and safe. We are getting lots of good reports.

09/03/23 Conditions are still good in all sections. The water below Anderson dam is still turning out some very nice catches.

09/10/23 The stream is still in okay condition with levels near normal and clear water. We continue to get some very good reports from customers fishing the tailwater below Anderson.

09/17/23 Conditions remain very good. We are getting good reports from anglers fishing below Anderson most every day. Good hatches continue to take place.

09/24/23 The stream below Anderson is still turning out good numbers and sizes of trout. It is about as good as it gets.

10/01/23 Good October caddis hatches are taking place. Use Perfect Flies, which look like the real things, and water you success increase. We received three good reports from customers this past week. One was from in town the other two below Anderson.

10/08/23 Good conditions continue to exist in all sections but especially below Anderson. We received two more good reports from customers fishing this past week.

10/24/23 Conditions remain good. Stream levels are okay in all sections. Fishing below Anderson is still very good.

11/02/23 Stream levels remain near normal levels and in good shape.

11/08/23 The stream is still in good shape. Still the best option is fishing below Anderson Dam. Stream levels are normal and good hatches continue to come off.

11/15/23 We still recommend fishing below Anderson Dam. Flows are good and we continue to get good reports from there.

12/04/23 The stream is just a little above normal level in town and normal below Anderson. We received three good reports the past two weeks two from below Anderson, one in town.

01/04/24 Stream levels are normal in town and below Anderson. We are getting good reports from both sections. Good light green and red or blood midge hatches are taking place along with Winter stoneflies.

01/21/24 The stream is still in good shape with good levels and clear water. We received two good reports from customers fishing the tailwater this past week.

02/01/24 The discharge sand stream levels in town and below Anderson are in good shape flowing at a normal level. We received two more good reports from customers fishing below Anderson last week.

02/14/24 Conditions are still good and we continue to get good catch reports. It is best below Anderson but fish are being caught in town as well.

02/22/24 We continue to get good reports of catches below Anderson. Discharges and stream levels are in good shape. Our sculpin and leech articulated streamers are catching some nice ones.

03/02/24 The stream is flowing at a normal level in town and below Anderson. We are getting good catch reports from those fishing below Anderson. Midges and Skwala stoneflies are hatching.

03/09/24 Conditions are very good below Anderson dam. The discharges and stream levels are normal and the water clear. We received two good reports from customers fishing it this past week.

03/15/24 The stream is still turning out good catches below Anderson Dam. Our articulated sculpin and articulated leech streamers are working good.

03/23/24 The stream is still producing well for anglers fishing below Anderson Dam.

03/30/24 We received two good reports from customers fishing below Anderson Dam. There are good Cream Midge hatches taking place as well as Skwala Stoneflies.

04/06/24 The discharges and stream level below Anderson and in other sections of the river are very high. March Browns are starting to hatch.

04/21/24 The stream is high and stained in all sections. Give it more time to drop and clear.

04/27/24 The stream is still way above normal levels in all sections.

05/04/24 The stream is still high in all sections. It can be fished successfully below Anderson.

05/11/24 Stream levels are still high. Trout are still being caught below Anderson.

05/18/24 Conditions below Anderson are good.

05/25/24 We are still getting good reports, or at least one, from below Anderson. In town levels are still okay.

06/01/24 The stream is very high in all sections due to runoff. Check back with us. We will keep you up to date.

06/08/24 The stream is still flowing very high from runoff is all sections.

06/15/24 The stream is still high from runoff. You can fish below Anderson Dam but it too, is still high enough to make it tough.

06/22/24 The stream is down low enough to fish well below Anderson and in town. We haven’t received any catch reports yet but you should be able to catch plenty. There are good hatches taking place.

06/29/24 We received two good reports from customers fishing below Anderson. Good hatches are coming off.

07/06/24 The stream is flowing at a good level below Anderson and in town. We received two good reports from customers fishing this past week.

07/15/24 Conditions are good. More good reports have come in from those fishing in town and below Anderson dam. Good hatches are taking place.

07/21/24 Conditions remain good. We received two more good reports from customers fishing below Anderson. Good hatches are taking place.

07/31/24 We received two more good reports from customers. Both the tailwater below Anderson and the stream in town are turning out good catches from good hatches.

08/04/24 Good conditions exist in town and below Anderson. Good hatches are taking place and we are getting good reports from both locations.

08/13/24 Good conditions still exist in all sections of the river. We are getting very good reports from the Anderson tailwater. Our articulated streamers are catching some big trout.

08/23/24 Conditions remain good. Stream levels in town and below Anderson are just a little below normal and the water is clear. Good hatches continue to come off.

09/02/24 Good conditions exist. The stream is a little low but that’s not a problem. Good hatches continue to come off. We continue to get very good catch reports from customers.

09/08/24 Conditions are good in all sections of the river but especially below Anderson. Good late season hatches are taking place.

09/15/24 Conditions remain good is all sections of the river but again, especially below Anderson Dam. We continue to get some good reports from customers fishing there. Good hatches continue to take place.

09/22/24 We are getting good reports from trout being caught in town and below Anderson. Conditions including stream levels are good.

09/29/24 The stream is flowing near a normal level and clear. Trout are being caught by our customers in good numbers in town and below Anderson. Our articulated streamers are catching some nice ones.

10/06/24 The stream is flowing a little below a normal level and clear. Very good late season hatches are taking place. Fish are being caught below Anderson and in town.

10/21/24 The stream is still flowing a little below a normal level and clear. We are getting good catch reports from customers fishing in town and below Anderson.

10/29/24 The stream is still a little low but okay. More good reports have come in from those fishing below Anderson and in town. Good hatches are still taking place. Our pre-rigged in tandem midge larva and pupa flies are working very good.

11/12/24 The stream is still flowing below a normal level and clear. We are still getting good catch reports from customers in spite of the low water levels. Good hatches continue to come off.

11/20/24 The stream is still flowing a little below a normal level and clear. We received two more catch reports from customers fishing the tailwater. Good hatches continue to take place.

Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations.