Here's the irony of the annual fishing guide. When I get to the point of writing this column, I feel like we've given you so much information that I've run out of things to write about.
But there's always something new and current, so let's start with the weather. We couldn't have ordered it much better for the fishing guide. Temperatures are supposed be in the mid-to-high 50s on Saturday. Sounds like prime spring fishing weather to me. Whether the fish will cooperate is another matter. But I am guilty of overstating the obvious there.
If you feel like taking a road trip, the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area is about as close to guaranteed good fishing as you can get. It's loaded with trout fresh out of the hatchery, and there are no honor students in those schools. That's a polite way of saying they're dumb and easy to catch.
If you're a fly angler, this will come as no surprise but the Owyhee, South Fork and Big Wood are all starting to wake up. Speaking of overstating the obvious, you will want midges and baetis in your fly box.
Spring steelheading is off to a slow start, and to be honest, I will be curious to see if it turns on, or if we just have a modest season because the numbers are down from recent years. I know my expectations are lot higher after recent amazing steelhead runs. Maybe it's time to recalibrate our standards of what is good steelhead fishing. I can remember when landing one fish was considered a successful weekend.
Whatever you do, just enjoy it. We're heading into a magical time of year for fishing, and I can't wait to get started.
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