Fly Fisher's Education: A Silver Creek Intern's Perspective

 

Shadow of fly fisher during Silver Creek brown drake hatch
Ryan Urie was a 2008 intern at Silver Creek Preserve. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in conservation and social sciences from the University of Idaho.

Huge Trout

Morgan Buckert is another Silver Creek intern with a fish story or two. As reported on the Cosnervancy's weekly blog, Idaho Nature Notes, she's caught both the largest brown trout and largest brook trout ever recorded on our preserve. Have your own fish photo? Send them to our blog editor and we'll post it on Idaho Nature Notes.

Visit Silver Creek Preserve
Silver Creek Preserve is open to the public for fly fishing, birding, canoeing and other outdoor recreation. Visit one of the most beautiful spring creeks in the country.

Silver Creek Preserve Intern Ryan Urie with trophy brown trout

Each year, The Nature Conservancy’s Silver Creek Preserve hosts two to four interns over the summer, who help with everything from building fence, to leading nature walks, to working in the visitor center, to controlling weeds. Of course, part of being a Silver Creek intern is also enjoying the beauty of the area—and its amazing fly fishing.

Some of the largest trout ever recorded at Silver Creek have been caught by interns who spend their free time haunting the creek’s out-of-the-way reaches.

Intern Ryan Urie was not a fly fisher. But a summer at Silver Creek changed that…

Education of a Fly Fisher
by Ryan Urie
Prior to coming to Silver Creek I always thought fishing meant placing a hook, marshmallow, and a small handful of lead on the end of a line, hurling it into a hatchery-stocked pond, then sitting back and waiting while sipping on a beer.  My knowledge of fly fishing was limited to a single viewing of A River Runs Through It, and while I assumed it was more of a skill than bait fishing, I had no idea of the challenges Silver Creek had in store.  I had heard that Silver Creek contains some four thousand brown and rainbow trout, many over twenty inches in length; what I didn’t hear is that they are some of the most selective and difficult trout on the planet.
 
I went to the nearest sports shop and found a $50 rod and reel combo with line, leader, and a carrying case (it was only after several unsuccessful fishing attempts that I came to learn about things called “backing” and “tippet”).  I picked up a variety pack of “Rocky Mountain Flies” with no indication of what, if anything, they were meant to imitate and set off.  Without knowing even the basics of fly fishing, I aimed to fish what I now know is commonly referred to as “the graduate school of fly fishing.”
 
The qualities that make fishing Silver Creek so difficult are at the same time indicators of its success as a nature preserve.  The crystal clear water makes fishermen and flies easily distinguishable to the fish; heavy catch-and-release fishing by the public has created a wary, intelligent fish population; and the year-round supply of riparian habitat and resulting insect supply has made the fish into well-fed, picky eaters who can afford to ignore a fly that looks even the least bit suspicious. 
 
Hooked--Through My Own Lip, That Is
 

These difficult conditions weed out any lazy or haphazard fishermen and force one to engage deeply with the landscape.  Success at Silver Creek demands attention to stream conditions, weather patterns, local vegetation, insect hatches, season, and climate.  A commitment is required, and fishing here is an exercise in frustration for those concerned only with catching fish.   

In addition to all the challenges faced by competent fishermen, I had to further contend with constant snags, infuriating knots, and a general lack of interest on the part of the fish.  I also managed to hook myself on several occasions (once through the lip, ironically), and sometimes would launch what I considered to be a perfect cast, only to watch the top half of my rod sail through the air and follow the fly into the water. 

Continue to Part 2: Ryan Fishes the Brown Drake Hatch

Nature picture credits ( left to right): Photo © Ryan Urie (Ryan with his first brown trout); Photo © Ryan Urie (Silver Creek).