South Fork Boise River Day Trip

We’re hitting the South Fork of the Boise River for an evening of fishing!  For those who want to camp overnight, there are loads of dispersed campsites along the river.

Flows in town can be unpredictable this time of year so we may change this to another venue closer to the date when we can anticipate whether the river can be safely waded.

• This is a popular and productive fly-fishing stretch—cold tailwater with stable summer flows, ideal in August when river levels drop to 300–600 cfs, offering excellent wade fishing conditions
• A parallel dirt road along the first 10–12 miles provides easy parking access to prime wade spots .
• The river holds robust wild rainbow trout populations, with size potential up to 20 inches, and occasional bull and brown trout.

• Pale Morning Duns (PMDs), caddis, and midges hatch into August
• Trico hatch begins August, great for dry-dropper rigs
• Fish glide seams and pocket water early evening with a small dry fly (~size 18–20), dropping a nymph pattern beneath for deeper feeders.

• Indicator nymph rigs work especially well in runs and riffles—try stonefly, PMD nymphs, or lighter patterns.
• Late summer low flow concentrates trout, making weighted nymph setups (split-shot or jig-style) very effective

• For aggressive, opportunistic feeding, streamer patterns like small Woolly Buggers, muddler minnows, or sculpin imitations fished on a dead drift or slow strip can trigger bites .

• Rod: 4–5 weight, 9 ft with a floating line—perfect for both dry-dropper and streamer tactics
• Leader: 9 ft taper, 4X tippet—sometimes 5X when fishing smaller trico dries.
• Flies:
  • Dries: PMDs, Tricos, adults
  • Nymphs: PMD, stonefly, zebra midge
  • Streamers: small Woolly Buggers, sculpin patterns (size 4–8)

• Early morning (6–9 AM): Start with nymphs or streamers in cooler water.
• Midday: Ideal for nymph “searching” deeper seams and runs.
• Late afternoon & evening (5–8 PM): Transition to dries or dry-dropper setups during hatch peaks.

• Fishing is catch-and-keep with a daily limit of 2 trout (none under 14″)
• One barbless hook per fly and no bait
• Self-guided only—no commercial guiding is allowed on this section of the South Fork

Remember, we aren’t using MeetUp any longer, please scroll down to register for this event.  If you can’t attend PLEASE change your RSVP here on our website!  This is a members-only event.  Have a friend who wants to come with you?  Have her become a member and she’ll have access to our day trips, multi-day outings, seminars, and more!

We have set up a Member Forum to discuss the details of our events.

By registering, I affirm that I am voluntarily participating in the following event:

NAME: SF Boise Day Trip Outing 2025

DATES: August 23, 2025

I acknowledge that I know and understand the inherent risks. I assume full responsibility for any and all sickness, injuries, or damages that may occur to me as a result of participating in the named event. By registering, I acknowledge that WFFI is not responsible for any illness or injury associated with my participation in the named event. And I further acknowledge that any photos taken during the event may be used by the organization.

Our waiver can be found HERE.  Thanks in advance for taking the time to review it.