big-wood

Big Wood River is a river in Idaho.

It ranks #4 among the 28 waters of Idaho in the registry, and is of regional prominence.

Also called The Wood and Wood River.

Fished for trout (inferred from the species listed).

Species: rainbow trout and brown trout.

USGS GNIS record: 395832.

Stretches: North Fork Confluence to Bellevue, Big Wood Tailwater, Lower Big Wood and Upper Big Wood.

Features: Magic Dam and Magic Reservoir.

Gimlet (confluence). It is fishable. Perfect Fly Store: the East Fork 'joins in on the flow below Ketchum at Gimlet'.

It is on the stretch North Fork Confluence to Bellevue.

North Fork Confluence (confluence). It is fishable. Perfect Fly Store: the North Fork enters the main river about ten miles north of Ketchum. Record also applies to the North Fork Big Wood (not a separate water here). Also called North Fork of the Big Wood.

It is upstream of North Fork Confluence to Bellevue.

It is downstream of Upper Big Wood.

Stanton Crossing (access). It is fishable. Silver Creek Outfitters: pre-spawn rainbows run up from Magic Reservoir 'into the Stanton Crossing area' (streamer water; expect to walk between pools). Single shop source.

It is on the stretch Lower Big Wood.

Sourced from 4 independent fly sites.

Sources: cdn.orvis.com (retrieved 2026-10-20), diyflyfishing.com (retrieved 2026-10-20), edits.nationalmap.gov, lostriveroutfitters.com (retrieved 2026-10-20), The Perfect Fly Store, Silver Creek (retrieved 2026-10-20), Silver Creek (2) (retrieved 2026-10-20), Silver Creek (3) (retrieved 2026-10-20), Silver Creek (4) (retrieved 2026-10-20), Silver Creek (5) (retrieved 2026-10-20), visitsunvalley.com, woodriverweekly.com and woodriverweekly.com (2).

Hatches

Great red quill (Hecuba)

Stage: dun. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep hatching
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Late-September 2019 forecast reports these big fall mayflies scattered along the river; a hatch chart puts them mid-August through September.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, Silver Creek

Grasshoppers

Stage: terrestrial. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul hatching
  8. Aug hatching
  9. Sep hatching
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Afternoon foam hoppers along seams and banks in the August 2010 post; a chart gives July through September.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, Silver Creek

Blue-winged olive (Baetis)

Stage: emerger, dun. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar hatching
  4. Apr hatching
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep hatching
  10. Oct hatching
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Spring and fall olives. Two charts agree on Mar-Apr and Sep-Oct; one adds that spring olives can carry into mid-June. A shop forecast from late September 2019 puts the fall olives at sizes 18-24 and fished on high-visibility parachutes.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, Silver Creek, theflyfishingplace.com

Caddis

Stage: adult. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun hatching
  7. Jul hatching
  8. Aug hatching
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Evening caddis (size 14-18) are the July go-to in the 2018 forecast; the hatch charts give mid-June to mid-August, spotted sedge being the most abundant.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, theflyfishingplace.com, Silver Creek

Green drake

Stage: dun. Well sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun hatching
  7. Jul hatching
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Three independent Idaho sources place the green drake on this river in June-July: a shop post from late June 2010 says it is approaching, a July 2018 forecast calls that week the tail end, and Lost River Outfitters lists a July green drake hatch. Midday activity, size 12.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, Silver Creek, lostriveroutfitters.com, Silver Creek

Midges

Stage: pupa, adult. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb hatching
  3. Mar hatching
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Ketchum shops single out midges as the dependable surface bug in late winter; the Silver Creek Outfitters March report calls afternoon midge rises the main action, and Lost River Outfitters names February midge hatches. A hatch-chart site says midges run all year, which is plausible but is a single, lightly sourced chart.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, lostriveroutfitters.com, Silver Creek

Pink Albert

Stage: dun. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul hatching
  8. Aug hatching
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Named in the July 2018 forecast and again as a morning mayfly in the mid-August 2010 post (size 16, with tricos and olives).

Sources: Silver Creek, Silver Creek

Trico

Stage: spinner. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug hatching
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Morning spinner-fall mayfly in the August 2010 post (size 20-22); a hatch chart extends it to the end of September.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, Silver Creek

Pale morning dun

Stage: dun. Sourced.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun hatching
  7. Jul hatching
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Listed in a July 2018 forecast among the summer mayflies and by a hatch-chart page for mid-June through July. A third chart stretches it into August; that extension rests on one weak source and is not recorded as months.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, theflyfishingplace.com, Silver Creek

Craneflies

Single or templated source.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug hatching
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Small yellow craneflies (size 14) are noted for August mornings in the 2010 post. Single mention.

Sources: Silver Creek

Golden stone / yellow sally

Stage: adult, nymph. Single or templated source.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun hatching
  7. Jul hatching
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Yellow stones are in the July 2018 forecast and a hatch chart gives June-July for goldens and mid-June to mid-July for sallies. Not corroborated by a second Idaho shop for dates.

Sources: diyflyfishing.com, Silver Creek

Access, closures and rules change; check with the state agency before you go.