Silver Creek: In Recognition of Fragility

from In the Loop Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue 33

by In the Loop Fly Fishing Magazine

The Bahamas: It All Began with Bonefish

Silver Creek:

In Recognition of Fragility

The Silver Creek is world-renowned for the clockwork dependability of its hatches and its booming population of hungry but selective brown trout. When visiting there, Brett Zundel of Loon Outdoors found out, however, that the fishing was only a minor part of the river’s story. Its serenity and beauty – its very livelihood - seems contingent on the mindset of its visitors, and there were important lessons to be learned there that had very little to do with the actual fishing.

By: BRETT ZUNDEL Photos by: ANDREW MILLER

We parked next to a one-ton Ford. The lift, custom rod tubes welded to the roof rack, fishing-themed decals and vanity plates all screamed “that guy”. That guy who fishes 400 days a year, only talks about his heroic fishing conquests, and reeks of arrogance about his choices of fishing methods and gear. In many ways, this was exactly the rig I expected to see at an iconic stream like Silver Creek, which attracts serious anglers from all over the world who are anxious to test their skills and fly selection against notoriously hungry but selective trout.

As we pulled on our waders the truck’s owner sauntered up the trail from the river with two trash bags. He greeted us warmly, commented on the beauty of the day, and (only when asked) explained that he wasn’t fishing today. Today he was picking up trash and pulling noxious invasive weeds where he found them.

I would come to learn that this was a fitting introduction to Silver Creek. This spring creek, famous for perfectly timed hatches and beautiful fish, did indeed call to the most serious anglers. But it also draws reverent anglers. And as this man proved, an angler’s reverence can reach a depth that prompts him or her to carry a pair of binoculars and a trash bag, rather than fly rod and net.

The soft lighting is somewhere between magical and perfect

Words would fail in describing the masterpiece that is Silver Creek. The calls of songbirds dominate the soundscape, overshadowing the hushed sound produced by the gentle grade of the river. Moose and elk wander through the conservancy. The soft lighting is somewhere between magical and perfect, with summer sunsets lasting for hours.

But Silver Creek isn’t a wilderness area defined by distance from society. Access is easy. Main roads are but miles away, and cars can be driven to within yards of the creek. What makes this place special is that humans, having recognized the importance and beauty of Silver Creek, have prioritized her protection and have succeeded in enjoying it in a sustainable way.

The Nature Conservancy has posted signs to protect habitat by restricting traffic from anglers, hikers and bird-watchers. The temptation for all of us, especially anglers, is to wink at such signs, believing that they apply to everyone else and that we will be careful enough to violate the letter but not the spirit of the law. But here, not so much as a blade of grass is bent, as though everyone sees that there are no shortcuts to conservation, and the beauty of Silver Creek depends on all visitors recognizing its fragility.

What I have come to realize is that this is true of every natural place. But though it may be true that all natural places rely upon our recognition of responsibility, the angler should be the most aware of this truth. Because of the nature of the sport and the degree to which an angler must immerse him or herself in it, fishing forces connection with those places in a deeply significant way. We become aware that ever step we take—quite literally—can alter the health of that place. We hold the lives of the creatures we are taking—again literally—in our hands.

It would be a shame to visit an iconic place like Silver Creek and miss all that makes it unique. But what I learned at Silver Creek is that all wild places have at least one thing in common: they depend on the reverence and stewardship of everyone who is willing to take the small steps towards their conservation.

Silver Creek is a true Idaho spring creek and one of the most famed trout rivers on the planet. It is renowned for it perfectly phased and highly dependable hatches, its gin-clear water and its diverse dry fly fishing opportunities. Silver creek has its origins just south of Sun Valley and meanders through atmospheric meadows with mountainous backdrops and open skies. The fish that inhabit the river are predominately brown trout and wild rainbow trout which can grow up to more than 75cm.

Ernest Hemingway, who was a keen fly fisher and outdoorsman, was – not surprisingly - attracted to the Silver Creek, and he meticulously worked its banks decades ago. In a world of progressive change, nothing much has changed along the banks of Silver Creek in the time that has since passed. It remains, to this date, an iconic and abundant natural miracle somewhat frozen in time, and to fish there – in the footsteps of Hemingway and a vast array of American fly fishing legends - is to immerse oneself in true American fly fishing culture.