Big Wood River, Idaho

Above Ketchum: the North Fork and SNRA

The Big Wood starts near Galena Summit and runs south along Idaho 75 through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, gathering the North Fork just above Ketchum. This upper water is faster pocket water with smaller rainbows and the most solitude on the river; access is from the highway and SNRA campgrounds. It fishes best after runoff, from July on, and in big snow years the whole river can stay high into July.

Ketchum to Hailey

Through Ketchum and Sun Valley the river is reachable from town parks, bridges and the paved Wood River Trail, and pressure is highest here. Below Ketchum the valley opens and the reach down through Gimlet and Hailey is the most popular water on the river, a mix of riffles, runs and side channels. The Hailey gauge on this page sits in the middle of it. Warm Springs Creek and Trail Creek, the two main tributaries near Ketchum, are small-stream options when the main river is busy.

Bellevue and below

Below Bellevue irrigation diversions pull the river down through summer, and flows can get thin, but this is where brown trout become a regular part of the catch. Silver Creek, the famous spring creek, is south of Bellevue near Picabo and makes an easy pairing for a multi-day trip.

Rainbow trout

The Big Wood is not stocked; its rainbows are wild, self-sustaining fish, and the catch-and-release regulations on the core reach are the reason Lost River Outfitters still ranks it among the best freestone rivers in Idaho. The green drake hatch in July is the headline event, followed by PMDs, tricos on August mornings, and hoppers into fall. Winter midge fishing on mild days is a real option because the river stays open through March.

Brown trout

Browns are concentrated in the lower river around Bellevue and both above and below Magic Reservoir, in the deeper pools and slower water. Fall, before and during their spawn, is when the larger fish show up on streamers; take care around redds in October and November.

Season and regulations

The Big Wood closes every spring. Every section above Magic Reservoir is closed from April 1 through the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. From the Idaho 75 bridge near milepost 122.2 (south of Hailey) upstream to the bridge near milepost 136.2 (north of Ketchum) the river is catch-and-release for trout, no bait, one barbless hook per fly or lure, from Memorial Day weekend through March 31. From Glendale Road bridge up to milepost 122.2 the limit is 2 trout, none between 12 and 16 inches, with catch-and-release December through March. Sections above 136.2 and below Glendale allow harvest in the general season.

Flow matters most in early season. Local reports treat roughly 150 to 500 cfs at Hailey as the comfortable wading range, and a reading in the 170s is described as very comfortable wet wading. Runoff can hold the river above that into July. Check the current Idaho Fish and Game rules for the Magic Valley region before you go.