NEWS SUMMER
Summer Opportunities PG 5 SUN VALLEY
KETCHUM
HAILEY
OPINION
May Mental Health Month PG 4
FISHING Fishing R epoRt REPORT
Opening Day Weekend PG 8
THE “WEEKLY” FISHING FOR BELLEVUE REPORT PICABO MAY 17 - 30 FROM PICABO ANGLER
CAREY
WOOD RIVER WEEKLY T
his is it! The waiting is almost over! On Friday, May 26 at 5 p.m., Picabo Angler will kick off Opening Free | May 17 - 30, 2023 | Vol. 4with - No. 10 | woodriverweekly.com Day Weekend our annual Opening Day Eve Party. Rain or “ Yo u ’ r e o n l y h e r e f o r a s h o r t v i s i t . D o n ’ t h u r r y . D o n ’ t w o r r y . A n d b e s u r e t o s m e l l t h e f l o w e r s a l o n g t h e w a y . ” shine (outdoors or Indoors), we – Wa l t e r C . H a g e n will be enjoying Hank Patterson’s humor, music by Barton & Bollar, refreshments from Sawtooth Brewery, dinner by the Picabo Angler Grill, raffles, and all the fly-fishing vendors coming to show the latest and greatest products. Please join us for what has become a very special event. Everyone is welcome! If you plan to fish on Saturday, May 27, Opening Day, be prepared to fish on Silver Creek, as it will be the only game in town for several weeks. We have had eyes on the Creek the past few weeks, so get ready, as the hatches have been pretty darned good. The opening weekend Silver Creek menu will feature Baetis (BWO), PMDs, and Callibaetis. Have emergers, duns, and spinners in sizes 16–20. We have TONS of new and effective fly patterns in the shop designed for Silver Creek. Ants and Beetle patterns are a must-have for the first weeks on Silver Creek. These patterns, especially large Beetles, will often bring fish to the surface that aren’t actively rising. One of the fun parts of opening week on the Creek is trying all sorts of “unusual” patterns and colors. Brown drakes are probably a few weeks away. With that said, no one ever truly knows when this hatch will appear and history says have some of these patterns yourTorres, fly box Coach from the Back row standing from left to right: Chris Arenas, Ryder Green, Jack Tierney, Jackson Wallace, Andres Hernandez, Domenic Seig, Elliot Boiron,inZack Nana Akyen, Coach Weylin Barrett. Kneeling row left to right:Coach Larry Schwartz, Nandy Inga, Ryan Tenold, Victor Hernandez, Chase Schwartz, Sylas Barrett, Henry Page, Gutierrez. moment the Alejandro clock strikes 12 a.m. Lying down in front: Reidar Slotten. Not pictured are Mateo de la Torre, Quintin Buoncristiani, Maicol Quinones. Photo courtesy of: Hailey Football Club on opening day. There should be plenty of anglers on the Creek during the opener. Let’s be sure we celebrate the season together and treat one another like we want to be treated on the river. Keep in BY ROBIN SIAS one kept asking us, ‘Where is Hailey?’” he laughed. that this one weekend may The players know that the levelmind of play they will encounter during their four games be a bit busier than others, so n June 22, the dreams of 21 U-16 soccer players from the Wood River Valley in England will require them to bring their A game and then some. Victor Hernandez, show that extra grace that will seem dull compared to reality. That day, players from the Hailey Lightning goaltender, said he’s ready for thelet’s challenge both in games and in the training. “The we all makes Silverteams. Creek I know they will have a Football Club, many who have played together since kindergarten, will board a thing I am most excited about is playingknow all the English such a special place. flight in Hailey and travel to Manchester, England, for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. different style and high-level skills,” he said. Striker Andres Hernandez concurred, “It lookfor forward to seeing Lightning coach and team manager Larry Schwartz explained, “We’re going to will be great to have a high-level ofWe play practice, drills, and games. The English all of you on Friday, May 26 at Manchester for 10 days at the invitation of the [Premiere League team] Manchester soccer is at a whole different level.” 5 p.m.things to look forward to. As Zack Torres, deCity soccer program. The coaches from the club’s academy program that develop their But sometimes it’s also the simple Please call us (208) 788most promising players will work with our kids and put them through the same train- fender, said, standing on early ‘spring’ grass at atKeefer Park in Hailey, “I’m excited to 3536 or email us at ing as academy players.” play on a good field!” He is also looking forward info@ to proper fish and chips at a British picaboangler.com The itinerary includes four training days, all at the Manchester City training facili- pub. Fellow defender Quintin Buoncristiani said,for“Imore can’t wait for the overall experiinformation. ties, and four game days with top local teams. When they’re not on the pitch, the boys, ence and exploring a new culture.”
YOUR VOICE IN THE WOOD RIVER VALLEY
FROM IDAHO TO ENGLAND: HAILEY LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS THE POND
Local U-16 soccer team plans trip of a lifetime
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two coaches, and a small group of parents will have private access to behind-thescenes tours of not only the billion-dollar Man City complex, but Manchester United, and Liverpool. “We will have access to the locker rooms, the trophy rooms, and many places the public never gets to see on the regular tour,” Schwartz said. The team will be met at the airport with a liaison from Man City and transported to all their events in a private bus that is being provided, with the liaison managing all logistics. “It is beyond exciting, everyone is taking great care of us,” Schwartz enthused. A hardworking, high-achieving footy team Coach Weylin Barrett said, “For me, on the surface, it’s pretty rad to have this opportunity because the team gets to do something special and have fun. But on a deeper level, it’s because they have worked really hard, individually and as a team, that this is possible.” Hailey FC Lightning’s stats support this narrative of a cohesive, disciplined, talented group of players. Last season, the club finished with the third most points in Idaho. They qualified for the Far West Presidents Cup in Phoenix, Arizona, a USYS regional/ national invitation-only tournament where they made it to the semifinals. Most teams in the tournament, according to Schwartz, were ranked #2 or #3 in their state. “Every-
Happy fishing, everyone! Earning the Spot All that aside, there are a lot of talented teams and enthusiastic players who would do a lot for the opportunity to align with Man City—one of the most successful and beloved football teams in the world. So how exactly does a small cohort of soccer players from a small Idaho mountain town get this kind of access, training, and star treatment? It started, as it often does, with a friend of a friend. Schwartz said, “I have a friend who has a friend who works for the company that owns Man City. This friend knew about the Lightning and introduced me to someone who is on the soccer side of things 20 in Picabo in that organization. Within 24 hours,Hwy no kidding, I received an email expressing their interest in having us come over toinfo@picaboangler.com train and play. I could not believe it. I heard from the Director of Player Development for (208)788.3536 Man City who put me in touch with the organization’s people who deal with thewww.picaboangler.com U.S. This was last summer, but everything moved fast. Man City does this for a small number of teams, and I knew skill-wise we would
Continued Trip of a Lifetime Page 2