CFS: 512
Water Temp: 57-63°F
Dries: Terrestrials, Caddis, Mayflies, Attractor Patterns
Nymphs: Copper Johns, Hare’s Ears, Pat’s RL
It’s been an interesting July so far. Up until this point, the weather has been very inconsistent, and that threw off some of the fishing the past couple weeks, especially in the mornings. However, it appears we are finally going to get some hot, sunny weather more reminiscent of the month.
The hopper/dropper combo is gaining more traction as we approach August, and fishing these patterns in the grassy areas (such as in the upper Creek) can produce some good results, like this cutthroat caught on a Chubby Chernobyl:
In the areas of Rock Creek where hoppers aren’t prevalent, I’d try other terrestrials like ant and beetle patterns with the same small beadhead droppers behind them. With the incoming heat, the middle of the day will likely slow down, and it might be mostly smaller fish coming up to take dries…at least until the spruce moth arrives, which should be any day now. In the mornings and evenings, see if any of the aquatics (caddis, mayflies, etc) are flying, and match the hatch accordingly. The other option would be to use an attractor like a Purple Haze or a Charlie Special and see if you can catch their attention. This is also the time of year that I love fishing crippled emergers. In the summer, the fish are often hesitant to come all the way to the surface, so an emerger that sits lower in the water or just under the surface can dramatically change your results if you find you are missing strikes or getting refusals.
Spruce moth watch begins, and we’ll have an update for you as soon as we see them!