CFS: 1160
Water Temperature: 45-48 °F
FISHING REPORT
It’s Matt from the shop!
Here’s a summary of the current fishing conditions and strategies from the days I spent fishing the lower section of Rock Creek last week:
Runoff is underway, but don’t be deterred by the faster, higher water. Just be adaptive and take some extra time to investigate where the fish might be hanging out. Look for areas where fish are retreating from the faster waters, and keep your eyes out for seams where water transitions from slow to fast. Dead drifting under an indicator with flies like pheasant tails and purple duracell is effective. Be extra attentive when setting the hook as fish are mouthing the flies softly rather than taking them aggressively. Use smaller indicators for increased sensitivity to detect subtle takes.
In spots where fish can feed easily, try twitching a little dry fly such as a purple haze, blue-winged olive, or march brown. Fish activity seems to be fluctuating with the weather: they are more active when clouds come in and slow down when the sun is out.
The warmer weather this week will likely bump the water again, so stay safe out there! Check out some more fly selections below, and have fun fishing:
Subsurface: Pat’s Rubber Legs, Bitch Creek, TJ Hookers, Jig Perdagon, Wonder Bugger, Circus Peanut, JJ Specials
Dries: Gray/Brown Drakes, March Browns, Baetis, Caddis, Purple Haze, Brindle Chute