Outflow from Palisades dropped this week to 4,000 cfs. Historically, we start October at just above 4,000 cfs and finish October at 2,000, and then in November, the flow drops to 900 – 1,000 cfs for winter. At 4,000 cfs you’ll find the fish starting to move to deeper holes and leave much of the river seemingly devoid of fish. Whether you’re wading or floating focus your fishing efforts on sections of the river that have structure to them; deep holes, logs, drops, riffles, and foam lines. You’ll notice the long reaches of the river with the same depth and flow. The trout tend to either avoid these areas or at least not feed actively in this type of water.
Dry Flies: Afternoon hatches of Blue Winged Olives and Mahogany Duns continue, especially on cloudy days.
Nymphs: Soft hackles, Tungsten bead heads, and Euro-style nymphs to imitate Blue Winged Olives and Mahogany Duns, size 16-20. Brown and Black Rubberlegs size 4 – 8. If you like technical nymph fishing the sunny weather in the forecast this weekend is just for you. Nymphing riffles and foam lines before and during the afternoon Mayfly hatches has been the most productive way to catch fish.
Streamers: Focus on the early morning and late evening low-light conditions. As the flow drops so should your streamers; deeper water and slower strips. On fast water banks, you don’t need to be as deep and you’ll want to strip faster.
Our regular fishing reports will continue through October. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend on the river.