Holy cow it’s July 9th already! Whoa…days are passing with blazing speed driven by the frenzy of fish and flies. A lot has changed since our fishing report last week…flows have stabilized, bugs are hatching like crazy, fish are biting, and anglers have flocked to the river.
River Flow: Palisades reservoir is 99% full and beautiful right now. Outflow has been stable the last few days at 12,800 cfs.
Weather: Summer is here…finally. Sandals, sunblock, and cold drinks. YES!
Fishing and Flies: The river popped this week like a cork out of a champagne bottle. From the Dam all the way to Menan you can find bugs hatching. The bulk of the Salmon Flies are making there way into the canyon but we have seen a few as far up as Irwin this week. The warm weather has them moving quickly up-river. There are also Sallies, Green Drakes, and PMD’s throughout the river.
- Nymphs – Lifecycle patterns for all the above are recommended as the hardest part might be figuring out if the fish are eating Salmon Fly nymphs or focusing on small PMD’s and Sallies. Nymphing is still the name of the game on the upper river at least in the morning. Similar to last week a large stonefly nymph trailed by your favorite small beadhead is a great set up.
- Dry Flies – If you’re fishing big Salmon Flies remember not only are you competing against the naturals but also against all the other anlgers out there. Keep those bugs in tight and fish them with a twitch. Bring your A-game! Don’t be afraid to size down to a PMD, Sally, or Golden Stone. Stay versatile and focus on what the fish are doing…are they hitting big bugs on the banks? No? Try and find a riffle where they might be eating PMD’s.
Bottom line, get out there and fish the next 7 to 10 days WILL be some of the best dry fly fishing we will see in 2020. Come visit us at the shop or call if you need anything 208.483.2222. Please remember with visitors coming from all over the country, state, and county this weekend physical distancing, masks, and washing hands are more important than ever. We are all in this together!