Despite the heat, in recent days the fishing on the South Fork remains good. I fished yesterday afternoon around Conant with my Dad and was surprised how good the fishing was on one of our warmest days of the summer. The fish are looking up for Mutant Golden Stones, PMD’s, and Terrestrial patterns. Good hatches of PMD’s can be found in side channels and riffles and it’s worth running a “big foam” bug through first before switching to a PMD. We kept a 5-weight rigged with a Mutant Golden Stone and a dropper and a 3-weight rigged with an Elk Hair Caddis and a Crippled PMD. Both setups were equally successful and we’d switch back and forth depending on the type of water. Golden stones on the cliffs, rocks, and brushy banks and the small dry flies for foam lines, riffles, and side channels. We were rewarded more than once for taking the time to investigate some small side channels that most anglers don’t explore.
Water temperatures remain in the healthy zone for trout in the upper reaches of the river. And the flow out of Palisades at 9,500 is just right. It looks like cooler temperatures and some afternoon thundershowers are in the works for this weekend which will only make the fishing better. Get out there and enjoy!
If you need flies, leaders, tips and tricks come by the fly shop in Swan Valley and chat with Cole or Brody.
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