In late August the fishing can turn into the ‘dog days of summer’ with hatches waning and the bright sun keeping the fish down. FORTUNATELY, that is not the case this year. With the reservoir still holding 80% full and stable flows out of the dam, fishing has continued to be excellent.
If you have a favorite fly fishing technique you can roll with that. Do you like big bugs on the banks? Go for it. Fish are eating hoppers and golden stones. Do you like riffle fishing? PMD’s, caddis, beetles, ants, and emergers are all working in the riffles. Are you a steamer guy/gal? Early morning and late evenings are great for streamer fishing. One guide this week said, “pick your poison”.
With so much cold clear water stored in the reservoir we anticpate the great season to continue not only into the Fall but into next year as well with plenty of water stored for 2020. Justin Hays, our manager, said he’ll sleep well this winter knowing that next year is already looking good.
One thing to keep in mind. When the river drops next due to lack of irrigation demands we should see a good hatch of the mutant golden stones, something to look forward too!
Looking for other options? Out guided trips on Palisades reservoir have been having good success, especially now with less boaters on the water. Bass fishing on the Main Snake is still firing and as the weather cools we’ll see more trophy trout back in action.
Give us a call or swing by our fly shop if we can help with anything! 208.483.2222