caddis

  The caddis hatches on both the South Platte and the Blue have been excellent over the past weeks.  The Blue below Green Mountain Res in particular has a thick hatch starting about 10:30 am and lasting as long as 5 pm, with plenty of other bugs  evident all day.  Fish seemed to rise best from 11-2 and were twice as likely to take a dry if it was skated across the water rather than dead drifted.  Nymphing the riffles during the hatch was very productive and we fished most of the day with dry dropper rigs, a PMX with tungsten caddis droppers.  The lower flows made the wade fishing excellent and we fished the river downstream from the dam almost 2 miles with no body else in sight.

Salmonflies

The Salmonfly hatch on the Colorado River has been going for almost 10 days now with the number of bugs starting to diminish.  Several anglers reported some of the best fishing they have ever had in both Gore and Byers Canyons.  Who doesn't like aggressive top water action with 2 inch long dries tied on with 8 pound tippet.  A hike up into one of the mentioned canyons is your best bet to still get some action locally.  These great bugs are hatching on the North Platte below the state line in Wyoming and the Gunnison is expecting the emergence in a week or so.

In a recent trip to the Colorado River we also noted caddis, olives, pmd's, and stones of various sizes and colors.  The water was still very stained but large flies fished close to the banks did well as well as large stone droppers.  The trend on this river now is clearing and dropping so a trip to the upper Colorado is a good bet.  Other hot spots include Cheeseman Canyon, the Blue, and Grey Reef which has had an awesome later spring with great hatches and rising fish.  The Poudre is high and nasty right now and the Big Thompson is bumping up and down but fishing well.

Virginia Smallies

On a trip to Virginia and Delaware last weekend I was lucky enough to try for Smallies on the Shenondoah for a day.  My Father, Brother, and self  alike all used to fish the 'Doah and the Potomac  for bass, Smallmouth in particular.  What used to be an awesome fishery 15 to 20 years ago has experienced a decline in fish and water quality over this time putting what few guides there were out of business for seasons at a time.  Here and there would be a decent season but more often that not you could fish a whole day and get blanked.  You could imagine my excitement upon receiving a call from my dad to tell me of recent success on the Shenandoah.  On the day before I left Virginia we floated with A friend of my Father, "thanks Dave!", and tore it up.  An 8 mile section of the river with action the whole way; if I caught 1 I caught 100.  Fish were eager to eat clouser minnows and flashy baitfish patterns; as well as some local favorites, again, "thanks Dave". Most of the fish were smaller, but if the water quality holds up next year should be fabulous.  These rivers in Virginia may be rebounding from years of runoff from the many chicken farms scattered around the mountains.  already booked my trip for next year.

Salmonflies are showing themselves this week around the state.  The Colorado and the North Platte are both seeing hatches while the nymphs are crawling around the Gunny.  With cooler temps these rivers are clearing and fishing can be HOT during these windows.  Salmonflies on top is about as much fun as a guy can have and if you are lucky enough to fish the hatch you will chase it the rest of your life.I have friends going to Byers Canyon, and the North Platte this weekend so I should have an accurate report by Monday.

High Water

With the flows of many streams on the rise fishing tactics must change accordingly. Water is high and off color but many times still fishable. As recently as yesterday we caught a lot of fish on the Big Thompson, with a flow close to 500cfs. Fish will often move out of steep areas and onto flatter terrain wher the currents are more moderate. The use of larger, flashier, brighter flies will help fish to see your offerings in the faster, stained waters of run off. Large rubber legged stones and san juan worms are two of my favorites this time of year.

An area still not yet tainted with run off is the South Platte River system. The Dream Stream, Elevenmile Canyon, and Cheeseman Canyon all have good tailwater flows, but these will almost certainly increase before the end of June. There has been good dry fly action on olives, midges, and a few caddis in hotter days.

If you want some killer dry fly action head to Grey Reef. With lower flows @ 600cfs the waters are producing some awesome dry fly fishing using midges, olives, and some pmd's. This is a rare occurrance as thes big rainbows rarely make it to the surface, so try to get there in the next two weeks before the flows come up. Pods of rising, happy 20 inchers sounds good to me.