Fishing Report and looking forward into July.
June saw some pretty major fluctuation along with some more rain and we came close to seeing some major flood gate action with threats of 40k to 60K CFS of flows. Fortunately that did not happen as it would have caused severe property damage on the river. The most we have ever seen is 50K CFS. So- the lake levels are slowly dropping with the Bull at 691.39 and the Fork at 575.63. The fork is generating 5k plus pretty much around the clock and Bull is 12k to 16K. The C.O.E. and SWPA are gonna make some big bucks this summer. The sulphur hatch also started in June. However the bigger flows have a tendency to knock this hatch down. I along with a few other guides have had some great luck with John Schepps’ wired PT. This is a fly he won a sow bug tying contest with and its a great fly for this time of year. Other PTs are also working and of course after a rain storm the ubiquitous and highly productive san juan worm in various colors such as brown, brown and brown along with the wapsi worm brown color are pretty hard to beat. As the weather heats up the girdle bug or turd as some call it work pretty well also. In fact my fisherman caught fish on it yesterday morning. This fly has become quite popular over the past few years and has spanflex (wapsi SX4-047) incorporated onto a 10 or 8 hook. This is a heavy fly generally tied with lead wrapped around it along with either a brass or tungsten bead 1/8th copper bead depending on how heavy one wants it to be. It is fished close to the bank and if your not losing one every now and then then your not close enough to the bank. Fish it with heavier tippet than you think you need ‘cause if the brown trout are on it you will have a blast with this fly. It is also a pain in the you know what to tie but is now a must have fly for your box on bigger water. The depth of this fly can range from 3 or 4 feet to 4 to 8 feet. A dropper can even be used but expect to loose some flies.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect heavy generation throughout July especially with the heat we have been getting. Terrestrials are working at times and the cicadas are getting heavier and louder. Accurate cast in shallow water or along the shady areas underneath trees are good targets. Velocity breaks such as rocks or trees can also hold some good fish so crashing a big bug into these areas can cause a take. Don’t forget midges on big water either. Sometimes black, purple, red or bright colored midges can draw strikes on big water. Dropping a midge below a SJ Worm can be highly productive so don’t forget to give it a try.
Good Catching.Jimmy T.
