May 31, 2019
We haven’t had a 70 degree days in two weeks but the worm has finally turned thanks to the sun. Trees are showing leaf production, combined with a couple dry days equals run-off has been reduced to a crawl.
Flows have been coming down in the East Outlet and Moose River. Both are full of fish and will soon be wadeable.
Although we have had to cancel many river trips we have been bouncing around taking advantage of windows of opportunity. It’s been all about heavy sinking lines and streamers. Grey or olive streamers have been working the best. Most of the takes are at the end of the swing, which is classic streamer fishing.
Blue wing olives have been hatching for a week or more and Hendrickson are beginning to show so fish are just now beginning to look up. It’s a magical day when big numbers of Hendricksons hatch. Fish that ignore BWO’s during high flows do triple backflips over a Hendrickson. All you’ll need is a similar dry presented with a drag-free drift and you’ll get takes every feeding fish you find. Experiencing a Hendrickson hatch is something you’ll talk about the rest of your life. Just remember the mayfly rule #1 – “A good drift is way better than a good cast”… meaning a drag-free drift is essential in fooling a fish during mayfly hatches.
Pond fishing has exploded. Folks are catching lots of brookies looking for anything just under the surface. Mayfly hatches should begin in earnest any day now. This is when you can spot and stock a trout traveling down a shoreline picking off every mayfly in it’s path. All you have to do is drop your imitation out ahead of the feeding brookie and if you have the right fly, it’s almost a guarantee he’ll pick it up. How much fun is that? Size and color of your fly is the key here.
The Roach has come down to a wadeable level, 220 cfs. It’s like a fall flow. Salmon that came in on high water should remain in pools until the river goes to summer flow, 100 cfs. When that happens fish in the lower river will quickly exit but fish in the upper river from the dam to the Warden’s pool will remain there all summer.
A Grey or Black Ghost on a sink-tip or maybe a floating line should do the trick….and of course nymphing.
If you care at all about smallmouth bass they started eating poppers yesterday. Don’t tell anyone we told you. Twenty inch smallmouth are tons of fun when they are eating a perfectly placed bug a few inches from good structure. But don’t tell anyone.
So it Full Steam Ahead, high water is always a challenge but when flows drop to fishable levels watch out.
The photo above is of long time guide Ian Cameron and Alan Jansujwicz, long time customer, with what has become an everyday East Outlet landlocked.
