Morning and Evening

Burke Rocking the SA Brand

It is at this time of year that my pattern changes. Be the Trout!

-Get your butt out of bed with the sun and be on the water early or take in the after work session and fish from 6 pm to dark during the coolest periods of the day. Afternoons will fish, but don’t expect the warmest time of the day to be your best bets. Side note; fish when you can, the season will be over soon.

WHATS UP

-Yes, tricos have made their appearance, BUT the numbers of bugs in the air are thin and fish up on top have been the same. There just has not been enough meat falling to the water to get a large number of fish to the surface. However, anglers concentrating on the few pods that they have found have caught some fish on both trico spinners and duns, small,# 20-22. No dumb reckless feeding fish have been located. If you have found any dumb fish please don’t comment about them here, it will ruin this post as well wreck all of the legend and lore around Trico fishing. Trico fishing is one of the most challenging fly angling endeavors of the year. The process is awesome and it is my favorite mayfly hatch. I hope the density of the hatch continues to grow. The high water thinning of aquatic insects is keeping me guarded on wether this will happen or not.

-Anglers who are successful have covered vast distances of water to locate the few fish that are feeding actively. These fish tend to be in the long slow deepish flats where bad casts will shut them down in an instant. Waters are becoming clear and spooky. Frothing the water with inaccurate casts and splashy, sloppy presentation will get you the big goose egg and another long walk to the next pod of risers. Practice casting and landing your minute imitations softly or the trico game can be frustrating. 6 and 7X tippet are the rule.  Side note; Remember these trout are not Musky, Bass or Tarpon and although the water can magnify their actual size, hook sets must be smooth and subtle. Power applied to the set must be tempered with control. Rippin lips,,, provided you get an eat,, will get you in the negative fly count category and another fun tie on with 7x.

-Hoppers are in the grass. Dry weather will bring more. Hit those grassy banks. A foot away is not close enough. Make stupendous bank shots off the bank, if you get caught on the bank, twitch it off the grass instead of yanking it out of there with reckless abandon. Be the hopper, talk to your hopper imitations. Talk to the trou. MAKE SURE NO ONE ELSE IS AROUND. The men in the white coats are lurking in the forest. 

South Fork falls

ON THE ROCKS

-I love to nymph. Some refer to it as the dark arts. There is no larger controversy in fly fishing world than the wedge between dry and drowned. My words, EAT ME. There I said it. I though this video was fitting. 

– Rock sampling has shown thin pickins for aquatic insect larva and nymphs. Mayfly nymphs found are extremely small in size. P. tails in 20 and 22 have brought some nice fish and some dinks but they are working. Small lightening bugs are also taking some fish. Caddis larva are there too. Small #16-18 olive/green or tan larva and pupa have fooled some trout as well. Big fly, small fly continues to be my model for the two fly rig. Stone fly imitations including tung head prince, the turd, and half backs may move some bigger fish.

Have fun!

Trico Morning