Friday, August 21, 2009

Late Summer South Fork Fishing


The South Fork is starting to get a little tough. The hopper fishing has not been that good as of late and the fish have wised up to the big bugs. Just not enough big bugs flying around to get those fish to look up. Pretty crazy for the South Fork where the big bug is dominant. Lately the ticket has been throwing small PMD patterns on the riffles, banks, and foam holes throughout the entire day. If you get lucky enough to have some decent rods in your boat then you can have some stellar days throwing these small flies. But this is much easier said than done. Trying to cast two size 18 PMD's on the bank and find them, get a decent mend in, and not sink them is tough on any angler. However if you can get a decent drift these fish will eat them every time. Forty fish days are not that uncommon if the PMD hatch comes off.

The other option is to use the infamous lightning bug under an indicator. There have been some really nice 20-22" fish caught this week while nymphing with the lightning bug. But then who really wants to nymph when they come to the South Fork. I personally have been leaning to throwing the smaller flies. That is probably because I stare at indicators so much back home.

Just to keep all of you informed I will not be out here on the South Fork that much longer. The first of September I will be coming home to California and resuming guiding back on the Lower Sac, Yuba, Feather, and Putah Creek. For those of you that want dates for the fall then you need to contact me ASAP as they are almost gone.

I hope that you guys are getting some good late summer dry fly fishing in.

Fish Hard!

Friday, August 7, 2009

South Fork Update


The South Fork of the Snake is in its mid-summer trend. Big bugs in the morning and lots of PMDs in the afternoon. The big bug fishing of late has been marginal. If you get a sunny day expect the big bug fishing to be about average. However if you find yourself out on the river with cloudy conditions then the fishing can be awesome. The exciting part is that the hopper fishing is just getting started. So the big bug fishing over the next week should improve.

The PMD fishing from about 1PM until 5PM has been awesome. Every riffle and dump is loaded with fish. This is the time of year where sight fishing can be deadly. Most of the PMD fishing we are doing is using sparkle dun emergers and small nymphs trailing behind. The fish are really starting to wise up to lots of the small bugs. If you get the right drift they will eat your bug every time, but as soon as you miss a fish then they won't come back for seconds. One shot and you are done. So make sure to bring your "A" game on your first several casts.

Most days the fishing in the mornings has been average to slow. But the fishing in the afternoon is making up for the whole thing. Usually at lunch we have boated somewhere between 7-10 trout but by the end of the day we are around 30 to the boat. I have been telling most guys that the morning is just a waiting period for the PMD hatch.

Recently the canyon fishing has been the best. Fishing from Conant down to Byington has been the most consistent. The upper is fishing well in the afternoon but really bad in the morning. While the lower from Byington to Lorenzo has been fishing great for small fish between 8-14". On the lower it is really difficult to find a fish over 18".

For those of you that are interested in fishing this fall in California need to contact me asap to get dates. I hope everyone is getting some great summer fishing in.

Tight Lines!