Silver Creek Double R Fishing Report

Saturday, May 31, 2014:

Today was a day of epic hatches on the Double R Ranch.   Given the dark overcast sky, I would have expected a strong Blue Winged Olive hatch lasting all day.  However, the wind came up strong when the Baetis started to hatch and blew them off the water in most places.  A size 18 Olive Hatchmatcher did the trick on a couple of trout.  Then the wind died down and the wee bit of sun sparked the Pale Morning Duns to hatch strongly together with a thin showing of Green Drakes.  My most effective pattern was my “go to” fly for PMDs on the ranch water, the #14 PMD CDC Winged Parachute.  I chose that large size so that it might double as a Green Drake as initially it was difficult to determine whether the trout were eating PMDs or Green Drakes.  I spent a half hour fishing to a bank feeding rainbow and finally resorted to a #18 PMD Hatchmatcher.  I almost never spend that much time on one fish but I was curious about the fish’s species and size.  When the PMD hatch became thick I “missed” a dozen trout and it turned out that the tippet had become wrapped around the fly, creating a weed guard, err, fish guard.  Moral of the story, check your fly and tippet frequently.   All told, I landed 9 trout with the largest being an 18 inch rainbow.  I have not landed a brown trout in four sessions this season.  Perhaps they are dining on Brown Drakes downstream of Highway 20.

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper