July 6TH Double R Fishing Report

Sunday, July 6, 2014:

DOUBLE R RANCH - FISHING REPORT:  

FIELD WATER.  With this string of 90 plus degree days, it is getting increasingly important to hit the Double R Ranch water early.  By 6:30 each morning I have looked out my trailer door and observed hordes of White Miller Caddis hovering over the water and when I get out and drive the field water I see the same thing, all over the creek.  As I’ve said before, your Stream Keeper does not have much success fishing dry patterns for this huge Long Horned Caddis; instead, I consistently take fish by swimming a #14 Pheasant Tail soft hackle across the creek and under the caddis cloud, or by swinging the soft hackle directly in front of a working trout or likely holding spot.  A flash back or regular Pheasant Tail Nymph will work well, too.  My sense is that the trout are taking caddis on their way to emerging rather than taking adult caddis hovering or on the surface, with obvious exceptions.  The Tricos are also present early morning on the field water, both hatching green females and, later, black bodied spinners; small sparse Trico patterns are key.  Later in the morning and early afternoon we are seeing Tiny Blue Winged Olives on the field water, both Duns and Spinners in size 20 or 22; I like a Hatch Matcher fashioned from dun colored mallard flank feathers, brown tying thread and grizzly saddle hackle.  

THE POND.  The Pond continues to fish well every day.  So long as the wind is not blowing, you will see many rising fish.  The insect culprits can be Callibaetis duns or spinners, Blue Winged Olive duns or spinners, caddis or midges.  When you see fish clearing the water with their tails, start thinking caddis or, possibly, Callibaetis nymphs being followed by trout on the nymph’s way to the surface; tie on a Callibaetis nymph, let it sink and give it a jigging action.  If you see more of a sipping rise, try a dry midge pattern (e.g. Griffith’s Gnat) or a small BWO spinner.  Be on the lookout for larger trout feeding along the banks of the new islands.  This morning there were a lot of flying ants (black front body, cinnamon rear body and translucent wings, size 18) at the Gazebo (looking for roast pig?) and there is no reason why these flying ants will not make their way out onto The Pond, so be alert.  On Friday, I hooked (and lost) a brute of a trout while reeling in a small bead headed black flashy leech.  Be on the lookout for damsels as this hot weather goes on for the next week.  

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper