September 30TH Double R Fishing Report "Paraleptophlebia"

Tuesday, September 30, 2014:

In the face of the forecast which called for 17 mile an hour wind, only the strong willed angler fished today.  It drizzled for a while this morning but then the rain subsided, the wind waned and the sun came out and illuminated a partly cloudy sky.  It was a beautiful fall day for maybe an hour before the slight breeze started to climb to gale force gusts.  A few #18 Blue Winged Olives appeared, causing a few trout to rise; no Mahogany Duns were sighted today, much less Callibaetis.  When the wind got strong I switched to a #18 Pheasant Tail soft hackle and picked up a single 15 inch Rainbow by swimming the fly parallel to the bank.  The forecasted wind came up and that’s all she wrote for the day.  Nap time!

MAHOGANY DUNS . . . . !      aka Paraleptophlebia

The relatively large Mahogany Dun mayfly is a welcome blessing each fall after matching our wits with the much smaller Blue Winged Olive and the miniscule Trico.  On Silver Creek this mayfly usually tapes out at a size 14 or a size 16.  Entomologists tell us that water temperatures need to plunge to 50 degrees for several days before Mahogany Duns will hatch but we don’t achieve those temperatures locally.  The daily emergence may start around 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. and can last two, three or more hours, ending between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.  As with most mayflies, Mahogany Dun hatches last longer on cloudy days and even rainy days, and are condensed into a shorter time period on sunny days.  Mahogany Dun hatches tend to be on the sparse side unless conditions are optimal.

The distinctive feature of this “crawler” mayfly is that it generally resides and emerges along banks, at current seams, in pools, eddies and along the edges of weed beds.  For that reason the beginning of a Mahogany Dun hatch is often not immediately noticed by the angler.  But the Mahogany Dun hatch will often prompt larger trout to move into the shallows and sip daintily.  It is a prescription for exciting and excellent fishing by the more vigilant angler.  

Nymphs.  

The Mahogany Dun nymphs will migrate to the edges of the creek, can live in water just inches deep, and may emerge by crawling out on rocks or vegetation.  The larger and more mature nymphs tend to rest and browse on rooted vegetation and congregate in calmer water where leaves and other detritus accumulate.  The nymphs themselves are such poor swimmers that they may drift a long distance in the current before regaining a hold on the creek’s substrate.  Immediately before hatching the nymphs make an awkward swim to the surface; the duns escape the nymphal shuck in, or just under, the surface film.  The nymphs may make several trips to the surface before hatching.  Thus, there are occasions when fishing a nymph can be productive, including by slowly swimming a brown soft hackle along weed beds and the bank.  Effective nymph patterns include:  the traditional Pheasant Tail nymph; a Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymph; a dark Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle; the Western Red Quill Nymph; the Western Blue Quill Nymph.

Emergers.  

There are times when the angler will notice “bulging” along the shoreline and has to decide whether the rise form involves trout taking emergers or duns.  If you see bubbles in the ring of the rise then observe whether floating duns are being taken or are floating through the feeding lane undisturbed.  If the duns are not being intercepted, then the trout are likely feeding on emergers.  Try one of a number of standard emerger patterns which hold in the film and have dark gray brown bodies, including the “floating nymph” design.  Typical patterns that may be effective in this situation include:  the Western Red Quill Floating Nymph; the Western Red Quill Emerger; the Western Blue Quill Floating Nymph; and the Western Blue Quill Emerger.  Alternatively, one could simply start with a dun pattern and switch to an emerger pattern if the dun pattern does not produce within a dozen casts to the bulging trout.

Duns.  

Duns of this mayfly look like large, slow moving Chinese junks ambling down the creek.  Trout will often take hatched Mahogany Duns in preference to more numerous but smaller Blue Winged Olives.  One excellent strategy is to drift a dun pattern within 6 inches of the edge of a weed bed or the bank.  Due to the fact that the duns hatch in calmer water, it is often beneficial to lengthen one’s leader to 12 to 15 feet and reduce your tippet to 5X or 6X.  Productive dun imitations include: the Mahogany Cut Winged Parachute; the Mahogany Sparkle Dun; the Mahogany Thorax Dun; the Mahogany No Hackle; and the Red Quill and Blue Quill, both of which are Catskill types in design.

Spinners.  

Spinner falls of the Mahogany Dun can be important to the angler who fishes late in the day.  The Mahogany Dun spinners usually swarm in early evening and drop to the water about the time when it becomes difficult to see.  Bring your flashlight and reading glasses so that it is not difficult to change spinner patterns.  Unlike the other stages of the Mahogany Dun discussed above, the spinner can be fished out in open water with equal success.  Two spinner patterns which are effective for just about any mayfly are equally productive when fished at the end of a Mahogany Dun session.  The Blue Quill Spinner’s body is constructed from a stripped peacock quill, its wing is fashioned from white hen hackle tips (tied spent or semi-spent), and the hackle is light blue dun, clipped top and bottom.  The Red Quill Spinner’s body is from a reddish-brown dyed hackle stem, its wings are made from white hen hackle tips (tied spent or semi-spent), and brown hackle is used, clipped top and bottom.           

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

September 28TH Double R Fishing Report "Mahogany Duns"

Sunday, September 28, 2014:

Mahogany Duns . . . !

Yes, it rained most of yesterday and this morning it was chilly, overcast and threatening rain.  Plagued by curiosity, I just had to launch the float tube at Beat #8 of the field water of the Double R Ranch around 10:00 a.m.  No fish were rising and initially no insects were on the water.  But within a half hour my buddy and I started to see some extremely tiny Baetis which were more cream colored than olive.  Then we saw a few Mahogany Duns floating by.  Fish started to take the smaller of the two bugs, within the calm margins left by the slight breeze.  My friend picked up a fat 15 inch Brown on a Mahogany Dun dry, but that was all she wrote for a while.  Around 11:30 a.m. the Mahogany hatch exploded.  They looked like a fleet of Chinese Junks floating through the Hong Kong harbor.  A beautiful sight after weeks of size 22 Baetis, for sure.  I finally landed a Rainbow on my favorite Mahogany parachute.  Fish were rising everywhere and the surface was covered with Mahoganies, but we were frozen to the bone and opted to return to my trailer for some hot soup and the last Mariner game of the season.  

The Fall hatches are upon us, guys and girls.

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

September 27TH Double R Fishing Report "Fall Fishing"

Saturday, September 27, 2014:

FALL FISHING IS HERE . .  .!

During out ten days of Indian Summer fishing has been challenging no matter where you have fished Silver Creek.  I felt fortunate on those days when I only landed two or three fish.  But, each day was precious because I figured it was the very last day of sunny warm weather.  A couple of days ago I pulled out my cold weather fishing clothing, just in case the weather would finally change.  

On the Double R Ranch down in down in the field we had been experiencing Baetis  spinners followed by duns starting around 9:00 a.m., and lasting for maybe 2 hours if one was lucky.  In the mid to late afternoon there often were rising fish but all I could identify were size 24 Tan Baetis . . . . the Callibaetis seemed to have disappeared.  Then a few Mahogany Duns showed up but the fish did not exactly key on them.  The fish had developed lock jaw.  When my favorite Blue Winged Olive dun and spinner patterns failed I would often turn to a #18 Pheasant Tail soft hackle or my “Who Knows Freaking Why” soft hackle.  We were in the Transitional Doldrums which plague us on Silver Creek a different week each year as we await the great fall fishing.

Well, the weather changed last night.  The forecast is for gray, overcast snotty weather which should bring out those wonderful appetizing Fall Baetis and Mahogany Duns which appear both on the field water and on The Pond.  Also be on the lookout for that species of Baetis which locally is called the “Pistachio Dun.”  It is distinguished by its lime green body and the trout love them; one can often pick up fish with a lime green bodied dun pattern even if the naturals are not on the water. I saw my first Fall Ginger Caddis the other day, about a size 12.   Terrestrial patterns remain a good choice in between hatches and late in the day.

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

September 18TH Double R Fishing Report "Indian Summer"

Thursday, September 18, 2014:

INDIAN SUMMER MEANS THE LAST DAYS OF COMFORTABLE FISHING

On the Double R Ranch the hatches have been fairly consistent and reliable the past week, while the cooperation of the trout have ranged from willingness to high level lock jaw depending on the day.  

The most reliable bug has been the Callibaetis.  You can pretty much depend on the Callibaetis starting to come off starting round 11:00 a.m. each morning.  Some days the Duns are the first to be sighted while on other late mornings or early afternoons the spinners appear first.  Some days you will encounter simultaneous significant quantities of both Duns and spinners.  Anglers have had success with Dun patterns such as the Parachute Adams, Callibaetis Thorax Dun, gray or tan bodied Comparaduns and Harrop’s Callibaetis No Hackle.  Effective spinner patterns have included the Callibaetis Hatch Matcher and the Poly Winged Spinner.  A good rule of thumb is to fish size 18 in “glass” conditions, size 16 when the wind creates a slight “chop” on the water surface, and size 14 in breezy situations.  

The smallish (size 20-22) Summer Baetis are still thriving during the current Indian Summer.  Mid-morning you are likely to encounter Baetis spinners and/or and emergence of Baetis Duns.  I have taken most of my fish long the edges of the now substantial weed beds and along the riparian vegetation that lines the “real” banks.  I tent to use olive bodied patterns for the emerging duns and rusty brown bodied patterns for the bank sippers which suck down spinners late in the morning just as the Callibaetis get started.  

I have encountered Mahogany Duns on two early evenings thus far.  They have been running at size 16 and their great visibility is a welcome relief from the bugs that make one squint.  Look for this bug to become the Bug of the Day once the weather cools down towards the end of this month and through October, both on the field water and on The Pond.

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

September 5TH Double R Fishing Report "Transition"

Thursday, September 4, 2014:

Members (and other readers) I apologize for the one month drought in blog entries but the “mother board” of my old computer busted and it took me quite a while to purchase and set up my new lap top.  But, I’m back at it, whatever “it” may be.

FISHING REPORT:

We are now smack in the middle of the “transition” period of the season, i.e. between summer bugs and fall insects.  Many years that portends pretty marginal and unreliable fishing but that is not the case this season.  The trout are rising all over the field water of the Double R and up on The Pond, all day in the absence of wind.  With the great variance in weather one day to the next, we are experiencing an ever changing assortment of mayflies.  There also are 2 inch long grasshoppers next to the field water and some anglers are scoring on large black beetles in the wind.  But, the unanswered question is, “Where are the damsels?”   

Callibaetis has been my favorite hatch to fish these days.  Provided the wind does not get too strong, we have been experiencing Callibaetis action starting as early as 11:00 a.m.  Some days the action begins with a spinner flight followed by a hatch of Duns, some days the order is reversed, and some days they occur simultaneously.  The “naturals” currently are about a size 16.  One tip:  If you are fishing the Callibaetis dun hatch or spinner fall in “glass” conditions (which happens many days around noon for an hour until the wind picks up) one will have greater success with a pattern that is one size smaller, these days a size 18.  I have been using a size 18 Callibaetis Hatch Matcher followed by a size 16 Harrop Callibaetis No Hackle with a salmon colored body.  I’ve heard that Members have been scoring with Callibaetis Emergers. 

Blue Winged Olives (aka “Baetis”) can be a troublesome hatch to fish these days.  The “summer” Baetis have been on the field water for a month and most of us did well with them until the uncharacteristic overcast even rainy conditions of this August became a daily reality.  There are nearly 50 species within the Baetis family and those in the summer group thrive in the heat but hate the cold, rainy overcast weather which makes Fall Baetis explode.  Last night’s frost in Picabo may well be the “opening day” for our Fall Baetis, as I have observed dark gray spinners with brown bodies which are characteristic of some Fall Baetis species.  Tie or buy some spinners with this coloration (if you can find them) or drag out your favorite Rusty Spinner pattern, especially for those after-the-hatch “bank sippers.”

Mahogany Duns are my favorite fall insect and they have just started to appear on the water.  This bug will be the feature of a future blog entry.  They are a size 16.  They are most often seen in the quiet calm margins along the (true) bank or a patch of aquatic vegetation.  On the Ranch they are present both on the field water and on The Pond.  

“Pistachio” Duns.   Members have reported sightings of this unusual Baetis which we see each Fall on the field water, but generally not on The Pond.  You can use just about any dun pattern (Comparadun, Sparkle Dun, etc.) to imitate this unique mayfly, provided the body is made using Rene Harrop’s “Professional Dubbing” in his “Caddis Green” color (or something pretty close tending towards a chartreuse coloration).  Currently the “natural” is running around a size 18 but in the weeks to come the bug will appear in size 16.  

2nd annual “Stream Keeper’s Paella Party.”

Members of the Double R Ranch Fishing Club are invited to my annual Paella Party set to begin at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13 at the Gazebo.  I will be serving my infamous Paella together with a tomato salad, sliced watermelon, Epi bread and a dessert of Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream.  

If you live under a bridge and haven’t encountered Paella before, it is a spicy Spanish rice dish.  I load the rice up with boneless chicken thighs, spicy Italian sausage, shrimp, scallops, crawfish tails and mussels.  

Bring your own adult beverage, soft drink or bottled water.  

If you really feel that you MUST bring something else (always appreciated) an appetizer would be fine.

Come and celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of fine fall fishing.

July 28TH Double R Fishing Report "Great Blue Heron"

Monday, July 28, 2014:

FISHING REPORT:

This morning was one of those overcast mornings rife with the prospect of opportunity.  Early on the water was like glass, it was cool and uniformly overcast.  I should have been out on the water but slept in because I was recovering from a 4 day reunion with 4 college fraternity brothers and I felt too groggy to fish.  My loss, from what I heard from some more hardy anglers who plied the lower field water on the Double R Ranch.  Early on there were a good number of female Tricos hatching and sparsely tied green bodied Duns were the answer to the puzzle.   Thereafter, the Callibaetis in a size 16 made a strong appearance and one observant Member saw Duns with down wings floating by, and saw some of their wings become upright just before taking off.  To me, that would have been a wonderful sight . . . to see a very short period of the mayfly’s life unfold.  Just before the wind gained strength the Baetis made an appearance; that is, if you can see a size 24 on the water.   The next several days are forecasted to involve cloudy conditions as well, though maybe not as fully overcast and cool as today, so you might be advised to get your float tube out on the field water and The Pond.

ON PATIENCE . . . 

I have long thought that I was the most patient creature in the galaxy.  I say “galaxy” rather than the universe because way deep down I guess I recognized the possibility that someone or something had even stronger powers of patience than me, though in truth I doubted it.  I usually fish Silver Creek 90 or more days a season and I play high stakes No Limit Texas Hold’em poker most of the winter, both endeavors favor the patient soul and I do well at both of them.  

This afternoon I was sitting in a camp chair outside my trailer enjoying one of the few cool comfortable days of July, an unexpected pleasure and a relief from the confines of my air conditioned trailer, when a Great Blue Heron landed in the shallows of the creek and assumed a fishing position.  I didn’t move an inch for a half hour, nor did the Heron.   I admired the Heron’s stamina and ability more than mine because I was, after all, comfortably seated and he was standing up.  It only occurs to me now in retrospect than standing for a period of time might not be taxing for a Heron.  But, I’ve admired the ability to stand motionless for an extended period of time ever since I watched a squad of West Point cadets stand for what seemed to a 9 year old to be hours, in the sweltering heat, until one of them keeled over maybe 20 feet from me.  Just as my increasingly faltering memory made that connection, the Heron’s head darted down and snared a small Rainbow trout.  After gobbling the trout down, the Heron resumed his watch.

July 13TH Double R Fishing Report

Sunday, July 13, 2014:

There was quite a variety of mayflies hatching on the field section of the Double R Ranch on Saturday morning.  The reports I received included Tricos and Blue Winged Olives, depending on where you were fishing and what part of the morning you fished.  Both mayflies were small, size 20 to 22.  You can’t go wrong with a green bodied dry fly as it would imitate both the BWO and the female Trico which hatch in the morning.  Around 11:30 a.m. I was shooting the breeze with a Member and a half dozen Callibaetis duns accumulated on my dark shirt.  I thought about getting back in the creek but wimped out.  

Meanwhile, The Pond fished extremely well, initially with an early morning hatch of Tricos and later Callibaetis made their appearance.  

The lack of wind has certainly contributed to the great fishing opportunities.

We are beginning to experience some interesting evening fishing all over the Ranch.  The trout have been rising from behind my trailer all the way down into the Field.  Sure, the hatch is sparse, but the fish are taking what could be BWOs or hatching male Tricos, and you will have plenty of solitude.  

As the White Miller Caddis hatch wanes, be on the lookout for Damselflies.  

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

June 26TH Double R Fishing Report

Thursday, June 26, 2014:

    This blog entry should be of interest to those spring creek anglers who tie their own flies and are looking for a new weapon for finicky trout.

THE “HATCH MATCHER” . . . A HERITAGE FLY FOR TODAY’S SPRING CREEKS & STILL WATERS

As the Stream Keeper for that private stretch of Silver Creek which runs through the Double R Ranch in Picabo, Idaho,, I am privileged to be able to fish this fly fishing Mecca 90 days each season.   There almost never is a session on Silver Creek during which I neglect to tie on a Hatch Matcher dry fly at some point during the prevailing mayfly hatch.    The Hatch Matcher is truly a heritage pattern, one which has inextricably fallen into disuse despite its effectiveness as both a dun and a spinner imitation.  The Hatch Matcher is said to have been invented by noted Catskill fly tier Harry Darbee in the 1930s.  Why it fell from favor in that locale is hard to determine at this late date; perhaps this extremely delicate pattern was not suited to the freestone streams of upstate New York, or maybe the Hatch Matcher was a casualty of the dominance of the Catskill convention of dry fly design.  One wonders why the Hatch Matcher never became established on the limestone spring creeks of Pennsylvania.  In any event, the Hatch Matcher became a trusted fly on Silver Creek when Dick Alf gave the pattern its western introduction at his Sun Valley fly shop in the 1960s.   Ask any old codger and he will tell you that Hatch Matchers could be found next to Pete Hide “flymphs” in his fly box.   

I have fished the Hatch Matcher with great success on other western spring creeks, including Armstrong Spring Creek, O’Dell Spring Creek and Milsinek Spring Creek.  Trout eagerly take the Hatch Matcher in the calmer stretches of tail waters such as the Missouri and on Yellowstone area lakes such as Hebgen and Ennis. 

 The Hatch Matcher is fairly simple to tie once you master a few techniques which may be new to you.  It is a delicate, elegant tie created from just two materials.  The forked tail, extended body and wing are fashioned from a single mallard flank feather.  Back in the day, the fly was tied in various sizes using natural mallard flank feathers and colored streamside with Panatone pens to match the prevailing hatch.  Nowadays, a wide range of commercially dyed mallard flank feathers and thread of varying colors are available to the tier.  The creative tier can also incorporate a variety of other bird feathers into Hatch Matchers, such as the white breast feathers of Wood Duck or Gadwall drakes for small Tricos and PMDs.  The authentically tied Hatch Matcher involves a body of tying thread matching the mallard flank feather.  The pattern calls for an upright hackle collar fore and aft of the wing, however, one can also apply hackle in the parachute style if the feather’s stem is not clipped off.  When production tying, I apply head cement to the tail, extended body and wing of the fly before hackling the batch, in order to make the delicate tail more durable, but one can apply the head cement after a single fly is completed.  

 The completed Hatch Matcher may look a bit oversized in relation to the hook.  Not to worry.  If the hackle is the same size as the hook the fly will tilt backwards, showing fish primarily the forked tail and extended body.  As a fly designer I increasingly am of the view that the vast majority of effective fly patterns feature a component which operates as a trigger, and this is I believe is the effect of the forked tail and extended body.  It is much like the Zelon shuck of the Sparkle Dun or the red floss band of the Royal Wulff.   This characteristic of the Hatch Matcher also serves to make the fly extremely visible to the angler.  The Daiichi 1110 hook may feature a longer shank than a traditional dry fly hook, but it has excellent hooking efficiency and the advantage of an oversized flat eye that makes it easy to attach to tippets too large for a regular dry fly hook with a standard aperture.         

    I no longer apply dubbing over the hook shank as I prefer to keep the fly’s profile as sparse as possible which I feel is a requirement for flies to be effective on spring creeks and still waters.  I use 8/0 Uni-Thread for my Hatch Matchers and have found that this manufacturer’s range of colors is suitable for most mayflies, but sometimes I resort to dubbing or thread from another company.  You can get fancy and apply an over-rib using a contrasting colored thread to achieve the appearance of segmentation.  Rather than whip finishing, I just apply three half hitches and apply head cement right behind the eye, allowing the cement to leach into the thorax for greater durability.  

    Members who are interested in a free one-on-one lesson in tying Hatch Matchers should give me a call or just stop by my trailer on the Double R Ranch.   

TYING INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Wrap the hook shank with the appropriate colored thread, from the eye down to the bend.  Return the thread to the hook point. 
2. With your left thumb and forefinger, grasp the tip of a mallard flank feather.  With your right thumb and forefinger, pull back 5 or 6 flues of the feather, creating the extended body.  Let go of your left fingers.
3. Position the pulled back feather with your right fingers on the hook shank so that the extended body begins right at the hook point.  Switch to your left fingers, maintaining tight pressure.   Grasp the thread bobbin and attach the extended body with or 4 firm thread wraps.  
4. While keeping the extended boy under tension, wrap the thread back and forward to create a thread body of uniform thickness.
5. Grasp the butt ends of the feather; raise the ends straight up.  Wrap the thread in front of the butt end to elevate the wing.  Trim off the butt of the feather, leaving the wing.
6. To create the forked tail, first open a pair of sharp fine scissors.  Poke the bottom scissor through the outside edge of the “fan” (closest to you) and separate two flues (one flue for flies that are size 18 and smaller).Poke the top scissor through the outside edge of the “fan” farthest from you.  Slide the tips of the scissors down to the base of the flues and snip off, creating a forked tail.
7. Trim the forked tail to your preferred length, generally half the length of the hook shank. Behind the wing, tie in an appropriate colored saddle hackle, curved side facing forward.  Apply one wrap of hackle behind the wing and two wraps in front of the wing.  Tie off. 
8. Apply head cement to the forked tail and extended body to make the fly more durable.

HATCH MATCHER RECIPES

Blue Winged Olive Hatch Matcher 

Hook:        Daiichi 1110, sizes 16-24

Thread:     8/0 Uni-Thread: Olive, Olive Dun, Light Olive, Rusty Dun

Body:         Mallard flank feather, dyed in shades of olive

Hackle:      Whiting 100:  Light, medium or dark dun

Pale Morning Dun Hatch Matcher 

Hook:         Daiichi 1110, sizes 16-20

Thread:      8/0 Uni-Thread:  Light Cahill or Yellow

Body:          White breast feather from Wood Duck/Gadwall drake; or yellow dyed mallard flank feather

Hackle:       Whiting 100:  Light or medium dun

Callibaetis Hatch Matcher: 

Hook:           Daiichi 1110, sizes 14-20

Thread:        8/0 Uni-Thread:  Tan, Gray or Iron Gray

Body:            Mallard flank feather: natural or dyed dun or tan

Hackle:          Whiting 100:  Grizzly 

Brown Drake Hatch Matcher 

Hook:             Daiichi 1110, sizes 12-14

Thread:          8/0 Uni-Thread:  Dark brown or Camel 

Body:              Mallard flank feather: dyed medium or dark brown

Hackle:           Cree, furnace or Whiting 100 brown dyed grizzly

Female Trico Hatch Matcher 

Hook:              Daiichi 1110, sizes 20-24

Thread:           8/0 Uni-Thread:  Olive

Body:               White breast feather from Wood Duck or Gadwall drake

Hackle:            Whiting 100:  Grizzly

Male Trico Hatch Matcher 

Hook:               Daiichi 1110, sizes 20-24

Thread:            8/0 Uni-Thread:  Black

Body:                White breast feather from Wood Duck or Gadwall drake

Hackle:             Whiting 100:  Grizzly

Sparkle Trico Hatch Matcher 

Hook:                Daiichi 1110, sizes 20-24

Thread:             8/0 Uni-Thread:  Black

Over Wrap:      Midge Crystal Flash:  Peacock

Body:                 White breast feather from Wood Duck or Gadxwall drake

Hackle:              Whiting 100:  Grizzly

Adams Hatch Matcher 

Hook:                  Daiichi 1110, sizes 14-22

Thread:               8/0 Uni-Thread:  Gray or Iron Gray

Body:                   Mallard flank feather dyed medium or dark dun; quail for smaller sizes

Hackle:                Cree, or blend of brown and grizzly Whiting 100

Mahogany Dun Hatch Matcher 

Hook:                   Daiichi 1110, sizes 14-16

Thread:                8/0 Uni-Thread:  Dark Brown or Camel

Rib:                       Copper Crystal Flash (optional)

Body:                    Mallard flank feather dyed medium or dark brown

Hackle:                 Whiting 100:  Dark Dun, Black, Brown or Brown Dyed Grizzly

Purple Haze Hatch Matcher 

Hook:                    Daiichi 1110, sizes 14-20

Thread:                 8/0 Uni-Thread:  Purple

Body:                     Mallard flank feather dyed purple

Hackle:                  Whiting 100:  Grizzly

Black Hatch Matcher 

Hook:                     Daiichi 1110, sizes 14-22

Thread:                  8/0 Uni-Thread:  Black

Body:                      Mallard flank feather dyed black; Starling for smaller sizes

Hackle:                   Whiting 100:  Black 

June 25TH Double R Fishing Report

Wednesday, June 25, 2014:

Over the past week I have begun to see a few of the White Miller Caddis which usually blanket Silver Creek in early June.  Yeesterday morning there was a bona fide flight of White Miller Caddis down in the field water.  I have no explanation for the relatively late emergence of White Miller Caddis this season.  I would have expected an early hatch this year due to the low creek level which has warmed the water, particularly downstream of Highway 20.  But, I feel the White Miller Caddis is about to become a significant event in our daily fishing.  Keep your eyes open, particularly in the evening.

The term “White Miller Caddis” is a label applied to the family of caddis flies featuring antennae unusually long for a caddis fly, also colloquially known as the Long Horned Caddis.  The species we encounter early season on Silver Creek is the Oecetis.  A similar but somewhat smaller species distributed all over Yellowstone National Park and nearby waters is the Nectopsyche.    

On Silver Creek the initial hatches of the White Miller usually occur during the first week of June but may be present on Opening Day if Spring arrives early.  The conventional wisdom at Point of Rocks is that the Brown Drake hatch will start 4 or 5 days after the onset of the White Miller emergence.  This season the Brown Drakes preceded the White Millers, if the White Millers have yet even came off at Point of Rocks.  

A hot afternoon winding down into a warm evening is the prescription for a dense White Miller hatch in the evening.  One will see swarms of White Millers dancing over the creek surface in the morning, often before the day’s mayfly hatch.  In the evening there can be a thick emergence, often a blizzard hatch blanketing the creek from bank to bank, from the Gazebo Bridge (Beat #14) down to Beat 10 or 11.  

Your Stream Keeper finds the White Miller to be one of the most difficult caddis to bring to the dry fly, at least in the morning.  I’ve had only sporadic success with standard caddis patterns such as the X Caddis, the EZ Caddis or the Elk Hair Caddis.  In fact, my effort to solve the “White Miller dry problem” led me to develop my “Nectarine” series of caddis dries which turned out to work well on every species of caddis except White Millers.  I have much better success with the White Miller flights on Silver Creek by running a #10 Pheasant Tail Soft Hackle subsurface under egg laying flights of White Miller caddis; a size 14 might be a better choice this season given the low creek conditions.  I have a theory that the fish you see swirling below clouds of White Millers or coming out of the water are really chasing White Miller Caddis making their way to the surface.  That could be why swinging a soft hackle can be so effective.  Last year when the White Millers emerged in force below the Gazebo Bridge I had a succession of four nights where in the two hours before dark I landed 21, 17, 19 and 31 trout, respectively.  So, once the White Miller hatch is upon us, don’t hesitate to come down and fish the evening hatch, err flight, of White Millers.

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

June 24TH DOUBLE R FISHING REPORT

Tuesday, June 24, 2014:

     As Stream Keeper of the Double R Ranch stretch of Silver Creek, I feel blessed that I can fish Callibaetis hatches on both The Pond and the field water.  Given the diversity of Callibaetis habitat on the Ranch we are able to fish this mayfly for an extended period of time.  The newly restored Pond is fishing well these days due to the deepened water and the new islands.  The Pond even fishes well with a slight breeze because the trout are tending to hold in the two foot band of calm water along the banks of the islands that are sheltered from the prevailing wind.  The mid-summer Callibaetis mayfly on Silver Creek is a rather large critter, often a size 14 but failing that a size 16.   Because of the importance to the angler of all stages of this mayfly, I carry two fly boxes dedicated to Callibaetis, one confined to dun patterns and the other containing a selection of nymphs, cripples and spinners.

    For the past two weeks Callibaetis have been hatching on The Pond in small quantities but now the spinner flights involve more bugs and the hatch of Duns thickens so the fish are becoming more active.  Thus far, out in the filed water the Callibaetis hatch has not yet come on strong.  The fishing on both The Pond and on the field water will only get better in the coming weeks as cloud cover becomes less prevalent, as air temperature rises and as the breeze wanes.  You’ll notice that the Callibaetis hatch will slow down with the clouds but resume with force once the sun breaks through.  The Callibaetis is truly a sun loving bug. 

    The Callibaetis hatch most often will commence in earnest around Noon and, depending on cloud cover, one can fish Dun, Spinner and Emerger patterns until late afternoon and sometimes even into the evening.  In the dead heat of summer the hatch can hold back until early evening when temperatures begin to moderate.  The female spinners, bearing classic speckled wings, will make their ovipositing flights after spending up to five days in streamside vegetation ripening their fertilized eggs.  While the male spinners may blanket the angler, trout rarely take the male spinner; the angler is best off finding a containing a quantity of spent female spinners and choosing a fly pattern that best imitates what is on the water.

Nymphs.  

    Nymphs are more important to success with Callibaetis than perhaps any other mayfly hatch if you believe reports from some writers that stomach content analysis reveals that trout eat 8 to 12 Callibaetis nymphs for each duns or spinner.  Callibaetis nymphs will be found concentrated over and adjacent to weed beds and other healthy aquatic vegetation.  The Callibaetis nymph uses its abdomen and tail to propel itself in 6 inch darting bursts, and will repeatedly move up and down between the safety of vegetation and the surface, which causes savage predation by trout.  Eventually, the nymph makes a steady, rapid swim to the surface triggering subsurface bulges which are often mistaken for the rise form of a dun being eaten off the surface.   On bright days the Callibaetis usually escape the water quickly; thus, the trout are left to focus on the nymph and the angler might be wise to follow suit.  In all of these circumstances the angler’s prospects for hooking a trout on a nymph pattern are good provided the fly is fished with movement at a variety of depths.  Effective nymph patterns include:  the Pheasant Tail Flashback Nymph; a Hare’s Ear Nymph; Mercer’s Poxyback Callibaetis Nymph; and a variety of tan to medium brown but slender nymphs.

Cripples.

     Unlike many of its smaller mayfly cousins, the Callibaetis nymph has enough mass and power to break right through the meniscus so usually few cripples attend the hatch of duns. The exception is on cold, gloomy days when more nymphs have difficulty exiting the surface and may be targeted by trout.  Cripple patterns that can be very effective under these circumstances include:  Quigley’s Callibaetis Cripple; Rene Harrop’s Callibaetis Floating Nymph Emerger; any cripple pattern in a tanish-olive shade with a biot body and a post made of CDC.

Duns.  

       There are few emergences of duns which excite the dry fly angler like the Callibaetis hatch, particularly on lakes, ponds and other still waters which experience “gulper” action.  In still water situations, examine rise forms to figure out which direction your targeted trout is heading and lead the trout with your cast.  Rather than cast to the first rise form you see, try waiting until the fish rises a second time in order to determine which direction the fish is heading and then cast in front of the second rise form..  If you are casting to a pod of trout in moving water, avoid spooking the pod by casting to the closest fish on your side of the pod.  If the trout seem to stay just outside the reach of your cast, try resting the fish until they become used to you and feed closer.  Even if the trout seem to be keyed on nymphs swimming to the surface, the fish can hardly refuse well-placed Dun patterns including:  the Callibaetis Hatchmatcher; the Comparadun; the Sparkle Dun; the Hair Winged Dun; the Callibaetis Thorax Dun; Harrop’s Callibaetis No Hackle; the Chopaka May.

Spinners.

    Most of us have experienced days when trout gorge themselves on spent female spinners (which feature speckled wings).  We’ve all probably had days when spinners were everywhere but no trout exhibited the slightest interest.  Some suggest this is because the trout are already satiated with nymphs or because the female spinners have become devoid of nutritional value.  When trout are onto female spinners effective fly patterns include:  the Callibaetis Hatchmatcher; the Callibaetis Hackle Stacker; the Hen Wing Spinner; the Gulper Special; the CDC Callibaetis Spinner; the Crystal Winged Callibaetis Spinner.  Trout generally ignore the male spinner of the Callibaetis (which lacks the speckled wing associated with the female spinner and generally is wholly white or a pale gray with black or dark thorax markings). 

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

JUNE 12TH DOUBLE R REPORT

Thursday, June 12, 2014:

The persistent wind made the morning fishing on the Double R Ranch water slow this morning.  I was greeted by a flight of medium sized egg laying caddis so I swam soft hackles under them and in front of the few swirling trout that were interested in the caddis.  It looked to me like the beginning of the White Miller Caddis hatch.  My #14 “Who Knows Freaking Why” soft hackle did not result in any takes, so I switched to a #14 Pheasant Tail soft hackle and landed three small trout before the wind came up really strong.  Some trout were rising with authority in the water behind my trailer (Beat #13).

THE POND PROJECT WORKS!  

Up until yesterday the Double R Ranch was operating the new dam by pouring 100 percent of the pond release over the top of the dam.  In an effort to test the effect of the new dam, we started a 20 percent bottom release and also released additional pond water from the sluice gate on the north bank.  Greg Loomis’ measurement at the Gazebo bridge was 2.5 degrees colder than the temperature at Kilpatrick Bridge . . . meaning that the water is cooler on the Double R Ranch than on the Nature Conservancy Preserve!  

One inconvenience of the dam during this experiment was that the level of the Pond would fluctuate, necessitating a series of manual adjustments of the gates of the dam.  However, we are purchasing a computerized automatic gate adjustment system (at a cost of $5,000) which will end the need to make manual gate adjustments and allow us to achieve as much as 100 percent bottom release.  I will let you know about the extent of the additional incremental water temperature reduction.  

Yesterday afternoon trout were rising all along the new island on the north side of The Pond.  I have heard rumors of hatching Callibaetis on The Pond but have not personally confirmed the sightings.  The hatch should happen any day now.  

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

June 7th Double R Report

Friday, June 6, 2014:

SOUTH FORK OF THE BOISE!

Today a friend and I made the 70 mile drive from Picabo to the turn off for Anderson Dam, heading down the canyon road to the South Fork of the Boise for a tailwater venue.  The South Fork is running low and clear, reportedly at 300 cfs but rumors are that the flow will soon be increased.  The slopes were blanketed with blue Bachelor Buttons, itself worth the drive.  I hadn’t been in the canyon since the fire several years ago.  While there are some silt deposits resulting from three landslides, most of the runs have cleared out.  We arrived mid-morning and encountered Cicadas, thicker in the first 5 miles below the Dam.  As we drove further down the canyon we ran into the beginning of an earlier than usual Salmon Fly hatch.  In mid-afternoon the hatch of black bodied caddis began to come off.  Success was had on size 18 and 20 black bodied Elk Hair Caddis.   If I were to return to the South Fork (and I may do that next week), I would plan to arrive mid-afternoon and fish stonefly nymphs and Salmon Fly dries in the upper canyon, then drive downstream and fish black bodied caddis dries in the glides and holes until dark . . . . all this after stopping for a burger and shake in Fairfield.  Picabo Angler has a nice selection of Cicada patterns. 

On the Double R Ranch we continue to see sporadic hatches of Pale Morning Dun mayflies and success can be yours if the wind stays down.  We continue to see some speckled wing Callibaetis spinners out in the field and some mid-sized Baetis spinners.  The Pond continues to fish well, mostly subsurface action.

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper   

June 5 Double R Report

Wednesday, June 4, 2014:

The Pale Morning Dun hatch was sparse and came off a bit later this morning, but fish were nevertheless taking large dry imitations here and there.  Some Members fished into the late afternoon.  The occasional Callibaetis spinner has been sighted by several anglers.  Early morning there was a flight of BWO spinners, about a size 16.  Your Stream Keeper landed a 17 inch Brown on his #14 PMD CDC Winged parachute.

The Pond continues to fish well . . . . subsurface. 

Brown Drakes continue to hatch downstream of the Highway 20 bridge.

In an effort to open more fishing water at the bottom end of the Ranch water, we have constructed a new access called Beat Zero, below the Beat 1 access and a bit downstream from Bud Purdy’s house.  To get there, drive down Highway 20 to the paved turnoff to Bud’s house and George Ormstrom’s house, then when you see the wooden sign pointing towards George’s house take that immediate left.  Go 0.3 miles on the gravel road until you come to a gate on your right (passing both houses and the metal bridge over the creek), pass through the gate and follow the track to the structure.   You can float from Beat 1 down to Beat Zero and exit, or you can float down further and get out immediately under the metal bridge on the right side. 

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

June 2 Double R Report

Monday, June 2, 2014:

When I launched my float tube on the lower field there were a few Blue Winged Olive spinners tapping down on the water surface, about a size 16 with brown bodies.  I tried a BWO Hatchmatcher and a BWO Hackle Stacker but the fish were not interested at all.  I thought that the body color might be the “trigger” so I found a brown bodied cripple in my fly box and it immediately produced two fish.   A really strong hatch of Pale Morning Duns came off starting around 10:00 a.m.  They were huge, about a size 14.  I got a lot of interest when I tied on a #14 PMC CDC Winged Parachute, landing another 6 fish and losing a bunch by pulling the fly out of the mouths of fish, having the 6X tippet snap, striking too quickly, etc.  I landed more fish when I cut back the leader to 5 X.  The PMD hatch went on for several hours.  KI caught my first Brown trout of the season.  There were only 2 or 3 other parties of anglers on the Ranch water; it’s a great time to fish in solitude. 

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

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

End Of May Double R Report

Thursday, May 29, 2014:

When I launched in the lower field water around 8:30 a.m. there were fish swirling subsurface rather than taking bugs on top.  There was a #14 Pheasant Tail soft hackle on my 4X tippet from my last session so I went with it, swimming it in front of the bulging trout.  I hooked 10 trout and landed five, all feisty rainbows.  Around 12:30 the duns finally emerged and turned out to be Baetis in a miniscule size 22.  I was too lazy to rebuild my leader to accommodate small dries so I quit for the day.  I did not see any PMDs or Green Drakes. 

Friday, May 30, 2014:

The same warm sunny weather as yesterday, but today there were bugs on the surface all morning as I fished the lower Ranch water with a friend.  The insects were Baetis, but today they were much larger, running from a size 16 to a size 18.  Not only duns, but spinners with gray wings and brown bodies.  They were prolific and had the trout rising until I had to leave around 1:00 p.m.  The fish were difficult to hook and land.  We were able to interest the fish with #18 Olive Hatchmatchers, #20 Hackle Stackers, and #18 brown bodied Hatchmatchers.  I’m sure that BWO emergers and Olive Sparkle Duns would have worked as well, provided they were tied sparsely.  As we left I noticed the beginnings of a PMD hatch and there also were a few Green Drakes on the water. 

The Brown Drakes were hatching well down by the Picabo Bridge and in the fields along North Picabo Road.  I had dinner at a friend’s camp at Point of Rocks and while some bugs were in the air, very few anglers hooked up.  I suspect a good bet for Saturday would be the Point of Rocks area, but try swimming a Brown Drake soft hackle or a Pheasant Tail soft hackle, in size 10 or 12, in front of visible feeders as there will be few spinners and the nymphs will be emerging into duns.

Saturday morning could be an epic BWO day on the Double R if last night’s cloud cover persists.

Double R Is Fishing Well

DOUBLE R RANCH IS FISHING WELL!

Memorial Day weekend fishing was exceptional compared to most Opening Days.  It had been unseasonably hot for a week and the extended forecast calls for more of the same.  The heat brought the bugs out.  While the hatches have been sparse, which is generally the case early season, the trout have been rising to them and have been taken on both dun patterns and emergers.  The hatches are starting to become consistent and more dependable day to day, as has the afternoon wind.  Blue Winged Olive mayflies have hatched early morning, as early as 7:15 am in some stretches of the Ranch water.  Pale Morning Dun mayflies have been coming off by approximately 10:00 a.m.  I have received report of Callibaetis sightings and I’ve seen some caddis flying about, but as yet no White Miller caddis.  We have even seen Green Drakes floating next to PMDs starting around 11:00 a.m.  Your Stream Keeper landed 3 trout on a Green Drake Hatchmatcher dry fly on Sunday.  The Pond has also been fishing well, subsurface so far, but soon we will be able to fish The Pond on top.  From what I have heard from various Non-Members, the hatches and fishing on the Double R Ranch has been markedly better than on the Preserve or at Point of Rocks.  Picabo Angler staff has seined Silver Creek at the lower end of North Picabo Road and the wing pads of Brown Drake nymphs have already darkened, so the hatch for which Silver Creek is most famous may occur within the week, so you might want to check with the guide staff about reserving a beat below the Picabo Bridge.  Stop by my trailer for a beer or some ice cold water after your day’s fishing is done.  

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

The Silver Creek Season Has Begun

DOUBLE R FISHING REPORT – 5/24/2014

A warm, beautiful day on the Double R Ranch; so pleasant that it felt like a June morning.  A hatch of Blue Winged Olives came off starting as early as 7:30 am in some stretches of the “Field” (i.e. beats 1 through 10), in sizes 22 to 24.  From 10:00 a.m. through Noon, a hatch of size 16 Pale Morning Duns followed the BWOs.  The Pond was active with rising fish all morning until a wind came up around Noon, with scattered BWOs and straggler Midges.  

Doug Andres

Stream Keeper

Silver Creek Opening Day

Strategies For Opening Day:

The flow of Silver Creek through the Double R Ranch has stabilized at what I estimate to be in the 75 to 80 cfs level, compared with the usual springtime level of 120 to 180 cfs.  No one can recall the creek being so low.  The aquifer has not recharged to its usual spring level and the Deputy Water Master questions whether it will this season, due to the lack of significant rain or snow melt.  On the Ranch there are exposed mud flats along some of the banks and at several of the access points.  You will want to scout out your entry and exit points with your physical capabilities in mind, and enter the creek carefully.  On most stretches of the Ranch water the deepest channel is in the middle where the trout are likely to hold, as a refuge from the winged predators; habitat for bank feeding trout is greatly reduced.  You are going to have to float down this deep channel, meaning that dry flies will have to be drifted directly downstream to rising fish.

All is not gloom and doom.  To the contrary, I view it as a rare opportunity to fish structure.  The observant angler will focus attention and casts on the deeper channels, on the holes, on the “buckets” and “bathtubs,” on the remaining troughs along the banks, and on trout rising to bugs on the shallow flats.  This season the program will be more like reading water on a freestone stream.  When the creek is at full pool and nothing is hatching I am often frustrated by not knowing where to swim my soft hackle or small dark nymph, but this year I will be running subsurface flies through these areas of structure and covering this water thoroughly instead of making a few casts before floating on.  The bottom line is that at the beginning of this season no one will really know by experience exactly where the trout are going to hold or feed, or what flies or techniques will be successful.   We will all be experimenting and relying on our powers of observation.  It is a great time to be sharing information with fellow anglers, and I will endeavor to do so in this daily Blog and on the Stream Keeper’s Board in the Sign-In Wagon.           

It quite possibly may turn out that the most productive and easier fishing will be found on The Pond.   This past winter’s renovation produced a lot of deeper water that will be cooler and hold fish.  There is much more fishable water on The Pond than in past seasons because it is deeper and much silt has been removed.  The new islands mean more bank water to target with our casts.  We will be constructing a gravel road that will provide access further up The Pond all the way to the bottom of the now restored channel along the north bank.  An extended boardwalk with steps and handrail is planned near the Dam and we will be installing additional handrails along the bank to improve access.  I am optimistic that there will be good hatches of Callibaetis, Tricos, Mahogany Duns and Damsels on The Pond.

The trout have started their annual move onto the Ranch water.  Many people don’t realize that the fish migrate and move around Silver Creek on a seasonal basis.  It is my observation that much of the trout population doesn’t move south of Highway 20 until the Brown Drake hatch wanes and the water gets too warm for them down at Point of Rocks.  There already are some nice trout on the Double R, including the return of the two foot long “Tiger” trout and a bunch of 20 inchers which have been hanging out above and below the gazebo bridge.  Some large fish have been rising in The Pond as well.  A few are wallowing in “The Hole” at the beginning of Beat #5.  We just need to be observant and cover the water thoroughly.

What will you encounter on Opening Day? 

The Blue Winged Olive hatch started a week ago and has begun to intensify, although it is still a sparse hatch.  The BWOs are small bugs, so plan on fishing sizes 18 to 22.  The creek is clear and the fish spooky, so the wise angler will tie on sparsely tied dry fly patterns including:  BWO Hackle Stackers; olive bodied Hatchmatchers; BWO Sparkle Duns; CDC winged rusty spinners; Harrop emerger patterns and the like. 

There are still a few midges hatching anywhere from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The adult midges are of the gray persuasion and are about a size 16 or 18.  If your BWO patterns are not being taken by feeding trout, you might want to switch to a wet or dry midge pattern.  

Yesterday, I saw trout rising to the first Pale Morning Duns of the season.  Again, the bugs are running small, a size 18 or 16.

When nothing in the way of flying insects can be seen at the very beginning of a hatch, one might want to swim a pheasant tail soft hackle or dark olive nymph in small sizes like 14 to 18 through the deeper channels, over bathtubs or into holes.  

As far as specific stretches to fish, at this early point in a low water season, your guess is as good as mine but I have some thoughts:

·       Wade in and fish the pool and run immediately below the Dam with a dark Woolly Bugger, leech, streamer or bead head nymph.  Proceed down the right hand channel and cast to the trout that currently are hanging under the bank immediately behind the Gazebo.  Then wade around the corner and cast to the trout that are holding in the troughs and hole above the bridge and exit at the bridge.

·       Launch your float tube below the bridge (access point #14) and take a shot at the large trout hanging out on the shelf of the deep pool, using a soft hackle or small nymph containing some sparkle.  Proceed to your right and make longer casts that thoroughly cover the deep channel.  When you get back to the main channel, position yourself on the left hand side and cast back to the deeper water on the right or south side of the creek.  Exit at access point 13 (where my trailer is located), 12 or 11 (if your scouting makes you confident that you can exit at #11).

·       Launch your float tube at access point 10 and fish the troughs with a soft hackle or small dark nymph if the trout are not rising.  As you move into Beat #9, be sure to thoroughly cover the holding water which is in front of and behind the logs.  As you approach the end of the beat, position yourself in the middle of the creek and fish back to the north bank along the reeds.

·       A fine choice would be Beat #8 which features some deep channels, particularly the extended hole at the beginning of the float.  It is a nice stretch to swim a small soft hackle.

·       The fish have been rising daily above and below The Hole at the top of Beat #5.  The low water level likely has created a lot of “bathtubs” in the straight stretch downstream of The Hole and I would thoroughly cover the left or west bank right above the takeout. 

·       Beat #4 should be productive where it deepens at the narrowing of the creek. 

·       Launching at Beat #2, one might cast soft hackles, pheasant tails or small dark nymphs and swim them back across the creek.  There are some nice bathtubs in this stretch that will hold trout. 

·       It could be that the easiest float and deepest holding water will be encountered from Beat #1 back down to Highway 20, requiring a car shuttle. 

·       Then there is The Pond.

Reminders: 

·       Due to the low water situation this year we are continuing the restriction that Members and their Guests are prohibited from fishing rods lighter than a 4 weight. 

·       Starting just below the gazebo bridge, Members and Guests may only enter and exit the creek at the numbered, designated access points; no “bush whacking” is permitted.

·       A gazebo reservations calendar is located on the refrigerator of the gazebo.  You may also call me about a reservation; I will check the calendar and confirm availability for you.

For those of you who like to participate in the Brown Drake Madness at “The Willows,” Point of Rocks and along North Picabo Road, the prevailing wisdom is that the hatch should come off earlier than usual this year because of the Creek’s low flow.  If you want to rent a beat for an evening of Brown Drake fishing, contact John Huber or Nick Anderson at Picabo Angler.

On Opening Day there will be a barbeque at Picabo Angler. The shop opens at 6:30 AM and the BBQ will start at 11 AM. The store will be open to 8 pm.

Stop in at the Picabo Angler fly shop for last minute essentials and to pick up your hang tag for 2014.

I’d love to hear about your trials and tribulations.  You can flag me down or contact me at my trailer near the brown barn.  My phone is (503) 939.7657.  Email is:  dougandres.whenpigflies@gmail.com.

Also:

The Sangers and Halversons are having an informal start-of-the-summer cookout at the gazebo this Friday night. Cocktails at 5:00 p.m. and then we will eat when we feel like it. Anyone who wants to come please bring your own dinnerware, your meat of choice, a side dish, and whatever you wish to drink. Potluck! A celebration of the beginning of the season and why we live in this valley.