October 27TH Double R Fishing Report "End of Season"

Friday, October 24, 2014:

This is my final blog entry of the season.   I have been somewhat remiss in blogging at times, not because I was too busy fishing, but rather because my computer’s “mother board” self-destructed in August and about two weeks ago I had  trailer fire and have been preoccupied packing the contents to move them to  replacement trailer in Oregon.  I vow to be more diligent next season.  If you get a chance, email any suggestions you might have regarding what information you would like to see in my blog next season.  Is it just fishing reports?  Fly tying tips?  Fly recipes?  Fishing strategies?  Fish tales?  Stories about other Members?

We’ve certainly had an interesting season on the Double R Ranch.  To be honest, I began to tear when I saw how low the creek was upon my arrival in mid-April.  Word was that the fishing would suffer on the Ranch but, in the view of many, we had some of the best June fishing in memory.  While only the lower 6 “beats” were fished early season, the renovated Pond provided expanded water to fish and rising trout were dependable, provided the wind stayed down.  We received a pleasant surprise in the form of a Green Drake hatch the first 5 days of the season.  My opinion is that the nymphs came down with the silt from the Pond Project; now that we’ve “seeded” the Ranch water and lowered the water temperature I believe there is a good chance that the Green Drake hatch will be an annual event.  We got up to normal creek levels at the end of July as soon as the Water Master shut down surface irrigators up valley, and I felt that life had begun anew!  I firmly believe that had the Pond Project not lowered water temperatures by 4 degrees when we moved to 85 percent bottom release, we would have seen fish kills during the summer.  To my observation the Pale Morning Dun hatch was brief but denser this season, and the Trico hatch was scattered but present on the Ranch water for quite some time.  We saw very few Damsels this season, perhaps because of the lower water temperature.  Next season be on the lookout as we very well could experience fishable hatches of “Sulfur” mayflies and Gray Drakes, due to the lowered water temperatures. 

The most difficult fishing of the season was experienced during our two Indian summers when the unseasonably warm temperatures retarded the hatches of Fall Baetis and Mahogany Duns.  But, the cold fall temperatures have arrived and two days ago I ran into what I felt was the first legitimate hatch of Fall Baetis, ranging from a #16 to a #18.

I want to personally thank all the Members who contributed to my “Silver Creek Willow Project” which kicked off at the Members’ Barbecue and continued through the summer.  We raised a total of $4,000 which will buy us 196 five gallon buckets of rooted willows (four varieties) 25 gray alders, plus 8 shade trees (two each to be planted at the access points with picnic tables and the toilet).  Next April the plants will be installed in appropriate locations from Beat 6 down to Beat 1, the willows in the Canary Grass and the Gray Alders in the streamside sedge.  I am optimistic that over time these plantings will go a long way towards providing shade and refuge for fish up against the bank, will help cool the water and will provide wind breaks for the angler.  I will personally defray the cost of spraying rings of fish safe herbicide in the Canary Grass which can often out-compete young willows.

Last week I spread a pound of Wild Blue Flax seed, a native wild flower which has done well when seeded elsewhere along Silver Creek.  Next spring I will be raising yellow Monkey Flowers and Indian Paint Brush from seed and planting them in the moist riparian zone; most spring creeks feature wild flowers like these and they are a delight to me.

Next season, in conjunction with Picabo Anglers, I am going to present two seminars focusing on aquatic entomology pertinent to the Ranch water and related fly selection.  Several Members have told me that they would benefit from information regarding the succession of insect hatches through the season and some fly patterns addressing particular situations.  The Double R Ranch Fishing Club wants to do what it can to maximize Members’ fishing experience.  When we have dates and times we will be sure to get that information out to you.

Over the winter I will be drawing up plans for several access improvements, both boardwalks and hand rails, to be installed along the newly renovated Pond.  Any ideas regarding location or design would be appreciated.  I want to make the Pond accessible to every Member.

If you have any suggestions for improving the experience on the Double R Ranch, pop me off an email or give me a phone call.

Thanks, again, for another great season on the Double R Ranch.  I look forward to seeing all of you next season. 

Doug Andres

(503) 939-7657

dougandres.whenpigflies@gmail.com {C}

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.

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 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

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