Thanks as always for reading our reports friends. As the weather gets more conducive we should be reporting more regularly….but we need your HELP!
Send any and all reports to admin@madriveroutfitters and we’ll do our best to get them up.
Congrats!
We’d like to extend a HUGE thanks to all of our friends and supporters…especially those who attended the Fly Fishing Film Tour this year.
On Wednesday, we announced the Proceeds from the event that are being donated to The Mayfly Project.
We SHATTERED last year’s record!
**Across the board most of the streams are on the drop and fishable. There is some rain in the forecast for Sunday and the middle of next week. The amounts are changing by the hour so make sure to contact us if you head up early in the week. This is a great time of the year as almost everything is active. Get out there and fish.
Warm Water
The ponds and streams continue to warm and the fish are very active. While the reservoirs are not quiet prime focus on the ponds for large mouth bass and bluegills. Crappies are also starting to move shallower in these smaller waters. There has been reports of White Bass also starting to move up into the feeder streams of the reservoirs. For all of these fish stripping streamers will get the job done. Grab some Wooly buggers, Clouser Minnows, Half and Halfs, Decievers, Deep Shad, Murdich Minnows and Skiddish Smolts to name a few.
The Mad River is fishing very good. Look for typical clear water and active fish. The hatches continue to be the main topic this past week. Hendricksons have been thick. Normally we have seen these mayflies from the 11am-2pm range, but lately the brunt of the hatch has been later in the day. There have been some large blanket spinner falls into the evening also. Currently the weather is overcast with spotty drizzle. Conditions like this we always have a good size range of BWO (Blue Wing Olives) on hand. Streamer fishing continues to be great during the low light periods and on cloudy days. If you happen to head out mid-morning and there is no visible hatch going on make sure to have a nymph rig ready.
As for rigs being diverse/prepared is always the best bet this time of the year. Streamer fishing low light times will require 4-5 different colored patterns with varied designs. Flies for this style are Barely Legals, Articulated Monkeys, Dungeons, Bottoms Up, Silk Kitty, Boogie Man, and others. Smaller streamers also get the job done: Cougars, Dirty Hippies, Wooly Sculpins, Near Nuff Sculpin, and other traditional streamers. Nymphing will be our typical Hendrickson Nymphs, Guides Choice Hares Ear, Pheasant Tails, Prince, Copper Johns, and Galloup’s Peacock Hares Ear. These will need to be in the #12-18 size range. Grab a Lemer Lead Selector pack, Airlock Indicators, and some 3-4x tippet leaders to get you ready. Dry fly fishing is pretty simple: Beck’s Henny, Bear’s Para Henny, Hendrickson Sparkle Dun, Borchers, BWO- paracute, Adams, and Quil Gordon.
The creek is starting to clear out from the mid week rain making for good conditions this weekend. Clear Creek is not the same fishery as the Mad or Upper Clear Fork, but if you are down in that part of the state it makes for a beautiful outting. Rummors of some Hendrickson, Blue Quil, and BWO are hatching, but not in the quantity as the Mad River.
Dry flies to have in your box are Beck’s Henny, Bear’s Para Henny, Hendrickson Sparkle Dun, Borchers, BWO- paracute, Adams, and Quil Gordon. If you want to focus on numbers then nymph with Pheasant Tail, Copper Johns, Galloups Peacock Hares Ear, Prince, and Guides Choice Hares Ear. Streamers would be single hooked patterns like Wooly Sculpins, Cactus Sculpins, Wooly Buggers, Big Hole Bugs, and Clousers.
Lots of traffic through the shop this week from people heading up to the ‘Alley. Seems that the streams are pretty crowded here this week.
Most of the streams are clearing out well and should be great for the weekend. There are a lot of fish on or heading to gravel. As standard in the industry we do not advise disrupting these fish as they spawn. There are plenty of fish eating eggs in the runs below the spawning riffles and that is where we fish.
With the forecast we should still have decent numbers of fish for the next few weeks. If nymphing is your game then focus on eggs and nymphs as the streams clear. A bead headed nymph followed by an egg is a great place to start in clear water. Nymphs that we like are the Steak and Eggs, Bloody Mary, Psycho Prince, Chicken Little, Sparkle Maggot, Steelie Stone, and Guides Choice Hares Ear. As for eggs Glo Bugs, Glo Bugs, Glo Bugs. Have them in bigger and bright colors for dirty water and then smaller pastel colors for clear water. Swinging is still an option even in lower water. Using intermediate iMOW tips on your skagit heads or an integrated switch line is a good choice. In low water conditions we swing flies like Skiddish Smolts, Wooly Buggers, Chicken Little, Cross Dresser, Zonkers, and Classic salmon style flies. If the water is on the rise or drop your typical Greg Senyo flies like the Flow Ryder and the A.I. Intruder will get the job done.
THE SMALLIES ARE IN!!! There is a good number of Lake Run smallies in the lower rivers already! If you are heading up to Steelhead Alley do not leave the streamer rod and sink tip at home. Here you will want to fish the Kelly Galloup articulated streamers stripped though likely holding water. These fish are fat mad and a blast to catch. Also do not be surprised if you come in contact with a Chrome or spawned out (Drop Back) steelhead. This is a great time to book at trip on the ‘Alley!
Mad River Outfitters
