Posted on September 18 2017
With the unseasonably cool nights and cloudy, rainy days we had in August and early September, the entire river system was again open for fishing. The recent spate of warm nights and hot sunny days, however, has raised the water temps in the freestone sections of the system to or above the "no fish" level of 70 degrees.
With the tailwaters "the only game in town", I was forced to face reality. The olives that have been something both the trout and fishermen could count on for over two months are waning. The decline was masked by the appearance (at least where I was fishing) of prolific numbers of ants. When fishing the BR the hatches of isos and white flies made the decline of the olive hatch seem unimportant.
Today I went looking for olives -and - didn't find any. Stopped at half a dozen places on the UEB without seeing an olive or a rise. Once again with zero chance of rain I got caught in a downpour (with raincoat this time - taking no chances). Half mile away it never rained.
About four-thirty I found a few rising fish at a pool where I've done well a couple of times in the past month. Not today! Threw at lots of rising fish without so much as a sniff. There were a few olives on the water and a few big mayflies (stenos) and lots and lots of knot weed blossoms. The fish were not eating olives, stenos or the knot weed blossoms. Stared at the water and finally began to see a plethora of tiny, tiny bugs. The fish were on 'em and would look at nothing else. Threw a trico which is the smallest fly I carry and it looked like a green drake next to what the fish were eating.
If you come down while the "heat wave" is still in progress, limit your fishing to the tailwaters and if you are fishing on top bring seven x and the smallest stuff you can find (it won't be nearly small enough).
With the tailwaters "the only game in town", I was forced to face reality. The olives that have been something both the trout and fishermen could count on for over two months are waning. The decline was masked by the appearance (at least where I was fishing) of prolific numbers of ants. When fishing the BR the hatches of isos and white flies made the decline of the olive hatch seem unimportant.
Today I went looking for olives -and - didn't find any. Stopped at half a dozen places on the UEB without seeing an olive or a rise. Once again with zero chance of rain I got caught in a downpour (with raincoat this time - taking no chances). Half mile away it never rained.
About four-thirty I found a few rising fish at a pool where I've done well a couple of times in the past month. Not today! Threw at lots of rising fish without so much as a sniff. There were a few olives on the water and a few big mayflies (stenos) and lots and lots of knot weed blossoms. The fish were not eating olives, stenos or the knot weed blossoms. Stared at the water and finally began to see a plethora of tiny, tiny bugs. The fish were on 'em and would look at nothing else. Threw a trico which is the smallest fly I carry and it looked like a green drake next to what the fish were eating.
If you come down while the "heat wave" is still in progress, limit your fishing to the tailwaters and if you are fishing on top bring seven x and the smallest stuff you can find (it won't be nearly small enough).
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