Runoff time
Loblers (aka the Watusi Worm)
Here in Montana the Big Hole is about the only non-tailwater river that isn't brown right now. That doesn't mean you can't fish. You can sometimes coax fish right out of the willow roots at high water using large stonefly nymphs--especially so during salmon fly time. Flures that wobble and flash often work well too. When the water's chocolate brown you can put a big Colorado spinner blade in front of a streamer, if you make use of a shock tippet and a plastic snap-on clevis from Stamina, Lakeland, Lurecraft or Cabelas.
And you can also make quick and dirty wobblers (fly rod crank baits, or Loblers as I sometimes call them) light enough to lob with a fly rod. If you throw these guys into the soft water pockets along the bank, from the front end of a drift boat, you can coax a surprising number of brown water fish. The diving bill here is made with super glue and rigid plastic sheeting from the lid of a Costco tomato box. This (years old) photo shows a flattened split shot glued to the underside of the diving bill. Now I use a big tungsten bead instead. You do need to put a small barrel swivel about 18" up the leader, to keep the line from twisting. Purists tend to frown. But purist techniques during brown water runoff tend do to be frustrating. If not fruitless. With Loblers you can actually catch a fish.
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