It’s that time of year.
Here’s my “old” standard.
And one of four wild and native West Slope cutts that ate it today.
Follow the link for more information. ( Since the original article, I’ve gone to Montana Fly Company small speckled orange centipede legs for the antenna, tails, and legs. )
Where we’re you fishing?
The Lamar, or was it Soda Butte, or …
John
Hint - you could check out the Fishing Reports Forum.
South Branch Raritan? Near Hackensack?
Nice fly. Damn good fish. Our season here–East of the divide–is a good two weeks ahead of schedule. But still way behind yours. Only a few hours West.
… and I wouldn’t consider it salmonfly season over here, Sandy. It will likely be a while before it gets started.
The outing yesterday was more on a hunch, and in response to Poke 'Em’s comment** about an early end to the run off perhaps leading to a great salmonfly season. I tied up a JC’s Salmonfly and headed off to the Lochsa. The fishies have been looking up for skwalas - so why wouldn’t they look up at a bigger version of the same basic shape in different colors ??
The hunch paid off. And four of the trouts that rose to the fly ate it. Only one refusal. Got to see three of the fishies rising to the fly from deep down - the other one was a very sudden, aggressive attack on the fly. What fun !!
John
** Follow the link.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?46060-Run-Off-2012/page2
… but it was a wild day with the snow and salmonflies today. Follow the link …
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?45688-Lochsa&p=452103#post452103
… to post #28.
Can’t hardly wait until it gets good. :shock:
John
Had an adult salmonfly from a local creek here at the house several days ago.
Saw an adult on the wing over on the Lochsa last Saturday. And today, the Idaho Fish & Game enforcement officer on the Lochsa told me he had seen a good number recently.
Gave an acquaintance, who was having a tough time catching any fishies over there, some FEB Salmonflies and he proceeded to not only catch a bunch of cutthroat trout with them, but also a couple steelhead, all in the past week. ( NOTE: it is not legal to target steelhead on the Lochsa. )
John
What are the flows on the Lochsa now? I used to hang out with a kayaking bunch that made an annual early season pilgrimage, from Bozeman to the Lochsa, so they could experience the ongoing rapture of near death white-watering, for days at a time. When they showed me their film slides (this was a while back) I decided to choose life. And didn’t go with them. I did do the Gallatin Canyon, a week off peak high water, the first week I had my new kayak. So I got a taste or two of that rapture too. Adrenaline that thick is addicting.
… follow the link, Sandy.
You’ll have to “wade” through quite a bit of material on the dull stuff, like fishing and fish and flies and banter, but you might even enjoy some of that while you are tracking the streamflows since late March.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/showthread.php?45688-Lochsa
If you start at the end of the thread, you’ll get the information you’re asking about sooner rather than later.
As to the kayaking, a lot of the traffic that I see going and coming are rigs carrying kayaks and rafts for the white water rides. I don’t see any boating on the stretches of the river that I fish. They are all headed on further down the river. Not sure why. A couple narrow canyon sections where I fish should give anyone enough thrills for a day.
This pic is from 6-8-11, when the 2011 runoff peaked a bit lower than the river was running just a couple weeks ago. No dry flies and a lot of weight on the nymphs. :shock:
John
It just occurred to me that I’ve not posted pix of the models I used for my FEB salmonfly. These were from the Henry’s Fork of the Snake in the Vernon area several years ago.
John
It has always surprised me as to how little orange is visible from underneath the bug compared to how much orange is used in many of the flies we tie.
Keep in mind, most Orange or Amber natural dubbing looks much more dull once wet.
I really believe location can make quite a diff in the shade of orange too.
When they were hatching in the weeds one summer at Riverside Campground, they were bright orange in their abdomens
My take is that, generally, Duck is right on the money.
But I also think that the coloration is directly related to how freshly hatched the insect is. The more freshly hatched, the more and brighter the color on the underside. The longer an individual adult salmonfly has been around, the less and duller color on the underside.
I’ve definitely seen this with the stonefly nymphs, especially the golden stones, which go from an almost entirely yellowish underside just after molting to a distinctly darker coloration between molts.
John
Fishing the Madison one July evening and a mayfly hatch really blooms, right before a hailstorm flattened pretty much everything (and everyone that didn’t make it back to their cars). This was about the time when the Epeorus were starting up, although I hadn’t heard much up to that point, so I put on what I usually use and got a few refusals and nothing else; dropped a size and got 1 hookup (popped off) and more refusals. In the mean time the fish are going off like someone dropped pellets in a hatchery race, with the hailstorm crawling up the valley. I finally got my hands on one of the bugs (gently) and found it to be about a #16 in a bright olive, almost apple green, something I had none of in a mayfly; did manage a fish on a green caddis and a flav parachute (a few of them were scattered through the hatch). Tried a few emergers, too, but the fish I could see feeding, and I could see a lot of fish feeding, seemed to be taking the duns so for the most part was a spectator not a participant. Stopped by Blue Ribbon the next morning and was told that it was the Epeorus (that was a new color to me; maybe because it was early in the season?), so I bought some bright green biots and tied up some duns in the parking lot before the hatch that evening. Of course I never saw those bugs again.
Regards,
Scott
A couple days ago, this guy thought the amount of orange on the FEB salmonfly was just right.
John
… and some trouts have been selective against the salmonfly recently, opting for green drakes. :shock:
But not all of them.
Curious to see how much longer the fishies will show interest.
John
Snowed in West Yellowstone!! Not salmonfly weather right now. Was 90 several days ago though
If they have made an appearance already, even a number of days ago, and if the fishies are not showing interest in any other particular food item, I’d opt for a salmonfly dry despite the unfavorable weather, Byron. Once the fishies start looking up for those big meals, there’s a decent chance they’ll take one if they are not being distracted by some other morsel.
Nothing to lose, and maybe a pleasant surprise.
John
P.S. It was in the low to mid 40’s, overcast, damp, gray, chilly on the Lochsa today, and half a dozen cutts went for the FEB salmonfly. Of course, I only fish for nearsighted, colorblind, dumb, starving fish, so take that for what it is worth.
If they have made an appearance already, even a number of days ago, and if the fishies are not showing interest in any other particular food item, I’d opt for a salmonfly dry despite the unfavorable weather, Byron. Once the fishies start looking up for those big meals, there’s a decent chance they’ll take one if they are not being distracted by some other morsel.
Nothing to lose, and maybe a pleasant surprise.
John
P.S. It was in the low to mid 40’s, overcast, damp, gray, chilly on the Lochsa today, and half a dozen cutts went for the FEB salmonfly. Of course, I only fish for nearsighted, colorblind, dumb, starving fish, so take that for what it is worth.