Rich Strolis dropped off another batch of flies this
morning, including his Tungsten Woven Mayfly Nymph, which could also double as
a smaller Golden Stone. Opening Day is today, Saturday April 11th. Started out
cold & gray, but the sun peeked out finally, and air temps have crept into
the 50's but it's windy- Sunday will be sunny and a balmy 67 degrees, and not
windy at all. Flow in Riverton is a medium & very fishable 278cfs, but from
the Still River down it's pretty high (but clear) at just over 1,200fs &
steadily dropping. Should be 1,000cfs or less by Sunday. Morning water temps
have been averaging in the upper 30's over the past week, but look for them to
go up this week- highs will all be in the 60's, and nights will average in the
40's. It's about time!!! This will ultimately push afternoon water temps into
the mid and even upper 40's as the week progresses. Although cool temps have
made for some slow fishing at moments, expect things to pick up a bit every day
over the next week as water temps rise, and water levels drop. Fishing will be
better & more comfortable Sunday. In my opinion there is no need to start
early, the highest water temps & best fishing are typically in the
afternoons in April. If fishing the higher water below the Still River, think
nymphs & streamers, and fish closer to the banks, anywhere there are
current breaks. The takes by the trout have been LIGHT in the colder water, the
fish are lethargic and you have to put the fly right in their face. Stick to
the wider pools & also inside bends. High water scares many fishermen away,
but the fish are still there and catchable if you approach them correctly. They
simply move closer to the banks, out of the heavier current. You can upsize
your nymphs & streamers, no need for light tippets, and make sure to fish
your flies slowly, down near the bottom.
The DEEP was back stocking more trout throughout the river last week for the 3rd time in 2 weeks. The dirt road into Greenwoods & Boneyard is once again drivable now that the snow is mehighs lted. Best action lately, due to the higher flows below the Still River, has been streamers such as Rich Strolis's Ice Pick, Jack Smola's Wooly Jack, plus heavily weighted nymphs including larger stoneflies, green and olive caddis larva, egg flies, San Juan Worms, Hendrickson nymphs, larger Pheasant Tails, Princes, and Pink/Silver Lightning Bugs.
I had a good outing on Wednesday 4/8, catching a bunch of
recent stockers, plus a nice wild brown. #14 Pheasant Tails did the trick at
900cfs flows, water temp was just over 37 degrees. Felt more like winter.
Fishing reports have varied greatly, depending upon the day and who you talked
to, with some anglers doing quite well and others struggling. As flows drop
& temps warm over the upcoming week, look for afternoon water temps to push
well into the 40's. Up in Riverton, temps will stay colder due to cold water
release from the bottom of the dam (still mid/upper 30's up there). So from the
Still River downstream, especially on mild/sunny days, the water will be noticeably
warmer, which often translates into more active trout. Those who have found
pods of freshly stocked trout recently have racked up the biggest catches, but
some bigger holdovers are mixing in here & there. Fish a spot, but if it's
not producing, move on, don't linger. Lately the more water I cover lately, the
better I do. I might come up empty in 2-3 spots, and then bang fish in the 4th.
Nymphs & deeply/slowly fished streamers are the most reliable fish catchers
in the cooler waters of the early season, especially when flows are up. The dry
fly guys have been back at it when flows have been normal, and catching some
fish at moments (ideally look for days without much wind). Big, flat, wide
pools like Church, Greenwoods, Whitemore, Campground & Beaver Pools are
your best bets if you want to fish dries. The Winter Caddis (AM) are waning but
you may still see some, in the afternoons you should see Midges (#20-28) &
Early Stones (#12-18). With the Caddis & Stonefly dries, try both
dead-drifting them and also lightly twitching them, Midges should mostly be
dead-drifted. Larger #16-18 early season Olives (Baetis Vagans) will be
hatching soon, followed by Hendricksons. Both are afternoon hatches.
Subsurface, it's not too early to start fishing Hendrickson
nymphs, they get active and end up in the drift a good month before the hatch
begins, and Bruce Marino ties us a DEADLY nymph for this- ask and we will point
you toward it Hendrickson nymphs catch me a lot of BIG trout in April. A bigger
#12-14 Pheasant Tail can also work well. Hendrickson Nymph patterns can also
pull double-duty as early season stoneflies. Early Black & Early Brown
Stoneflies (sz 12-16), Pheasant Tails (sz 12-18), olive/green caddis larva (sz
8-16), cased caddis larva (sz 8-16), midge larva/pupa (sz 16-20, especially in
red), attractor nymphs (sz 12-18 in Red Headed Stepchild, Copper Johns, blue
Lightning Bugs, Yellow Prince, Rainbow Warrior, and egg flies (sz 10-18) are
still a good choice (rainbows & suckers are both spring spawners in March/April,
contributing fish eggs to the drift), etc. Don't be afraid to fish some some
gaudier/flashy/attractor-type nymphs, the trout sometimes show a preference for
them, doubly true for recently stocked trout. If you are fishing streamers,
remember that a slower presentation (swinging and/or slow stripping &
twitching) matches up with the slower trout metabolism due to cooler water
temps- but as always, play with your presentation and let the trout tell you
how they prefer it, they may still want a bit faster strip at moments. Try
using a floating line and slowly bouncing/hopping a weighted Fishskull Skulpin
Bunny on the bottom- use a 0x-2x tippet with this pattern & method, that
fly is heavily front-weighted and rides hook point up. If you are using unweighted
or lightly weighted streamers, use something to get them down- sinking line,
sink-tip line, sinking leader, or split shot. Slow & deep is typically the
name of the game until water temps get up near 50 degrees (probably late April
if you are downstream of the Still River).
-Torrey