Some very colorful rainbows are showing up lately. Fishing remains above average, with long range weather reports calling for continued mild temps- mid/upper 50's for Thursday through Monday, and every day will be at least into the mid/upper 40's, wow! MDC reduced release from the dam in Riverton by about 60cfs yesterday afternoon, bringing total flow down to 234cfs this morning, a very nice medium-low level for fishing & wading. Good fishing reports keep rolling in lately, with fish coming to
nymphs, streamers & dries. Quite a few 16-18" fish reported by
anglers, with some up to 20 inches. Nymphers are catching the most and
having the more consistent action (no surprise there), however dries
& streamers have both been very effective at moments. Mild weather combined with nice flows are driving some above
average December fishing by warming the cold water up a bit and creating
some bug action/feeding activity. Look for water temps from upper 30's
to mid 40's, depending upon the actual day, time of day, and distance
from dam. Fish are rising in the
mornings to
Winter Caddis #20-24, and in the afternoons to small Blue Wing Olives
#22-28, and Midges #22-32 - these insects will continue be the main
hatches through December. You may still
see a few #16-18 Tan Caddis on milder days as well as some random larger
mayflies. Other than the Winter Caddis hatching in the AM, overall the
bug activity is primarily in the afternoons, so if you start early try
flies/techniques that are independent of insect hatches such as nymphing
with egg patterns, Squirmy Worms & big stoneflies.
Streamers are another good choice but fish them slow & deep, don't
rip them in fast like you would in May or October as water temps are
colder now and trout are more lethargic, make it easy for them to
"catch" your fly. If your primary goal is numbers, go with medium sizes
(#6-8), or go bigger if you want a crack at the biggest trout, but are
willing to catch less and forgo some of the small to medium fish.
Assorted smaller nymphs in the #16-20 range are some of the more
consistent fish catchers right now- try Flashback WD-40's,
Zebra Midges (black, olive), and Pheasant Tails. Caddis Larva in #14-16
too, there are TONS in the river. Also try attractor nymphs in #12-18. Other suggested flies include the following nymphs: Yellow Stoneflies #8-16, Black Stoneflies 8-14, Fox Squirrel Nymph #12, Hot Spot Baetis #16-20, Wing Olive #16-22, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Tan Caddis Pupa #14-16, Green/Olive Caddis Larva #14-16, Pheasant Tails #16-22, Prince Nymph #12-14. Play with colors on your streamers, lately some of the better ones have been white, olive, and brown. Nothing lighter than 2-3x on your streamers (for average sizes streamers), and go heavier if you are tossing big ones. 5x fluoro is a good average for your nymphs, and 5x-7x tippet for your dries (depending upon size), with 6-7x being more the norm right now due to the small size of the flies & flat water they hatch on. Long tippets help with both dries & nymphs: it will give you "S" curves to get a drag-free float with dries, and it will sink faster with less weight when nymphing.
We just scheduled our second & final Don Butler beginner tying class for this winter, it will be 2 day course, January 9th & 16th, 10am-3pm, cost is $125 per person. Call 860-379-1952 to sign up, class size is limited. See Events/Classes for more details.
Our apartment is now closed for the season, and will be available again starting in April 1 2016.