Fishing the midge hatch in the morning with gray or black midges is very good. Fish them below a red larvae. The afternoon has been my favorite with lots of fish looking for baetis. Chocolate or gray have been best. The slowest time of day seems to be around 11:00 to 12:00. Cloudy days are the best. As always a large part of your success will be your in ability to move around to where the hatches are coming off the best. Fish near the dam in the best midging waters to start, most of the midges are very small. I have been doing well with a black larvae or pupa to a gray or olive larvae. Around 12:30 move down to where the baetis are hatching, anywhere from lower Texas hole down to the end of bait water. It has been best to go back to your midge patterns after 6:00. The whole river is fishing well,. The water is very clear; you can see the bottom of the river anywhere you are wading. I am using very natural looking insects, No Flash! You will need to be fishing well to catch a lot of fish as they get smarter with clearer water.
Fish fluorocarbon tippets at the end of your mono-filament leader when nymph fishing. 5X to the first fly and 6X to the dropper. This will produce more strikes as the fish can't see the fluorocarbon. Fishing 22 to 24 midges in the slower waters has been great, I am no longer using any flash, the water is very clear. Sight fishing is very good. Fish light weight ( a number 6 or smaller ) with your strike indicator 2 or 3 feet above the weight. You don't want to be on the bottom when you are midge fishing. We are finding lots of baetis, especially on cloudy afternoons. Baetis live in fast water so look for them in the riffles at the top of holes and at the bottom of holes in the tail out. Fish are eating gray, olive and brown nymphs in these places, again it just depends on the day so have them all. You may have the chance to see fish on top during this time. A parachute Adams or comparadun should do the job. The may flies are green and are about size 24. Use dark colored wings as the fish are turning away from white wings. If you can't see this try a marker fly about 12 inches above the baetis. You should fish mono-filament tippets when fishing on the surface as fluorocarbon sinks. Change back to midges when the fish stop eating your may flies. Try some bunny leaches if all else fails. Dead drift them like the rest of your nymphs. Fish are eating them for moss! They will shake the drifting moss to get the bugs out. Fish all over the river are spawning. Their eggs are being found by fish everywhere. Try fishing eggs to red or orange larvae if the regular bugs are not producing for you.
7-Day Fly Fishing Forecast
Fisheads everywhere are excited about the improvements to the braids, the work is finished and the area is now open. It is fishing great! It is snowing and should be for the next day or so. Then it is getting cold. Winter fishing is here. It is the favorite time of year for locals that have the right gear. Fish eat well throughout the winter as the water temperature is not much different than any other time. If you like having the river to your self, catching lots of fish and are not afraid of fishing in cold weather, this is the time of year for you. Good luck to all the Fisheads out there, Chris