August II

River flows are coming down, and water temps are going up. About 72 above town.
We've hit the late summer slowdown.....
Early morn is so nice now, just a fall chill, then baking the rest of the day.
Lots of rafters, and floaties on the river all day long.
I go out just after dawn, catch a couple, then take care of business till evening, then say hi to them again at dark.
Guiding is slowing down, after a busy month.
Kids are back in school.
Far fewer fishermen out on the water.
Now is the time to begin stalking a dream fish, instead of dreaming of fishing.
A friend fished over the same tough brown for three days before landing him.
Practice, practice, practice.....
Fish are thinking about putting on weight for winter, and that helps to catch them.
These are the most difficult fish I've met, and well worth the time and energy to meet'em.
The bonanza of bugs we've had is slowing down, a few less everyday.
For the first time they are really starting to look at grass hoppers.
I love to drown one and see a fish come from nowhere to eat!
Squirrels are dropping pine cones already, and we had a localized light frost this morning.
Folks are laying in wood and painting, and coating their driveways and otherwise acting as busy as the squirrels......

August

WOW!
It's August already.
Dawn attacks are pretty good right now......
Mid-day can be slow, but evenings are amazing.
Caddis flies are fluttering in numbers that strike both a newby, and seasoned fisher alike, as incredible.
Fun, just standing in the river watching all the biomass silhouetted against the glowing sky, just after the sun sets.
Don't want to breath through your mouth, because you will be eating them.
They flutter into nose, ears, and down your your shirt.
When you stop to consider how many get eaten before they reach "fulfillment", that is adulthood, and mating, it boggles the mind.
It's fascinating watching the pupal forms drifting and swimming slowly to the surface.
Once there, they step through the surface tension, and almost instantly another life form
appears. A winged adult from an aquatic life form.
About as real, and now, as it gets.
The trout sure like them.

Good times!

The phone started ringing again, and I started running.
I guess the word is out, that it's time to fish.
Beautiful is what's going on up here.
River flows are green/clear and stable. (54 deg)
The bug menu has grown noticeably this week.
Large Golden stones are flying.
Grass hoppers hopping.
PMD's floating towards the sky.
Several types of Caddis are fluttering about.
Green Drakes are around here and there.
Finding more rising fish everyday.
Last night, some Bows were chasing dries, dolphin-style.
A meal, and air-time too.
Few things make it harder to tie on a fly, than fish jumping all around.
But I've learned to hang tough in the crunch.....

All the summer players are on stage.
Humming birds arrived exactly when the flowers bloomed. Go figure...
The baby Geese aren't babies anymore.
Beavers are slaving away.
Deer are in velvet.
Mosquitoes are making up for lost time.
As both, fishing and non-fishing folks have landed.
Thankfully, the whining buggers are equal opportunity biters...

We had an amazing full moon rise, with alpine glow skies this week.
I spent time watching it for you guys.
After 8 months of chillyness, the fact that I can wear a T-shirt from dawn to well after dusk,
is hard to fully share.
Maybe, you should just come up?
It won't get any better.

Summer begins!

Suddenly the weather went from cold..... to hot. Or, at least it seems hot wearing waders.
Get out of the water and you will seek shade. Don't forget your sunscreen!
Blazing blue skies have caused the flows to rise up into the grass, about a foot.
The water-color is a nice deep green in the morning, and off color in the afternoon.
Water temps are coming up slowly, 47-50 deg. in the morn, dropping a few deg. in the PM with the increased melt.
For those fishermen not averse to larger flows, this is a great time to attack.
Not a lot of fishing pressure yet, but soon....
There are a bunch of bugs around now. They like all the warmth.
The flying carpenter ants have arrived. I always suggest drowning them in these flows.
Saw my first grasshopper of the season. There's are sure sign of summer!
Starting to see a lot of small caddis fluttering in the evening.
There are PMDs too.
Very large Golden stones are near shore, that are about ready to pop.
Green rock caddis are about. Midges too of course.
Some nice fish are very close to shore.
Try rigging at about 2ft. with two flies, and drifting near the bank in soft water.
In these flows, the fish have an advantage. Look where you can run BEFORE you cast, to make sure you have room....to run. You can't run in the water/streambed, and walking around alders
and trees is near impossible.
Hope you get out to the water, it's a good time for it!

Looking around.

Took a walk on the water, in a drizzle. Beautiful flows, no bugs at all.
Water temps holding at 42 deg. We have slipped back into EARLY Spring.
When the fishing is slow, I have a chance to look around.
Today, I noticed all the old stumps in this area were torn apart.
Mister bear has been looking for some grub, or grubs actually.
Hard times right now, no berries popping yet.
Wet, cold, hungry, and can't go back to bed yet.
Pretty much the same for me.
Most locals have stated they are over it.
Bring on the warmth of summer!
Micro flowers are beginning to bloom, but otherwise we are in a holding pattern.
Been having some success with micro may patterns, and Baetis nymphs.
Most Rainbows are post spawn now, and feeling tired/satisfied and are waiting for bugmania.
Some larger Brown trout have been eating the bows eggs.
With the end of the spawn, the browns are searching for another tasty treat.
With higher flows a worm would be a good choice.
Walking in the woods on the way back to the car, I discovered a worm orgy just ending.
BIG worms crawling around, made it hard to walk without stepping on them.
Life force carries on, in spite of the weather.

Fish the flood!

OK, so it's spring again (well almost). We got another dusting last night.
The ground is too warm to accept snow at this point.
The problem is, the water temps drop when it melts and flushes in.
This change retards the bugs, and therefore the fish.
Reset the season by a week at least.
Having said that, they can't leave the water, or give up food totally.
Drive up-stream from town a ways, find the flows that suit your fancy.
Check the bug menu with your seine, pick a portion or two, to serve'em.
Now do the sneaky creep to stream edge.
Find some soft water, near the inside of a bend, and present with light weight, rigged shallow.
Takes are light, so be heads up.
Aquatic annelids abound during high flows, red-brown would be a good choice.
A few BWO's around, and March browns still. Not dry fly time though.
Saw a skwalla this week, so a nymph might still be a good call, or drown an adult on a warm afternoon..
Little black baetis nymphs have been working for me.
You can wait till July this year for dry fly fishin', or learn how to fish the flood.
Speaking strictly for myself, I can't wait that long for a fish.
I always say in these flows, before you make a perfect cast, and a perfect drift, with the perfect fly, consider where you can run first.
Should be a great year for the fish, maybe us as well!

Game on!

Hope you all got out on the water for the 1st day of the season.
It was a big water opener here on the Truckee.
Water flows below-town, are serious.
Above town it's a fish-able 70 cfs, and a sweet, sea-foam green.
Skwallas are still running around. Bwo's, and March browns are out.
Snow is mostly gone in town, a few drifts in the shade. Spring has sprung.
The big water can deter a fisherman who is limited to throwing dries.
But, if one is willing to change it up, the fish are still there.
At these flows it's not time to wade, just get "bank sneaky".
If you think like a fish, you will understand how heavy flows move them to the bottom, and sides of the river.
Slack/edge water is easier on them energy wise.
Water temps are 47-52, so they won't be actively chase stuff very far.
Do a quick seine for a look at the menu.
Then rig with lighter weight, and offer your flies on a perfectly slow drift near shore.
Find a foam-line that looks good, and look for a spot where it bumps a shore boulder.
Drop your offering into the line, and bump line downstream to the good spot.
You might even meet Walter.
Landing him is another story.