Winds of Change

You can feel it coming … just a hint of a change in the weather that will have the feel of autumn. For this angler and bird hunter, it will be more than welcome – the hot and humid weather that we’ve had lately is debilitating to my sensibilities. Of course, I know that my tune will be the opposite when we’re in the depths of winter in five months …

It’s been warm again this week here in the north country, with corresponding water temperatures as well. The Trophy Stretch is in the mid to upper 60’s, the No Kill Stretch below Second Lake Dam is nearly 70 if not already above, and it is a chillier 60 degrees below Murphy Dam at Lake Francis. South of Pittsburg, where I do most of my fishing, my thermometer was reading 62 degrees on Monday. Not bad, but we all know that the trout and salmon like it cooler if possible, and help may be on the way.

The cold front is arriving later tonight, and we’ll drop down in to the 30’s Friday night / Saturday morning, with 40’s again on Sunday morning. High temps on Saturday are supposed to be in the 50’s – a great taste of fall with the autumnal equinox still two weeks away. All of this cooler weather should have a beneficial effect on the river’s temps, and the fish that inhabit its reaches. More rain will be falling early next week, so hypothetically we should have some pretty good conditions going forward.

That’s all good news, and there’s more of it as well. The river flows in all of the stretches has come up in the past week or so, which usually helps draw some of the larger trout and salmon from the lakes in to the Trophy and No Kill Stretches. Cooler water (and lots of it) should get the fish moving and we could be in for a good stretch of fishing to close out the season, which is, … gulp … only five weeks away.

The only drawback to all of this, and this is a matter of the reader’s perception, is the higher water can make for some difficult wading. For instance, the flow in the No Kill is at 132 CFS – a good flow for wading and drawing salmon upstream. The Trophy Stretch is currently at 237 CFS, and if you’re used to fishing the Trophy Stretch at 150 CFS, it will probably feel like a lot of water. Last September, some of the best fishing for salmon was when it was running at 300 CFS, so a bigger flow doesn’t necessarily mean tough fishing – it just means you had better be careful where you’re wading. Below Murphy Dam, the flow is currently at 385 CFS, which is really a nice flow for both fish and anglers.

Fly recommendations? Fortunately, you can approach the fish with dries, nymphs or streamers when the conditions are like this – whatever floats your boat, in other words.

Dries: BWO, CDC Caddis, Purple Haze, Purple Craze, Stimulators

Nymphs: BH Pheasant Tail, BH Prince, Copper John, Black Stones, Goomie Worm, San Juan Worm, Soft Hackle Wets.

Streamers: White, Gray or Olive Soft Hackle Streamers, Gray Ghost, Red Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Royal Coachman Streamer.

Just some of my recommendations – hope to see you out on the water in the next five weeks, and, keep the thermos of coffee handy!