When you do head out....
Keep Fish Wet when fishing catch and release fisheries. Three best practices for fish recovery and release are:
- Minimize air exposure
- Eliminate contact with dry surfaces
- Reduce handling time.
A net can help minimize contact with larger, or foul hooked, fish. When netting fish try to keep them in the water! When used with quick release tool nets are a great way to minimize handling. Fish can be released safely with very little contact.
Pinching your barbs will help ensure that releasing fish is easier for both you and the fish. Mitten Clamps are a great choice for pinching barbs and can also be used for releasing fish. Easier to deploy than traditional forceps they are opened and closed with the same squeezing motion. This makes them ideal for use with gloves and mittens, but they are also precise enough for every day use.
Water clarity is excellent right now. Lots of weeds in the river as a result of our light run off which has resulted in lots of Tricos, Craneflies, and still some Caddis.
Lots of hoppers around. Fished as single flies, or as part or a hopper-dropper rig, hoppers are a great choice right now. Leeches are a good choice for a dropper fished 3-4 feet under your hopper, smaller nymphs should be dropped about 18-24 inches.
Streamer fishing has been steady. If weeds become a problem try something with less weight like a Wooly or Bow River Bugger.
Water Boatmen have been spotted and are catching fish on the lower section.
Mountain Streams are in great shape with hatches of Drakes, PMD's and Caddis persisting. Water clarity is excellent.
Bow River Flies to try:
Dries: Hopper patterns like the Yeti Hopper, Dave's Hopper, Heneberry Hopper, and More-or-Less Hoppers in both purple and goldenrod. Attractor patterns like Yellow Rubber Legged Stimulators, Skid Bitch, and Orange Chernobyl Ants are all worth a try. Dead drift, or skitter across pools to provoke strikes. Peacock Caddis, Parachute Purple Haze and Para Caddis are great options for smaller dries.
Streamers: Small Leech patterns like a TB Ice Leech, or Fruit Rollup stripped or dead drifted under a hopper have worked great. Kreelex Minnows, Bow River Buggers (both Conehead and OG), Wooly Buggers (Black or Brown), Seasoned Geezer, and Flesh Eating Sculpin are good streamer choices.
Nymphs: Will's Chai T, TJ Hookers, Aaron's BT Rubber Leg, Reece's Pieces, Tungsten Prince, Copper John's, Dee's Boatman Tungsten, and Wagler Boatman.
Spend your evenings hoping for rain. Tight lines and happy fishing!
FTFS