Hi Folks, It certainly has been a summer of warm and dry. Fortunately, we are now experiencing a welcome late summer cool down. Cool nights once again have returned. We still need rain. Very dry. Our rivers and brooks are as low as I can remember. All of my trout fishing has been in small streams. The only venues where water temperatures have not gone over 70 degrees. The two brooks I have visited this week were 57 degrees this morning and 62 degrees Monday morning. Both fished pretty well. The trout are spooky. The water is low and clear. Approaching each piece of water should be done with stealth. Lots of freshly hatched #8-#12 golden stone fly shucks on rocks. Mid morning has offered up a decent hatch of #18-#20 micro Caddis. Saw #14-#20 flying ants this week while river smallmouth bass fishing. The bass were sipping ants! I have spent lots of time bass fishing this summer. A warm water fish with a real attitude. I love guiding smallies on the fly. In particular, casting popping bugs, crease flies, gurgles, and sneaky Pete patterns is super fun. I am a surface snob, I love seeing fish eat off the surface. I guide early and late day in order to take advantage of the top water bite. We have been locating bass in rivers tight to big rocks. All of the fish are in the big primary pools. Water temps. have ranged from 70 to 78 degrees. Tons of crawfish scurrying about. #4-#8 Clouser minnows have caught the fish that dont want to eat our surface presentations. For poppers, #4-#8 Blue Boogle Bugs, Blue Blockheads, Chartreuse/Black Boogle Bugs, Black/Red Blockheads, and Black Boogle Bugs have all worked. With the low water, we have been locating browns and Brook Trout bonding in heavy water. Only real camouflage with the low water. Or under rocks in the tails out of pools. Trout patterns for small streams: #10-12 orange Stimulator’s, #12-#14 Green and Tan GFAs, #14 Rubber legged Royal Trude, #12 Orange Chubby, #16 Goddard Caddis, #18-#20 X-Caddis, #16 Royal Wulff, #14-#20 various foam ant patterns, #16-#18 olive Caddis pupa, #16-#18 copper John’s, #10-#12 olive/black wooly buggers, and #10-#12 Black or Golden Tungheads. Well, rolling into my favorite time of year to fish. Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home. Have Fun, Willy
