Edit: I actually wrote this “report” while on the river this morning and planned to post if from there. My signal and some fish had different ideas…
I was going to write a big report with lots of details and what not, but it turns out, John’s report a couple of days ago really covered it all. ?♂️ (Check it out if you haven’t! ?) This is basically a photo dump of a few shots I’ve taken in the meantime.
There are plenty of fish in the system right now, but there are also large blank spots so if you’re looking and not finding, move around a bit… Dark woody water is currently holding the most fish.
I’ve been on group trips since my last report with people that want to fly fish, so I’ve been more in the mid-river even though I’d rather be low. There are lots of fish spawning now, but I get no joy or satisfaction from catching those so I’m leaving them to either do their thing in peace or, be targeted by another angler.
Some of you may remember that I am no longer taking any new clients during “peak seasons” (September/October & March/April) and much of that is because I’d like to enjoy the life I’m currently living and the fishing I’m doing right now, rather than trying to sock away money for some eventual happy retirement that may or may not happen. (Remember when I almost died… ?♂️) That translates into, if you wanna fish redds when there’s still plenty of fish in the pools or get jiggy with it, book another guide.
My ultimate goal is to cut back to 3 or maybe 4 days a week during those peak seasons with anglers that like to fish the way I like to and maybe start spending a day or two in my shop each week, but that will be a long process over many years as most of my dates are already filled with regulars several years out.
I’ve actually had a fair amount of luck fishing much larger brighter sort of gaudy flies in getting them to actually bite this year rather than the traditional smaller ones that typically just sneak up on them. I switched to that tactic after seeing how many fish actually bite the big bright soft beads under bobbers we’ve been using and, it’s working. (We sell both! ?) I’m actually typing this report right now on the river and my client just had a nice buck chase a big gaudy traditional salmon fly right up to our feet before turning away…
Anyway. Hopefully we actually see some substantial rain some time soon as we can really use it! Reports from the lake are still good so we’ve got plenty more to come yet, but right now the fish that are in the river are taking to cover in these low and clear conditions.
I’m gonna cut this short now and get back to work with the net. The shop is fully loaded, we’ve got some motel dates available yet & it’s not too soon to book for fall steelhead!
We do hope to see you soon and till then, take care, be nice to one another, have some fun and be safe out there!
Steve
Would it be possible to show what fishing with beads look like ? Just a quit picture of set up.