On DeMark Lodge Memorial Day Fishing Report
By: Warren DeMark
Happy Memorial Day weekend from ODL! Hope everyone enjoyed their extended weekend and got some time to reflect on what is important. We are coming off a busy week with a full lodge and lots of interesting weather, which is common for May. We had tons of rain this last week (close to an inch over a 2 day stretch), plenty of cold days(40 degrees), and our fair share of wind (30 mph). The rain brought lots of mud from the tributaries: Prickly Pear has lots of water and color, Stickney Creek had tons of mud and debris for a couple days but had cleared up now, and the Dearborn has some color, which is normal for this time of year. With changing conditions brings challenging fishing, but we had some great days through the turbulent weather. Sun and rising temperatures are on the horizon, as we look forward to more summer-like conditions. End of May usually means the end of our Baetis action. We have some waning Baetis hatches around, some march browns are still in the mix, and some good Caddis action down through the canyon. Midges are always around and make for some decent dry fly opportunities, especially on the upper river. Dry fly fishing is not like it has been as we are in between our big hatches, but PMDs are on the brain. We’ve seen a few of our pale morning dun buddies make an early arrival, and we look forward to their massive impact in a couple weeks. Nymphing has been decent, deeper runs in the morning, then shifting to shallower flats in the afternoons when the bugs get going. Scuds and sow bugs are on the menu like always, especially up high. Tungsten baetis nymphs in the 16-18 range are still getting ate, and size 14 tungsten quills are pulling fish. With the rain comes the mud, and the mud brings lots of worms. Don’t be afraid of the colored water right now, it’s not uncommon to find a big brown lurking there. Try a worm in the off-colored water, you just might catch your biggest brown of the year. Streamer fishing is picking up, another good option for dirty water. Flashy stuff is great, darker stuff also works. Size 6 kreelex and sparkle minnows are always a good options. The Missouri is an amazingly complicated fishery, so don’t be discouraged if you’re struggling. May is a hard time to get things dialed in, so if you’re having trouble, switch up your approach. Some good options to try: add some weight to your nymph rig, change the size of your steamer, or maybe just crack a beer and float on. Remember, it’s fishing. Enjoy yourself and try not to take it so serious. The fish will be there next time.