Picking Your Dates to Book
Greetings from the Canyon!
We've entered our off season. For the last month, we've been working on the lodge (kitchen remodel and more!), bird hunting and tying saltwater flies for the Keys. Check our social for updates on it all.
As we sit and tie flies together, we think and discuss all sorts of things. Most of the conversations revolve around fishing. We talk about the river, fish, flies, memorable times with guests (some reading this may have been mentioned) and so on. Recently, we talked about our memorable times fishing the river this past season. It probably doesn't surprise you, but we love fishing the river all season long. The weather, temperatures, flows and conditions change through the year, but the fish are always there.
Now this leads us to our next discussion. The most popular question from people wanting to come here is "When is the best time?". We've given our answers in person, on emails, and a couple of times in these blogs. As we discussed this question and answers, we realized, our opinion is biased and may not be the times that best suit each specific angler. So, we concluded that we should go about answering the question in a broader spectrum of fly fishing techniques, weather and experiences. Here is what makes each period unique and desired.
Mid April – Mid May
The scene: Spring conditions. Inconsistent weather. It can be warm and sunny, cold and rainy, windy, snowy. River flows are usually on the low side as it's pre runoff. River traffic is only fishing. No rec floaters due to the colder air and water temps. Weekdays are uncrowded. The weekends push the numbers up with locals.
The bugs: Baetis, Midges, March Browns, Skwalas
Why you should be here: Best nymphing of the season with no weeds in the drift. The whole river is in play. On cloudy days and warm afternoons, fantastic Baetis and midge dry fly fishing. Pre summer so lighter pressure.
Our 2 cents: The last 3 years, we've had our best dry fly days during this time.
Mid May - end of June
The scene: This is the most popular time on the river. Normally very pleasant weather with highs ranging from 65°- 80°. We get our highest flows of the year and that usually happens late May or early June, but the upper 15 miles stays mostly clear. The river is still weed free. Still not a lot of rec floaters but lots of fishing boats.
The bugs: Pale Morning Duns, Caddis, Baetis
Why you should be here: It's the most popular time for a reason. You can catch a bunch of fish on nymphs. Dry fly fishing is outstanding with the biggest sized mayflies and caddis of the season. (Those of us with older eyes can see them!) The floating weeds are minimal. In general, probably the best time for all skill levels to catch good numbers of fish.
Our 2 cents: The short leash nymphing during the PMD hatch is an underrated experience. Light weight, easy casting rigs. Sometimes you're actually sight fishing. And when you hook a fish, let them run! They torpedo across the shallow gravel and usually go skyward. It's truly one of our favorite techniques.
July
The scene: Fishing pressure is lighter than June, but the river gets a lot of rec floaters this time of year. They don't interfere with the fishing, just more people floating down the middle of the river. There's an entertainment factor to it. Hottest weather of the season. Highs range from 80°- 95°. Flows have stabilized to where they will be for the rest of the season. This is when we start seeing floating weeds. The upper section stays clear of these for the season. (Dam to Wolf Creek Bridge) You get more accumulations the further downstream you go.
The bugs: Tricos, Pale Morning Duns, Caddis
Why you should be here: Dry fly lovers’ delight! Tricos and PMDs overlap for the first half of the month so you have rising fish from early morning until early afternoon. Chase that time with blind fishing caddis in the afternoon. No need to put a nymph on. If you must nymph to bend the rod, the upper section is your place.
Our 2 cents: Our favorite time for dry fly fishing. Consistent warm weather offers incredible hatches with unlimited rising fish to target.
August - early September
The scene: Everybody is gone. The most solitude you'll see all season. It's a combination of floating weeds; vacations are over and the myth of dog days. Flows are low and stable. Sunny, windless days. A little cooler than July. Uncrowded with anglers, still some rec floaters. You see very few fishing boats.
The bugs: Tricos, Hoppers, Ants, Crayfish
Why you should be here: Big Brown time! This is the time of year we catch our biggest Brown Trout of the season. Think Zirdle rigs and Hoppers. Browns love a big meal. Incredible variety of fishing when you factor in the Trico spinner fall in morning. Sit on heads all morning, then prospect for the big boys with long hopper drifts and twitching Zirdles. The fewest people you will see on the river. Some days when you float the Canyon there's only one or two vehicles at the ramp. It's not for everyone. You must deal with some weeds if you go subsurface. I'll pick off a few weeds for the chance at a 25-inch Brown. But opportunities with Tricos, Hoppers and Ants take the need for nymphs away. For the traditional nymphers, fishing at the dam is as good as it gets this time of year.
Our 2 cents: It's our favorite time! Hoppers, Zirdles and big Brown trout fire us up.
Mid September - end of October
The scene: Fall is incredible here. Beautiful weather. Beautiful colors. Warm sunny days with chilly nights and mornings. October can bring a little cold and snow but usually only lasts a couple of days. Some anglers come back, but still fewer than early summer. We lose most of the rec floaters.
The bugs: September has Pseudocloeons and Hoppers. October brings the Baetis back and streamer fishing.
Why you should be here: Pleasant, gorgeous weather and good fishing. Late September has great nymphing and challenging dry fly fishing with Pseudos coming off in the afternoon. We still get hopper eats then as well. October brings less weeds, the headlining Baetis dry fly fishing, fewer weeds, and aggressive Brown trout chasing streamers. Impossible to have a bad day when you see this river in the fall.
Our 2 cents: If you’re looking for the great Baetis dry fly fishing, book in mid to late October. A stormy day that time of year can't be beat.
That's the season for us. Pretty sure you'll love the river, friends and food any time you come. Please reach out with any questions. We love to talk about fishing!
Cheers!