South Fork
Winter is here but some of our area streams are still fishing well. The South Fork is offering some of the best water in the region. There is a lot of midge activity in the latter half of the day, and this is producing dry fly action in flats off of banks and in low gradient riffles. Kyrstal Midge Emergers (Size 18) and black Furimsky BDEs (Size 18 to 20) have been solid surface patterns, bringing up good sized cutthroats and browns. Nonetheless, it is midge and BWO nymph imitations, as well as mysis imitations, that are fishing the best, and doing so in the same water types that dry flies are producing. Day-2 Midges (Size 18), Ice Cream Cone Midge Nymphs (Size 16 to 20), RS-2 Nymphs (size 18 to 20), black Copper Johns (Size 16 to 18), cream CDC Bubbleback Nymphs (Size 16 to 18), Rainbow Warriors (Size 18), Lightening Bugs (Size 14 to 18) and Galloups Mysis (size 14 to 16) have been the most successful nymphs over the past couple of weeks.
One of the keys to decent activity at this time of year is to be focusing your attention at those times of the day when temperatures are climbing into the upper 30s. This can be key to getting fish to come NEAR the surface (not necessarily TO it). Yes, you can get activity at just over the freezing mark (34 degrees generally). But when you it 38 to 39 degree mark, you may notice a clear difference in action. This is especially the case when the water temps close in on 38 to 39 degrees.
If you are looking for something a little less aggravating than fishing small dries and nymphs on cold days, than try throwing a streamer on a floating or intermediate line. Brown trout on some of the reds are beginning to come out of the spawn and are pretty darn hungry. Smaller baitfish imitations like Clouser Minnows, Morrish Marabou Sculpins, and J.J. Specials (sizes 8 to 10) are the streamers we like to fish on the South Fork at this time of years as the browns begin to snap out of their spawning funk.
