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Latest Issue of The Drake Is In!

Fishing Reports- June 15

Bow River Report –June 15^th,2017

Conditions on the river are pretty stable at full runoff. Levels have started to drop slightly and the rain we got on Tuesday and Wednesday didn’t have much effect.

If we continue with drier weather we would expect to be fishing the river sometime next week. Based on remaining snow pack, unless we get some sort of weird weather bomb the levels should start dropping steadily.

As soon as we start getting over 6” of visibility with stable or dropping flow rates it will start to get good. For the first time in three years we are likely to have some really good fishing along the bankside structures.

If you aren’t into fishing early season conditions for trout,   try out Clear, Travers, Twin or Crawling Valley reservoirs for some excellent pike fishing.  If pike fishing isn’t your thing, try Beaver, Birch or Phyllis Lakes for some excellent Rainbow trout fishing.  Give us a call here at the shop if you have any questions about these destinations.

Hatches: Caddis,   *Stoneflies soon!!!*

Dry Flies:  Blond Elk Hair Caddis #14, Chubby Chernobyl Black/Tan #6

   

Nymphs:   BH Wire Worm, Tiger Worm-Red, Conestone #6
                  R/L Squirrel Nymph, Smethurst’s Stone Bomb,

Streamers:  Clouser Minnow, Kreelex Minnow #6, Egg Sucking Leech,

                   1/4lb Bugger, Ice Pick Streamer-Black   

Crowsnest River Report – June 15, 2017

As of this morning, the Crow is at 16 CMS. It should start to drop pretty quickly.

Over the years, it has been our experience that the magic number for flow rate to give good fishing and safe conditions is 12 CMS.

Beauvais, Lee’s and Police Outpost all offer outstanding lake fishing in the area.  Summit Lake just over the border into B.C. may be another option.

Salmonfly’s are actively hatching on the Crow right now and should continue to be for another week or so.  Should conditions improve, Salmonfly dries and nymphs should fish well.

Hatches:  Salmonflies, Caddis

Dries: Barrett’s Golden #6, Chubby Chernobyl Black/Tan #6, Elk Hair Caddis #16

Nymphs:  Prince Of Darkness, Wire Worm, Tiger Worm, Jimmy Legs #8,   
                Brannon’s Pink Head Stone #6

Streamers: Taupe Leech, Gartside Leech, ¼ lb Bugger, Clouser Minnow

High Country River Report – June 15, 2017

The high country streams are open tomorrow morning. Talked to a few people who have been up there in the last week and they said everything was a little high but clear.

Not sure if the rains of earlier this week had much effect. We can say that the Sheep and Highwood were negatively affected.

Snowpack/snowmelt numbers look to be dead on normal We will keep you updated.

Hatches:  Stoneflies

Dries: We’ll let you know

Nymphs:   We’ll let you know

Streamers: We’ll let you know

            

They're Here!

The all new, Special Edition Bead Blast Reels from Hatch. Available in Sand for the trout sizes and Blue for the saltwater sizes.
There aren't many, so drop by and take a look.
 

Fishing Reports - June 7

Bow River Report

High and dirty! We are in the middle of our runoff and will remain this way for a little while yet. Warm and dry conditions have accelerated our snow melt and this has led to our very high and turbid conditions. The good news is because of this rapid melting we anticipate the river to be in much better condition by the end of June. As long as large volumes of precipitation do not fall either in the foothills or the mountains, fishable conditions should be expected by the last 10 days of June. Fingers crossed!
Until the river cleans try out Clear, Travers, Twin or Crawling Valley reservoirs for some excellent pike fishing. If pike fishing isn’t your thing try Beaver, Birch or Phyllis Lakes for some excellent Rainbow trout fishing. Give us a call here at the shop if you have any questions about these destinations.

Hatches: Caddis, Midges, *Stoneflies soon!!!*
Dry Flies: Blond Elk Hair Caddis #14,Griffiths Gnat #20, Parachute Adams #18, CDC Hackle Stacker BWO #18, Chubby Chernobyl black/tan #10
Nymphs: BH Wire Worm, Tiger Worm in red, B/H Pheasant Tail, Zebra Midge, R/L Squirrel Nymph, Smethurst’s Stone Bomb
Streamers:Clouser Minnow, Kreelex minnow #6, Egg Sucking Leech, 1/4lb bugger, Chartreuse Legged ¼ pound bugger for dirtier conditions

Crowsnest River Report

The Crowsnest is just beginning to get close to the point where it is fishable. It is currently at 19cms and steadily dropping. Not quite low enough to safely fish but very close. Beauvais, Lee’s and Police Outpost all offer outstanding lake fishing in the area. Summit Lake just over the border into B.C. may be another option.
Salmonfly’s are actively hatching on the Crow right now and should continue to be for another week or so. Should conditions improve, Salmonfly dries and nymphs should fish well.
Make sure to pay attention to section closures on the Crow.

Hatches: Salmonflies, Caddis
Dries: Barrett’s Golden #6, Chubby Chernobyl black/tan #6, Elk Hair Caddis #16
Nymphs: Water Boatman, Prince Of Darkness, Wire Worm, Tiger Worm, bh rubber legged Pheasant Tail #14 , Jimmy Legs #8, Brannon’s Pink Head Stone #6
Streamers: Kreelex minnow, Gartside Leech, ¼ lb bugger, Clouser Minnow

High Country Streams Open on June 16th!

Tuesday Tips - Ask The Experts

Floating Line or Sinking Tip for Streamers?

Written by: Phil Monahan

This Battenkill brown fell for a sparse marabou streamer fished on a floating line with no weight on the leader.
Photo by Phil Monahan

Joe Demalderis, Cross Current Guide Service (Milford, Pennsylvania): With streamers, I’m often banging the banks from a drift boat when the water is higher than normal and/or dirtied up. If it’s significantly higher, I’ll use a sinking tip, if not too high, a floating line is fine. Either way, the Bank Shot line is made to order for this. There are also occasions when the water isn’t that high, but for softness of presentation I want a unweighted fly. Under those conditions, a sinking tip with fluorocarbon leader is the ticket.
When swinging wet flies, I prefer to use one bigger/heavier fly and a dropper that is smaller and softer. I try to avoid adding weight to the leader and prefer to get flies deeper by mending and using a longer tippet section that will get down quicker. The heavy fly is my edible weight, and the dropper is my fly du jour or hatch-matcher.
There are times of high water with extra swift currents when I’ll add some sink putty to the leader instead of shot. The putty gets hung up less, casts nicer, and if it does hang up you can usually save your flies and just lose the putty. Sinking tips come into play for me when the water is too deep to effectively get to fish level, but even then, a change of angle with a floating line and proper mending should get me where I want to be most often. Mending is the key when swinging wets and a floating line mends easier and keeps me in contact with my flies better.

Jenny Mayrell-Woodruff, Woodruff, Flyfish Beaver’s Bend (Broken Bow, Oklahoma): I use a floating line with split shot more often because I am constantly changing locations on the river. I like the flexibility of managing the depth with split shot, as well as removing the split shot if I need to switch up the method of presentation (dry fly, double dropper rig, etc.). I use sinking lines when my plan is to solely throw streamers in deeper water for the whole day.

John Herzer, Blackfoot River Outfitters (Missoula, Montana): Around Missoula, we primarily fish from boats, so we rarely use full-sinking lines or even sinking tips longer than ten feet when fishing streamers. Problem is, you need to get your flies in and out of the water quickly. With an integrated sinking tip or full-sinking line, you need to continue to strip the line all the way in before you can recast. In order to get the proper depth, we lengthen our leaders and fish weighted flies. if that’s not enough, add split shot a couple inches in front of the fly. If we’re really going deep, we slip a worm weight (that’s right, like bass fisherman use) on the leader before we tie on the bug. In both instances, the weight will give the fly a jigging action, which the trout find very attractive.

There’s more than one way to skin a cat: anglers can choose among (l to r) a regular integrated sinking-tip line, a line designed for heavy flies, or a sinking tip that attaches to the end of a floating line via a loop-to-loop connection.

 

Chuck Hawkins, Hawkins Outfitters (Traverse City, Michigan): I always use sinking tips when streamer fishing. Depending on water conditions, I use 200- to 350-grain sinking tips in my everyday trout, steelhead, salmon, and smallmouth fishing. There are several reasons: a sinking tip gets the fly deeper, I can fish much shorter leaders, they allow for greater accuracy than fishing a longer leader on a floating line, and it’s easier to throw a sinking tip than it is to throw a heavily weighted fly with a floating line. I also find that novice fly anglers, with proper instruction, can handle a large streamer much easier when they have the weight of the sinking tip helping them deliver the fly.

Stefan Woodruff, Ellensburg Angler (Ellensburg, Washington): When I’m fishing streamers or wet flies, the decision whether to use a sinking-tip line or a floating line with split shot on the leader depends on the type of water I’m fishing. If it is a large bucket or run, a sinking-tip line is my go-to choice. Because a large portion of the line sinks, it keeps my flies “in the zone” and in front of the fish much longer. If I am fishing faster-paced pocket-water, where I need to get my flies sunk fast but don’t fish them for a very long time before picking up and making another cast, a long tapered fluorocarbon leader off a floating line is my best friend. I just add or subtract split shot to help get my flies down fast in smaller pockets of fishy water, like the soft water behind a large boulder. This setup also gives me the ability to “high-stick,” keeping line off the water and giving me maximum feel and control in water with complex currents.

Patrick Fulkrod, The South Holston River Company (Bristol, Virginia): I love swinging soft hackles. When I am fishing soft hackles and other traditional wet flies, I always prefer a floating line. The floating line will give me the ultimate in sensitivity to ensure I can detect the lightest of strikes. The lead / tungsten core of a sinking line dampens the sensitivity. If needed, I will add a small split shot to help fly get to to the right depth.
When using a fly that I will strip or retrieve, I always prefer a sinking tip or sinking line. Emulating the swimming action of many baitfish and other small fish requires the fly to be down deep, and a specialty sinking-tip line complements this method well.

Maggie Mae Stone, The Tackle Shop Outfitters (Ennis, Montana): When using wet flies and streamers, I always think about the depth of water I may be fishing and the speed of the current. For example, if I’m fishing still water, I almost always reach for a full-sinking line, as the depth is usually greater than a river or stream. It’s also less of a hassle for me to use rather than adding a bunch of split shot. When it comes to the river, if you’re fishing deeper buckets and faster currents, the weight of the sinking line will allow your wet flies to remain deeper and not float to the top as quickly as floating line would. If you find yourself without a sinking line and you know those fish are hanging out in deeper buckets (they’re not coming to the surface), then split shot works to get your floating line down quicker. I will add some split shot, and then adjust accordingly. If I’m dragging bottom and getting hung up, I will take some off. If you find yourself in shallow water, a floating line with no split shot will work well if the fish are hitting your streamer or wet fly. You can usually tell after a couple of casts if the fish are hitting streamers, as they will be very aggressive. To sum it up it’s all about depth and current speed.

Tim Linehan, Linehan Outfitting Company (Troy, Montana): When fishing streamers and wet flies, I let the situation, mostly water depth and current speed, dictate whether I use a floating or sinking line. If I’m concentrating on the top six inches the water column in walking-speed current or slower, I’ll generally stick with a floating line. If I want to penetrate the water column and cover the first two feet, I’ll add split shot accordingly. If I really want to get down and penetrate the lower half of the run, whether it be four feet or ten feet, I generally use a sinking tip. And to that end, I will also adjust the weight of the sink tip to accommodate the current speed–obviously using a heavier grain for faster current and bigger water.

Jeff Davis, All Water Guides (Austin, Texas): This is a great question and one that comes up often. There are multiple factors, which determine when we have our client’s use sink tip lines or use floating lines.
First, let me discuss our “go-to” setups. For the purpose of this discussion we are addressing fishing for Texas river bass (largemouth and guadalupe bass) with 6-weight and 7-weight fly rods in rivers that are rarely more than 10 feet deep. Our boat rods are rigged as follows: We usually have four rods rigged and ready—2 rods rigged with floating line and 2 rods rigged with a sinking-tip line. Personally, my boat roads are Orvis Recons because they are great casting, user friendly, and incredibly durable, holding up to long rides in the rod holders and hundreds of days on the water. We all use Orvis lines, ranging from Hydros to Access and everything in between.
We let the following factors determine our set-ups: water temperature, time of year, time of day,  water clarity, and water flow (CFS). By dividing the river into three sections—upper, mid, and deep—we can create the best set up to address all the above factors and ever-changing conditions that we encounter on any given day on the river.
Upper-water Column: We usually we will prospect with a floating line and an 8-foot fluorocarbon leader. Even during winter months we will prospect with patterns that work the upper water columns—from the surface down to that first 12 inches of water.
Mid-water Column: Before switching to a sinking tip, we will try a floating line with 9-foot fluorocarbon leader and a weighted (barbell-eyes) streamer pattern. We will concentrate on depths between 12 and 36 inches, working the fly fast, then medium speed, and finally with a slow retrieval rate.
Deep-water Column: The dog-days of summer and winter’s coldest days are when we concentrate on the deepest water close to thick cover. This is when sinking-tip lines are at their best. They cast much easier than full-sinking lines and thus, they are more forgiving to novice anglers. Our go-to set up is usually a 6-weight rod with a 4-foot fluorocarbon leader with an unweighted diver or streamer pattern or a 7-weight rod with a 4-foot fluorocarbon leader with a weighted (barbell-eyes) crawfish pattern (e.g., Ghetto Craw) with a mono weed guard fished with a slow retrieval rate as deep as possible and right next to the heaviest cover.
Rarely, we use floating lines with split-shot when using streamers. Instead we carry a wide variety and weighted streamers. Sometimes in a pinch we will add split shot but find that the patterns work best without using split shot.

Big News...Coming from Hatch

Country Pleasures Flyfishing is excited to announce two new special edition series of Hatch Reels. Some of you might remember the first bead blast reels done in grey earlier this year. They were so sexy!

As part of the Freshwater Series, they are offering the 3 Plus,  
4 Plus & 5 Plus Finatic in Bead Blasted Sand with black anodized spindle and gloss black paint fill. For the Saltwater Series, they are offering the 7 Plus, 9 Plus & 11 Plus Finatic in Bead Blasted Azul with silver anodized spindle and paint fill.
These reels will be available in Large Arbor configuration only.
No extra spools available. 


These reels will ship from Hatch to the shop on May 15 and are very limited in numbers. Sorry, the 11 Plus is already sold out.

The first series (grey) were sold out before their arrival. These won't last long. Give us a call if you would like one.

Only One More Week

Orvis Helios 2 On Special