Dropping into shape for the weekend!

The water levels out of the Madras dam are doing what we hoped they would do, they are dropping! The river will still be a tad on the high side, which is great, but it won't be quite as high up in the grasses and trees as it was for the last couple of days.

Here's the skinny on the salmonfly hatch - it is on NOW. Last night there were significantly more bugs on the bushes around Maupin than the night before and more than the night before that. The bushes are filling up and these puppies will be on the wing for sure with air temperatures forecast to be 89 degrees on Saturday. 

Anyone who is lucky enough to have scheduled their trip for this weekend or week has hit the jackpot! Reports from the river Thursday night were of mega salmonflies in the air and on the banks and the trout are keying into them. The early part of the hatch can be a bit hit or miss, so you need to hit quite a few spots. Keep the faith, more and more trout are keying into the big bugs each minute.

In these early stages of the hatch, get out there and get after it. You just need to stay in the jungle water and keep pitching big floating dry fly salmonflies and golden stones up under the trees. YOU WILL NOT SEE FISH RISING. The fish are laying in wait for the clumsy bugs. Give them what they want!

The afternoon and evening sessions will be far more productive and active than the morning sessions - this is simply because the warmer weather allows the bugs to really boogie and the cooler morning temps keep them frozen to the bushes. We rarely have hot weather coinciding with the early stages of this hatch - this weather is creating the perfect storm of hatch goodness. Stay on the river 'til it is too dark to tie on a fly. Then, and only then, you have to stop fishing. It's the law.

 Have fun!