Ok, here we are a few days before Columbus Day Weekend and this is what we have:
The Millers at 60 cfs and scheduled to be stocked tomorrow the 6th in the usual places. Last year the flow was at 90 cfs which was low. Water temperature on Wednesday the 4th was 60 degrees at 8am and 65 degrees at 1pm. These are good temperatures.
The Ware - 22 cfs and received it's second stocking. You may thing the flow is too low but the temperature is the key and the temperature as I write is 58 degrees AND it's been below 60 since September 30. This is a "must fish" river for October.
The EB - At 43 cfs this river is a boneyard as is its sister branches. It needs rain and I would be totally surprised if it's stocked at this low flow.
The Swift - Humming along at 135 but not producing much in the usual areas. The brookies are on the march but not bedding down yet because of this flow. THEY CLAIM IT WAS STOCKED this week. We saw 4 trout caught all day Tuesday. Also, the temperature is still in the mid 60's due to lake turnover which may also effect the bite.
Low Water Tactics - Ditch the weight, period!!! High Stick your pheasant tails and soft hackles (especially soft hackles) and then lengthen your casts to swing your fly down and across the current. Your weighted offerings which worked well during higher flows will leave you picking weeds and slim off your fly most of time. This is the tactic we've used on the freshly stocked Ware and the not-stocked-since-May-Millers. It is working!! Always be on the lookout for surface action with the standard offerings of BWO, October caddis, ants and such.
So there you go, the update on the six trout rivers that I cover. I keep it at six because just adding rivers to my masthead but never mentioning them in a post is misleading to my readers. And notice that I said "trout rivers". If you want bluegills and pickerel (my first fly caught fish was a pickerel at 15 years old) then surf the net. Nothing wrong with those fish but you will not find them here! Also, read the comment section of each post for knowledge and insight from the readers. These are my "contributors"!
Go Fish
Ken
