Autumn Olives, Book A Trip And A River Update

"Thanks for the continued updates! I wouldn't fish nearly as much if it wasn't for your blog." comment on 9/5

The Blue Wing Olive
The BWO is with us all season long but its prime stage is on those cool, cloudy September and October afternoons on rivers like the Millers and the EB. 20 years ago it seemed to be a rarity to see this hatch on the Millers. Now it's a daily event from mid September onward and if the weather stays good (no flooding rain) it will go right into November.

Where To Find Them

Fish the riffles at the head of pools. That's the neighborhood for this fly and that's where the trout will be. Think of the riffles at Erving Center/Arch Street on the Millers or that sexy riffle at the head of Les's Pool on the EB. Every stream has these locations and you know where they are.

What To Fish

Way to much emphasis is placed on the dry fly when working these insects. The pre-emergence stage is just as important. My top emerger the last few years has been nothing but a starling and olive soft hackle (what else) from size 16 through 18. I fish this fly upstream or on the swing until the rising fish REALLY begin to appear. Then my dry emerger goes on. Read Bob Wyatt's book What Trout Want to get the idea. I shy away from those dainty parachute flies for something that can be whipped up in mass and actually is the most representative of the BWO. Sizes 16 through 18 work the best on the above mentioned rivers.

The Swift

Believe it or not but the Swift release was increased on Tuesday from 50 to 130 cfs.  Now, I can hear the round of applause celebrating this event but I like 50 cfs!!! When they up the flow it puts the trout down for a few days.  Surface action was slow but I managed 2 sipping bows above the Duck Pond and then a brown at the Y Pool.  The water temperature was 56 degrees at 5pm and wet wading felt REAL GOOD!!!

The EB

It seems that everyone is catching something on the EB and although it isn't at the same success level as this time last year we will take it.  Iso nymphs are everywhere and BIG FAT Stoneflies are all over the place.  Sparse, size 12 or 14 dark buggers have done well representing the stoneflies and pheasant tail nymphs work for isonychia  nymphs. The flow is about 130 cfs = A good flow!!

The Millers

Read the comments on this blog for the last two weeks. Some say that it's all smallies and fallfish and others say that browns are in play. I'll say that the rainbows are still with us and when this damn heat finally breaks we will have even better fishing. The flow, as I write, is at 267 cfs = PERFECT!

Ken