CFS: 226
Water Temp: 42-48°F
Dries: Caddis, Blue-winged Olives, Mahogany Duns, Terrestrials (Bees, Ants, etc.)
Nymphs: Small stoneflies, Copper Johns, Hare’s Ears
FISHING REPORT
The fall foliage has been vivid this October, and the leaves on the deciduous trees are a deep golden color. Although not every day of fishing is going to be stellar this time of year, the scenery and the nature therapy are second to none.
We still haven’t seen any huge browns running up the creek, but usually that falls more towards the end of this month and into November. Nymphing is still the most consistent form of fly fishing here, with our stonefly and perdigon patterns leading the pack, but small green Copper Johns and pheasant tails have been catching fish as well. It’s also a good time to try some nymphs without beads, like a classic prince nymph or hare’s ear. Keep in mind that if you fish the first ten miles of river upstream from our shop, you’re going to catch quite a few whitefish, which are especially active right now. To avoid catching so many, head farther upstream to nymph or stick to streamers or dry flies down in our area.
Dry flies have been working in small windows throughout the afternoon and early evening, but mostly on the warmer days and even then not with a lot of consistency. One pattern you might want to consider is a bee imitation. I was on the water a few days ago, and yellowjackets were all over the place and wouldn’t leave me alone. Bearing that in mind, I put on a bee pattern and immediately got hits including landing a nice cutbow.n Later in the day, mahogany duns and purple hazes started working as well. Some of my fellow fishermen have also reported catching good fish on blue-winged olives and even small elkhair caddis.
Regardless of what dry fly you choose, fish them from a longer distance than you normally would. Rock Creek is very low and clear at this point in the season, and the trout can see you coming and spook more easily. This often means standing farther back from the shoreline, especially if you are fishing pockets near the bank. Using this method was effective in catching my best fish of the day on the surface:
The streamer fishing is about to take off here on Rock Creek, and hopefully we’ll have some big brown pics for you in the next report! More soon…