Though today’s weather looks like winter, it has triggered the hatch we associate with spring. Blue wing olive mayflies are coming off from Stone Bridge to Canon City and our trout are onto them. Rising fish have been spotted throughout this reach and are providing local anglers with the first good dry-fly fishing of the year.
Most of the recently emerging bugs have been size 18, even some in the 16 range, and have been coming off with even mild cloud cover. Wind, a potential part of any spring day, has had no real impact on the hatch or feeding. The hatch has typically been happening between 12:00 and 4:00 when a little cloud cover combines with water temperatures in the 40s. The hatch can be very localized – strong emergence and feeding in one riffle-pool-tailout and little or nothing in the next. So moving around and observing fish/bug/bird behavior is a good idea.
Also, it can take a critical mass of adult bugs on the surface to get the fish to switch from emergers to dry flies. As a result, combining the two forms is a good idea. I like to drop the emerger a good 3-4 feet behind the dry. This gives the second fly a longer drift time. This tactic is more effective if you take a “field view” of the water as opposed to focusing solely on your dry. Looking into the water will help you spot fish feeding beneath the surface and give you more information than just staring at a little parachute adams.
