11/2/2019

Flow:  183 CFS

Water Temp:  53Deg

Clarity:  Green (Algae)

Hatches:  Midges & BWO’s

I had an incredible day with Norm Hicks, our newest member of Team Steel City Anglers.  He is really a good guide, fly fisher and he is really patient.  We started out at the Nature Center Norm on dry flies and I was fishing midges and a #20 Pheasant Tail.  The little dinks were all over the water, since the BWO’s have been hatching all day.  That was fun but no large fish.  We proceeded to the 100 Yard Run and began hooking into some nice 14 to 16 inch bows and browns .  Because the water clarity was terrible you had to literally put the bug on their nose.  Bugs of the day:  Sz 20 BWO dry,  Sz 20 Olive Midge,  Sz 20 Zebra Midge and Sz 18 BH Pheasant Tail.  Norm seined the runs and found web caddis larva and BWO nymphs.

Stay off the redds!

See the pictures accompanying the report.  Right in front of the Nature Center there is a small redd!  After fishing the run for a couple of hours I walked up to the third J Hook and caught a few dinks but walked a little above the J Hook and there are redds everywhere!  Please give them a wide berth.  The browns are in full spawn mode and we want lots and lots of babies from them! 

Sad Note

The flag hole, one of the finest holes in the tail water is completely gone.  The first weir is ninety percent filled in and no longer directs the thalwag to the center of the river.  So the flow is toward the north bank and has filled in the rock structure and the island that we used to guide on is half  gone.  By next summer high flows we could see Nature Center flooding.  The high flows against the island has created a seam in the calm water that does hold some fish but you need to be on the south bank standing on top of the rock structure to fish it.

Happy Note

We are thirteen days from winter storage, hopefully the river will clear some and the fishing will be excellent.  Go to www.steelcityanglers.com and book a trip with Norm! You will be glad you did!

Tight Lines

Lou