Spring is on its way...

Well, we are getting closer to the official first day of spring and along with it, is gonna come the wind. Sorry, it just happens that way. As far as advice on fishing and the weather goes, if you're looking to fish during the calmer part of the day, it's best you target the early mornings, before the wind gets up and makes things a bit more difficult. Aside from that, you're just going to have to soldier on, and get through it in the afternoons. It's a pesky nuisance and I don't like it anymore than you do, but it's a fact of life here in the great Southwest that happens every March and April. Things could be worse, you know. At least we've got clear water, and the fishing has been pretty decent. At present, the USGS website shows our flow at 428 cfs, although the BOR issued an e-mail on Wednesday saying they were dropping the level of the river to 350. Now, either they missed their 350 cfs target and decided that 428 was close enough, or the gauge is off (which has happened before) and the flow is actually at 350 cfs, so the truth lies somewhere in between. It's close enough for government work; as they say, and a 78 cfs discrepancy really does't make that much of a difference anyway. If you've been following these reports for the last several weeks, then what I'm about to tell you about the fishing here is going to sound like a broken record, because not much has changed. Overall, the quality of the fishing rates about average to good, as far as what you would expect for this time of year. Not summertime or fall fantastic, like this river can be, but not bad, either. If you're coming, expect to nymph and fish streamers a lot. The hatches have picked up a little, but they are pretty much midge only and they are occurring during the hours between 11:00 and 2:00, which is also about the same time the wind picks up, so the dry fly fishing hasn't been that great. As far as fly choices go, red and cream larva patterns in sizes 22 and 24 have been the big producers. You'll also want to have midge pupa patterns like black mono-midges and bling midges in size 24. Around mid-day when the fish become more active, add an emerger pattern like a crystal flash or ju-ju to your offering and shorten up your rig to work the upper part of the water column. Small leech patterns in olive, brown, and black, fished under an indicator, on a dead-drift, will also get you into fish. It's also a good idea to add a trailer, like a red larva, behind the leech, at say, 14 to 16 inches. Well, there you go, that's all I got for you this week. If you're thinking about making the trip, the fishing is worth the drive, and it's only going to get better as we head further into spring, so I say don't let a little wind scare you away. If you would like more information or need to book a guide trip, give us a call at 505-632-2194.