Jay's Fishing Report - September

A guy walks into a fly shop carrying an umbrella and asks, "Has anyone been looking for this?" Guy behind the counter looks up and says, 'Hey, don't open that thing in here." Sounds like the beginning of a joke; I know, except that it happened. I saw it a couple weeks ago, with my own two eyes. The guy carrying the umbrella has been a frequent customer of ours for some time now. I know him to be a normal, fairly grounded individual; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have believed the story he told. Seems he was fishing one of the deeper areas in Pumphouse Run, when his indicator stopped mid-drift. He set the hook, but nothing happened. Thinking that he had snagged the bottom, he applied more pressure in an attempt to free his line. All of a sudden, line and indicator begin to move steadily downstream. He tries some side pressure, to move the fish out of the current, but it continues to move downstream, gaining more line. Realizing he can't turn the fish, he begins the chase downstream, sometimes losing, sometimes gaining, line. The fight is on, it's gotta be a big brown, that's the way they fight, just take you to the bottom and try to dog you out—use their weight and power, try to wear you down until the hook comes out or they break you off. He knows he's got to work this fish into the shallower, calmer water, if he's ever going to have a chance to land it. He chases, further downstream, stumbling over rocks, slipping now and then, but still holding on, sweating now. Finally, the line swings out of the main current, into the calmer water below him. Knowing this is his chance, he reels like mad and closes the gap to the indicator with his net at the ready, anxious to get a look at this behemoth brown trout and looks down to see—you guessed it—the umbrella, open, red and white, big as day, attached to his line. And just when I thought I'd heard them all. If you're headed to the Juan this week, you probably don't have much of a chance at catching an umbrella, but you do have a pretty good chance of hooking a good brown or a rainbow. The flow is presently at 469 cfs with super- clear water conditions. The weather this week looks to be fantastic, with highs in the mid 70s and lots of sunshine, with the exception of a 30 per-cent chance of rain on Friday. The cottonwoods are beginning to change colors, which only adds to the dramatic backdrop for some great fall fishing. We're still seeing some good midge hatches beginning around noon each day and now some BWOs starting to show up in the afternoons, downriver. For the nymph patterns, red larva and pupas in the earlier part of the day, adding emergers like crystal flash, scintillas, and ju-jus when you start to see fish working the upper water column. As the water warms and the hatch starts to kick off, you'll start to see heads and midge dries in size 24 and 26 will get you into fish. For Texas hole and below, the baetis are becoming more active, especially on cooler, overcast days and I would work some baetis patterns into the mix, like RS2s, Johnny Flash, WD-40s, and Foamwings. Be on the lookout for BWO adults in the afternoon. I like CDC Comparaduns with olive bodies in size 22 for my choice of dry imitations, although other patterns like Cut-Wing Baetis, or a small Adams will also work. The fishing is good right now, although still a bit technical. With the clear water conditions, I would suggest using every technological advantage available, like fluorocarbon leaders and tippet, and smaller, less brightly- colored indicators. Expect some cooler temperatures in the mornings and pack an extra layer if you plan on going out early. Also expect to see some other fishermen, although it's definitely not shoulder- to- shoulder, and there's still plenty of places to fish, especially if you're willing to walk a little farther from the parking lot. If you would like to book a guided fly fishing trip or need more info, give us a call at 505-632-2194. Fishing Report by Jay Walden