I can wrap up this week’s report in four words: Get out and fish! I’d call in sick, pack a lunch, grab your significant other, load up, and go find some water. Things are early this year, and the fishing has been outstanding.
I recently had the pleasure of fishing with Howard Croston, the rod designer at the House of Hardy and a member of Team
England’s fly-fishing team. In 2009, Team England captured gold with Howard’s help, and in 2019, he earned individual gold honors. Watching Howard work his magic with a fly rod was humbling, to say the least. I’ve been in this game for many years, and I’ve never seen anyone come close to his level of skill. Howard also designed a fly rod that I believe is simply the best you can fish in our area. Next time you’re in the shop, let’s do some casting and see what you think. https://shop.trouthunt.com/hardy-marksman.html
In the Caldera
Not much has changed with the water, the flows are still low out of Island Park and into Ashton. If you feel like leaving the boat at home, now’s a great time—access has been really good. Wade fishing in the Box Canyon has been excellent, with Blue Wing Olives and midges keeping things interesting. The nymph game is about the same as it’s been (which has been good) but one thing that’s definitely changed is the number of Skwalas I’ve been seeing in the Box. As soon as I get out of the truck, and every time I turn over a rock there is someone in some Skwala! Many of their products have become staff favorites, but seriously, I mean the bugs. It might be worth tossing a few of those into your Box Canyon fly box. And as luck would have it, we’ve got some here if you want to check them out.
In the Valley
The lower river fishing from Ashton down to Chester has been solid. I spent yesterday headhunting and was very pleased. As always, there were a few quiet places, but I found noses poking up in all the usual spots. Blue Wings and midges were the flies of choice. The Blue Wings were sizes 16 and 18, with midge patterns in sizes 18 and 20. From Chester to Fun Farm was slow, but that may have been due to the wind. Water was a little off color in that section, but fishable.
The bug activity has changed and changed big. Caddis are already making an appearance. In the March 20th report we said that a Mother’s Day Caddis Hatch for April Fool’s Day wasn’t completely out of the question…they are about a week behind that date. I’ve also been seeing March Browns hatching sporadically. This puts us roughly three weeks to a month ahead of schedule, so plan accordingly!
We’re are still running our spring special and have some booking left — save $100 when you book now for any available April
dates. We’ve got a number of guides ready to go, so let them do the rowing and put you where you need to be while you enjoy the fishing.
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