Prospector
Well-known member
Time Fished: 8am - 2pm
Weather Conditions: Cloudy temps started at 65 and rose to 75
Water Conditions: Temp at 8am was 53 and it rose to 55 when I checked at 2pm. I’ve never fished here before but the flow seemed heavy for this time of year. It was a chalky off color but that could be normal
Insects:Sulphur began hatching at 9am but not in big numbers, caddis began to show up at 9am, a few green drakes hatched at noon. I came across a huge spider web in a heavy riffle and it was full of about 40 Sulphur spinners apparently of the prior night. Also saw a medium sized golden stonefly.
I fished near the Tylersville hatchery. Between Lamar and Tylersville, I was the 5th vehicle on the project and 2 were still getting ready at their vehicle. I was surprised there were so few people. Maybe everyone went to Penns.
When I arrived nothing was rising and since I never fished here I put on a streamer so I could learn the water. Many fish were interested in my streamer but nearly every one just swirled at it, never grabbed it. I eventually caught a brook trout.
As the water warmed slightly, fish began to rise but only one fish was consistent and he was in a spot that was impossible to cast to. In preparation for this trip I had read on a local fly shop’s website that on BFC if the fish were not rising well then stick to nymphs and streamers. So I took the streamer off, decided to follow the no dry fly advice and strung up 3 flies (1 nymph and 2 wets). I quickly caught a brown and just as quickly lost the whole rig in a tree. So now I ignored the fly shop’s advice and put on a dry fly to match the body color of the spinners I saw caught in the spider web.
That changed everything. In the first 4 hours of my day I caught 2 trout. Then in the next 1.5 hrs using a dry fly I caught 9. So don’t avoid dry flies if you don’t see consistent risers. They are looking up. Every fish that rose grabbed my dry and I also blind casted to bring up the majority of the 11 fish I caught (7 browns, 4 brook).
