Felt great to get out on the big river today. The river looks good but, I think, is still in transition to summertime conditions. Wade fished from about 4pm until 7:30pm.
WEATHER: Eighties, blue bird skies with puffy clouds; very light breeze.
WATER: 3.9' at Harrisburg, slight stain, 82 degrees. Well formed grass beds. Willow grass islands were more heavily vegetated than I had expected considering the recent high water levels. Some fishermen here and there, both wading and yaks. Certainly low and clear enough for wading - had no trouble seeing bottom when out to my waist.
BUGS and FORAGE: Lots of damselflies but fish not looking up. A few crayfish, including large rusties were around; some white flies in the evening, but sparse.
Hit all sorts of fishy looking water with no luck. Tried poppers around grass islands and big flat pools as well as streamers, crayfish, and hellgrammitte nymphs around the faster water and boulder gardens - all the spots you'd expect to find SMBs in summertime. By evening, a few fish could be seen rising and I managed a couple dinks this way, but the surface action was almost nonexistent. Once the sun sets behind the mountains I usually expect the evening topwater bite to pick up along the west shore, but things were so slow today I quit well before dark.
Not sure what to make of this - might have just been a tough day. However, I fished good water hard and saw no other anglers catching anything either. Feels like post spawn to me, but we're well into July and things should be hot by now. Been a strange year for the big rivers and perhaps we need some more time till they're settled into summer patterns.
WEATHER: Eighties, blue bird skies with puffy clouds; very light breeze.
WATER: 3.9' at Harrisburg, slight stain, 82 degrees. Well formed grass beds. Willow grass islands were more heavily vegetated than I had expected considering the recent high water levels. Some fishermen here and there, both wading and yaks. Certainly low and clear enough for wading - had no trouble seeing bottom when out to my waist.
BUGS and FORAGE: Lots of damselflies but fish not looking up. A few crayfish, including large rusties were around; some white flies in the evening, but sparse.
Hit all sorts of fishy looking water with no luck. Tried poppers around grass islands and big flat pools as well as streamers, crayfish, and hellgrammitte nymphs around the faster water and boulder gardens - all the spots you'd expect to find SMBs in summertime. By evening, a few fish could be seen rising and I managed a couple dinks this way, but the surface action was almost nonexistent. Once the sun sets behind the mountains I usually expect the evening topwater bite to pick up along the west shore, but things were so slow today I quit well before dark.
Not sure what to make of this - might have just been a tough day. However, I fished good water hard and saw no other anglers catching anything either. Feels like post spawn to me, but we're well into July and things should be hot by now. Been a strange year for the big rivers and perhaps we need some more time till they're settled into summer patterns.
