Fishing Report ~ by Ranch Guide Bill Franz

with edits by other ranch guides' daily observations

Updated July 29, 2010

(Also see Fish Stories for more conditions, tips, photos & fun reading!

Scroll down for conditions on all the ranch waters.)

Main Ranch River:

The river is running clear and about 125-150 CFS.  Perfect!  It is nymphing well with stones, princes, with the traditional PTs, hare’s ears, copper johns, PMD emergers, and other mayfly imitations as the trailer.  The caddis hatch is on!  Red quills also are hovering above the water every day across from the dining hall starting at about 10:00 AM and the fish are looking up.  PMDs are hatching as well and the fish are taking them when floated along the seams.  Stimis and royal trudes and coachmen are taking fish in the faster riffles.

Upper Valley:

SPECIAL NOTES FOR TROPHY TROUT SUMMER 2010

Please review these helpful hints on landing and releasing big fish in still water.

It will help us keep a great fishery for you, your fishing buddies and clients!

• Each angler should have a net when fishing; rubber nets are better than harsh nylon. Wet nets, as you do your hands, before handling fish.
• Each angler must be prepared to get into the water (waders/boots or wet wading in whatever you're wearing!) Get in the water - shin to knee deep - when fighting the fish and especially when preparing to net the fish. Keeping them in deeper water shortens the end of the fight and prevents excessive thrashing in shallow water along the shoreline.

• Surface temps on Mother and Island lakes are hot this time of year (70+°) and are lethal to fish! Once hooked and under control, PLEASE wade out (shin to knee deep) to fight and net the fish away from the oxygen deprived shoreline.  GUIDES, PLEASE get your clients in the water to fight the fish. Don’t let them fight the fish from the shore line. Then take the time to fully revive the fish before releasing them.  This goes for the belly boaters as well.  It is common for the fish to drop straight down if not fully revived and turn belly up. Please tail the fish and fully revive them before releasing.

• Barbless hooks only!  Pinch any barbs flat with hemostats or pliers.
• DO NOT use less than a 4 wt. fly rod on trophy trout waters, which can lead to excessive numbers of break offs or, if trout are landed, to exhaustion and possible death.  Please keep photo sessions short and on the water.  Always keep fish in or over the water; never over dry ground. 
• Remove the hook promptly.  If it won’t come out promptly, cut the tippet off and leave it. The barbless hook will fall out soon enough.
• Grab the fish by the tail, gently cradle the belly and remove it from the net. 
• While still in 2 feet of water, place the fish down in water column and begin the slow and steady, back and forth motion to get water flowing over the gills.  The surface water is the warmest, so get them down in the water column.
• Never push the fish away from you and let it go. When you think the fish is ready, stop the back and forth motion, let go of the tail, and see what the fish does. If it doesn’t bolt away, grab the tail again and continue the reviving motions. It is critical to fully revive the fish until it DARTS out your hands away from you.
• Please do not fish with 3 flies at a time. 2 is the maximum.  The fish often roll during the fight tangling the flies, leaders, and tippet into real mess.  Removing the tangled flies and line from the fish and net often takes a too much time and prevents us from reviving and releasing the fish in a timely manner.

NOTE:  Unlike releasing a trout by facing it upstream in moving waters, it often takes several minutes to completely revive a large fish in still waters. Please take the time to properly revive the fish.  We thank you, and the fish thank you, too!

Greg Sheets, Head Guide & Fisheries Manager, got this brown beauty

on a damsel nymph in late June on Mother Lake.

Mother Lake ~ Surface temps (70+ degrees) are here for the balance of the summer so please SEE ABOVE ON HOW TO HANDLE FISH IN WARM LAKE WATER!  Mother is full, clear and fishing extremely well. Dry fly fishing: The damsels (#16) are hatching at about 11:00 and the fish are starting to key in on them in the afternoons.  Small Midges are hatching nearly every morning early. Black beetles (#12, 14, 16) will take the cruising fish early along the shore lines and later in the deeper water.  The Chernobyl ants have started and are in full swing provided there is a breeze and some chop on the water. Cloud cover is critical for surface fishing. Nymphs and streamers: Midge pupas and chironomids (#14-18), and callibaetis nymphs (#12-16; looks like a hare’s ear) suspended will take them if they are not rising. Damsel nymphs are still thick along the shorelines in the grass and in the deeper grass beds in the south end. Strike indicators with a chironomid and a damsel nymph fished slow just over the grass beds and in the deep end has been very productive.

Island Lake ~ Surface temps have risen again especially in the inlet area (75+). The fish are migrating to the cooler water so they can be found in both channels that bring water out of the main lake.  Remember, the water temps are high so please do not camp out at the inlet.  Catch a few, SPEND TIME THOROUGHLY REVIVING THEM, then let the area rest. Without cloud cover, mid day is siesta time. Early morning and later in the evening has seen some tremendous midge hatches. Strike indicators or Chernobyl ants with a damsel nymph suspended as been producing well in 4 to 5 feet of water along the north shore line in the channel across from the center Island. 

Lower Valley:

Weldon and Long Lakes ~ Weldon is still fishing well. Small woolies are taking fish. Brown and olive have been the best colors.  Suspending just about any type of traditional bead head nymph (#12-14), midge pupas (red or black) and chironomids (#16-18) two-five feet down are taking fish. Midge dries, and parachute Adams (#16-18) and black foam beetles (#14-16) have taken fish early in the day or when there is cloud cover. Fish are dispersed throughout the lakes. A few browns have been seen and a few caught.

The Bass Ponds ~ Spinner baits (barbless of course), grub-tailed jigs and rubber worms are getting their attention during the heat of the day. The bass are attacking surface lures and flies (poppers and minnow patterns) early and late in the day or when there are overcast skies.

Lower Valley River ~ The flows are at about 100 CFS and the river if fishing well.  The caddis are hatching here and the bushes are full of them down by the dry fly pool and the spillway. Skating caddis flies early and late in the day will pull fish up to chase them. If nymphing, the traditional flies listed above are taking fish.  Try stripping a streamer in the dry fly pool across the current as well.