Fishing Report June 29, 2009

More rain brought water levels up over the past few days and now we are finally seeing them come down. Overall, fishing has been great despite the recent high water. BUGS are hatching, we have been seeing tons of Caddis in all sizes and colors, Yellow Sallies, PMD's, Stoneflies, Sulphurs, and Drakes!!! With the water dropping and clearing dry fly fishing should be picking up!

The lakes are all getting some great Callibaetis hatches mid-day with lots of fish looking up and being hooked on dry flies!!! Night Fishing is on FIRE!!!! Big Streamers from 8pm-12am will produce some big fish!


We invite reports from Anglers along with photos. It's hard for us to check everything each day so all of your input is greatly appreciated. Please send reports to info@northparkanglers.com or through our contact page. We will post all photos in our Gallery.
Thanks, NPA

SAGEBRUSH LAKES
The Summer-time hatches ae in full swing! Daily hatches of Callibaetis are getting the fish to look up. Damsels have finally started to hatch as well. The past few days of warm weather have got them fired up and the fish are keying in as well.

South and East Delaney have been reporting the most consistent action. North Delaney depends on the day, especially with the Callibaetis hatch, it has been hit or miss. However, some dedicaed anglers have hooked into some monsters on dries!

Some days the Callibaetis hatch has been better than others. Look for the middle of the day to be your best bet at hitting the hatch. The bugs usually start popping around 10 am and the hatch will last several hours. Nymphing with Callibaetis nymphs will work all day, during the hatch throw a callibaetis dun to an emerger!

Chironomids have also been hatching with good consistency and we have seen some HEAVY hatches, bringing fish to the surface. Mid-morning around 9-11 am and again in the evenings is your best shot. Most fisherman are having most success suspending chironomids 8-12 feet under an indicator. Color does not seem to be as important as size, the bugs hatching now are about a sz. 16. Try the usual black, red, olive, and gunmetal gray. Scuds and attractor nymphs have also been hooking a few. The streamer bite is tapering off but still producing right at dark, a big Rubber Bugger or Bunny Leech is all you need!

Outlook: The water temps will continue to rise and the variety of bug life will increase. The Callibaetis should improve and get more prolific and consistent and Damsels are soon to follow.

NORTH PLATTE
This morning the flows at Northgate were 1550 CFS and dropping lately clarity has improved with 1 1/2 feet of visibility. Streamer fishing has been hot! A variety of colors have been woking and the hot fly changes daily. With the lower/clearer water dry fly fishing is picking up. PMD's, Caddis, Sulphurs, and Green Drakes were seen and the fish are starting to look up. Even though we haven't seen any salmonflies for 2 weeks, the fish remember them and will still eat a well presented big dry.

NORTH PARK MEADOW STREAMS
With the rise in flows some tributaries have come up but most are still holding onto good clarity. Conditions are changing daily due to irrigation and runoff. It has mostly been a Streamer game as of late but some reports of fish being caught on big attractor nymphs as well. For the most part think leeches and minnows and you will see some nice fish attack streamers. Keep in mind that with irrigation water returning to the rivers we get what we refer to as "the worm hatch" when field worms are washed into the rivers so dont be afraid to try a san juan worm...

HEADWATER STREAMS & HIGH LAKES
Access to Big Creek Lakes is now OPEN! Many tigers and lakers have been spotted in the shallows however we have not heard of any reports of success. The inlet between the Upper and Lower lake is loaded with big rainbows spawning and the grayling should be following them any day!!! Other high country lakes and streams in the area are starting to open and reports have been good. Weather should be your only worry in the high country, bad thunderstorms and even snowstorms have been occuring regularly as of late.