May brings the end to the spawning season and with it many changes. Fish return to their normal holding areas throughout the river to feed. This makes for a more even distribution of fish throughout the system.

As the sun gets higher in the sky and the fish become more skittish. A shadow passing overhead indicates danger to a fish. We have Osprey and Bald Eagles at the club. The high sun makes it easy for them to spot fish and the fish know it. As a consequence fish will be looking for protected areas where they can hide. Shaded areas, deep pools, large rocks and fast riffles with boulders and white water offer protection. This is where the fish will be holding during the midday. The tunnel & lake are always productive because they offer protection and a constant stream of food along the foam. If you are going to fish midday you need to find the protected areas fish are holding. As the sun moves across the sky you will need to move and be aware that what was once protected may now be unprotected with the fish moving to a different location.

The evenings are a different story. Fish are hungry and the evening brings hatches that the fish forage on the surface and just below. We still have weeks before the dead heat of summer so the fish will be very active and hungry. I enjoy dry fry fishing during early summer because it signals the start of summer. From the storage yard down to the campground dry fly fishing should be very good.

If I arrive in the evening (6:00 PM) I often start fishing at the storage yard access point, throwing two dry flies. I rarely spend more than 15 to 30 minutes casting upstream with a large attractor pattern and a BWO, PMD or other flies recommended on our fly list. I try to look at what’s on the brush or floating on the water. One of the keys to being successful at the club is to keep changing flies, methods or where you are fishing. I always carry a nymphing rod and my dry fly rod when fishing at the club. It takes far too long to change from dry to nymphing or back again. The equipment is also different. I use a 10’ Sage Z-Axix with a floating line especially designed for a light presentation (Sharkskin, Rio Gold, Rio LT DT). The 10’ rod gives you that extra distance in reaching difficult areas where fish may be holding or rising. For nymphing I use my Z-Axis 11’ Switch rod with a Rio Salmon – Steelhead line. I cut about 30” off the tip of this line and weld a new loop or tie on a butt section with a nail knot. Taking off 30” of the tip of this line allows you to lift and roll cast a lot of weight (Indicator, 3 BB’s, Two large nymphs). If you are fishing the Gray Eagle Bar or Gauging Station pools you need to get down deep. Even the Boxcar run requires you to get down 10’ to 15’ below your indicator in some places. Your normal floating lines will not allow you to lift the above out of the water to make a successful distance roll cast. Even if you use a Spey Casting technique it is very difficult to roll cast the above weight any distance.

I then drive down to the short road that allows you to drive right up to the river behind the boxcar. There is nothing like getting out of the car and having the river at your feet. The boxcar run has always been a popular place to fish, dries, nymphs and streamers. I could write a book on just fishing the boxcar run & pool on the various ways I have fished this short stretch of the river.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when fishing this run is scaring away fish along the edges. With the end of spawning season, the fish are aware that not only are there eggs near the edges, but these eggs quickly become Alevins. In this stage, the alevins remain in the gravel. Their bodies contain yolk sacks that serve to nourish the alevins through this stage. This stage will last as long as the alevin still have a yolk sack. An alevin resembles a tadpole with a bulbous ball that sits just behind and below the eyes. A long tail helps it to move in the gravel and makes its total length approximately one inch long. It will take two to three weeks for its fins to develop. The yolk sack reduces in size as the alevin uses the nutrients it provides. Once it is completely used up, the alevin becomes a fry. This is the first time the trout will act like a fish and start to emerge from the rocks and swim. It will stay in shallow, calm water and search for food in the gravel near shore. As a fry grows, it will get stronger and venture into deeper and deeper water and even hold positions against stream currents. The fry feed on insects and other fry or prey that fall into the stream.

Fish hold in slow moving water where they don’t have to use a lot of energy and also have a good source of food that does not have the ability to run away. Recently I was swinging flies behind the boxcar and caught several nice fish within 10’ of the shoreline. Normally these fish are spooked by the members as they rush up and began wading. This is why you should take five minutes and observe the river to determine how best to fish the stretch before you. Start with the edges and work your way into the deeper seams once you have fished the edges.

Tom Bartos
President & Founder