There is a lot of water moving through the Valley, the reservoirs are filling, and anglers are anxiously awaiting the May 28th opener. With the winter season ending and a 100 percent-plus snowpack, anglers can expect some of the best conditions we’ve had in a while. In the meantime, the flows are high and dangerous. Please stay away from the banks of these rivers and without question leave your dog at home if you go have a look.
The Lost River remains the best and just about only game in town. It is a great game, though! We have been seeing prolific Baetis hatches in the afternoon hours. This means have a nice selection of dry flies and Pheasant Tail Nymphs.
Reservoir fishing is slower than we would hope, but that is due to all the water getting dumped into them. Not a bad problem to have. Try your best to find clean(ish) water and fish it hard. Magic Reservoir is probably best near East and West Magic, while Mackay Reservoir seems to always have a nice spring fishery near the back of the reservoir where the water comes in. Anglers are doing pretty well with smallmouth bass fishing on Anderson Ranch Reservoir and, of course, Carey Lake is open and a good local spot for bass and bluegill.
With the melting snow, very adventurous anglers can begin looking at the alpine lakes. We are nearing a day when the trails will open, and just enough ice will melt near the inlets of these lakes to produce some of the year’s best mountain fishing. This is all elevation dependent, as some lakes may not ice off until June. Google Earth is a great place to start when making the decision to explore the mountains to our north. If you are interested in fishing alpine lakes, or you’re just looking for a good fishy read, check out Gary Lafontaine’s famous book, “Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes.” It is an incredible book about fishing alpine lakes, exploring them, goat packing into them and, of course, diving under the ice to see how the fish react to flies dragged across clear-as-a-window ice.
No matter where you decide to go, please be safe this time of the year. High flows, muddy roads and crazy weather all come into play in the spring. Try to fish with a friend and enjoy this awesome time of the season!
Happy fishing, everyone!