What a spring thus far this season! In my 32 years in the valley, I have never seen a weather system quite like this one. Late-season snow, cold weather and some wind have left Silver Creek and the surrounding valley looking more like May 1 than June 1.
Couple these early spring-like conditions with some spring runoff on all our other major river systems and it is easy to see why the fishing has come with some challenges thus far. The biggest change we have seen this season is the reset of the Brown Drake hatch. After decades of seeing this hatch at the end of May, generally the Wednesday following, we are now seeing it push back to its historic mid-June time frame.
Speaking of Brown Drakes, we should continue to see this bug all week with a bump in the action as we see a return of warm weather. In the meantime, expect plenty of daytime occurrences of the Drake. They will spin and hatch if the heat comes up and a few clouds come over. Elsewhere on the Creek, Baetis, PMD and small terrestrials like Ants and Beetles are your best bet. If there is no surface action, try grease-lining a Split Case PMD or Damsel Nymph. In the stillwater sections, a balanced Leach or well-tied Streamer should produce hookups.
The Big Wood and the Upper Lost are systems to keep your eyes on. Watch the clarity and the flows. Things will change often and quickly with the heat of summer coming and going for the next week. When they begin to clear and we get those first hot days, be on the lookout for the next big hatch of the season, the Green Drakes. This bug loves hot weather. They spin over the fast water in the mornings and hatch from the riffles in the afternoon. Between lunch and dinner is the time to find this hatch. Expect to see it on the lower reaches of the rivers and quickly work its way upriver over the course of a week. Anglers can also find Green Drakes on The Nature Conservancy portion of Silver Creek. If you see a dozen of more of them flying around the Creek, tie it on and fish it to rising fish as well as to likely looking water!
With Silver Creek the only game in town recently, we want to say thank you to our angling community for great vibes and attitudes throughout the busiest hatch of the year!
Happy fishing, everyone!