3 Flies for the Week: July 9
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Time to read 2 min
Sorry we took last week off, but it was a holiday week and we were occupied spending time with our friends and family. With that in mind, we hope everyone had a lovely 4th of July and were able to spend it outside with your loved ones!
Since our last blog, water levels have been dropping very consistently in our freestones and the fishing has been picking up. Not that fishing was ever bad in these conditions, but the ease of fishability and navigating the river has gone up drastically. Still be careful, the water is still certainly much higher than most are used to. Big food sources have obviously been the go-to methods of late, i.e. worms, rubberlegs, and leeches. With the flows dropping, insect hatches have been picking up as well. PMD’s, caddis, some green drakes, and other sporadic hatches are currently occurring in local waters. This is one of the best times to fish dry flies and we highly recommend taking advantage!
#1: Splitback Shady - PMD sz18
Like I mentioned previously, PMD’s have been popping off in many rivers and the fish absolutely love them. Flows are still high in many rivers, leading to variable dry fly success. That said, fish are still more than willing to eat a well presented PMD nymph. The splitback shady does an excellent job of representing an emerging PMD nymph. Additionally, the yellow in the splitback acts as a natural hot spot for the fish to grab their attention and differentiate your fly from the naturals. We recommend the sz18 right now since the larger PMD’s are the first to hatch in the summer.
#2: Elk Hair Caddis - Olive sz16
The tried and true Elk Hair Caddis absolutely deserves a spot on the flies for the week. There are almost no dry flies on the market that are as versatile, yet realistic as this pattern. It does an excellent job of imitating the adult caddis, while also doubling as a terrestrial. We love this fly for both the rivers and the alpine lakes. Caddis are hatching in groves and the terrestrials are more lively than ever! Throw that Elk Hair!
#3: Frenchie - Pink sz14 3.3mm
This incredibly simple fly is as versatile as it gets. This fly looks like everything, and looks like nothing at all. Fish it under a hopper, under an indicator, on a euro rig, the world is yours with the frenchie. All jokes aside, if you ask anyone in the shop about having a day-to-day go-to fly, there are few flies that would match the frenchie. There are numerous color choices for the frenchie, but it doesn’t seem to matter that much. We suggest fishing the pink version right now because the extra color helps fish distinguish your fly with the higher water levels.
Xavier Puls
Best of luck on the water this week and we hope these 3 Flies for the Week: July 9 catch a fish or two for ya. All three flies are available on our website and in the shop. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Xavier on email at xavier@goldenflyshop.com , or call the shop at 303-330-1292. Thank you!