3 Flies for the Week: November 13
It’s going to be a warm November week which means the fishing is going to be good. Even with the warmer temperatures, we expect the BWO hatches to dwindle down in the coming weeks. The lower flows allow for the cold overnight temperatures to quickly cool down the river and get past the optimal BWO hatch temperatures. If you still throw some, don't be surprised if you catch a fish or two, they will still be eating them. That said, midges are going to be the main game starting here at any moment, in fact it’s what we've been throwing mostly as of late. Conditions will remain stable this week so there likely won't be any spikes or lulls in fish activity. Now let’s get to the flies.
#1: Tungsten BH Hare’s Ear - sz16
This fly seems a little unconventional for this time of the year, but we’ve been loving it as a lead/attractor fly on a nymph rig. Reason being is a lot of people have been throwing eggs, and although this is an excellent choice, they get a little wary after seeing so many regardless of what color you’re throwing. The hare’s ear is a great lead fly option because it’s large enough to catch the fish’s eye and have them look at your smaller bugs, but has a natural profile that isn’t gaudy to spook them off the rig. In addition, there’s stoneflies of various sizes in our rivers and are present in the water year-round. Trout will never pass up an easy meal on a stonefly, as long as it isn’t obtrusive like a rubber legs would be in low water. An added bonus that most overlook with this fly is the tungsten bead. The tungsten bead allows for better depth penetration that we need when fishing colder water and allows us to use less split shot. Flies with weight seem to splat on the water less than split shot does, reducing the amount of fish we spook.
The pale ale midge is one the shop’s favorite midge larva patterns for a reason. Like we mentioned in previous 3 Flies for The Week, midge larva are typically red in color. Red is by far the best color to throw if you can only choose one, but we have a ton of midges that are a light tan color. Throwing a midge larva that’s different in color will differentiate your rig from others since most will have a red one on. This in turn can lead to more eats, particularly with fish that are as pressured as ours. The pale ale midge also has a two-toned aspect to it that makes it more natural looking in comparison to other midge larva patterns.
It seems like there’s a recurring trend here, Juan Ramirez’s flies have been on here quite a bit and will continue that way. His flies were designed to be fished in our local waters and they flat out work. The slim shady is no exception, it’s one of your favorite BWO nymph patterns we carry in the shop. It’s a super realistic pattern that perfectly imitates a BWO coming off the bottom, as well as one preparing to emerge. This pattern is best fished as your third fly on a three fly nymph rig. Although fall BWOs seem to vary in color, olive tends to be the most consistent. Fish them while you can because the BWOs will be gone before you know it and it’ll be strictly a midge show.
Best of luck on the water this week and we hope these flies catch a fish or two for ya. All 3 of the flies are available on our website and in the shop. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Xavier
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