Well, it’s happened. The dog days of summer have come around. Fishing has been tough, but acheivable. The hot temps and lack of bug life has slowed the fishing. Luckily trout have been cooperating every now and then. It’s still worth your time to get on the Flathead River and get some fishing done.
Catching trout has been simplified to fishing early and late. Our guides have caught the most fish, first thing in the morning. Fish in the morning or evenings to get the most out of your time on the water. No sense fishing in the hot of the day. Cutties have been particularly spunky when the water temperatures are at their lowest. As days are getting shorter and nights longer, we should start to see the water temperatures back down at a reasonable number soon.
A variety of mayfly variations have been seen skating the surface. Red/Burgundy and Dark/Grey sizes 16-20 would match the hatch perfectly. This, and a few random midge appearances are our last prolific hatches.
Terrestrials have proven to be the most effective patterns for these picky trout. Fishing a small black and purple ant has produced the most fish for us. This and a small tan hopper have proven to be the most effective. Fishing smaller sizes in these patterns(14-18) has been the way to go as of late. Don’t let the slow fishing and lack of bugs fool you, the trout are still looking up to these terrestrial treats.
As summer winds down and the season’s change look for the fishing to change with it. Soon, we won’t be throwing dries, It’ll be back to the nymph and streamer game. Big fish should start to make their way back to the lake, in doing so, making it easier to target these larger trout. This is good news for us. Big fish, big flies, big fun, all to come! We are looking forward! Have a fun and safe week. Happy fishing ya’ll!
