Fly Fishing Beyond Seasonal Peaks …

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By mid-July, the quantity and frequency of our “hatches” will be past their seasonal peaks. Those bugs that come to the lake surface to turn into adults (Chironomid, Mayfly, Caddis, Dragonfly and Damselfly) will all be hatching in numbers below the annual average for the rest of the year.

That doesn’t mean that it is time to put away your fly rod.These bugs will still hatch but just not as many as we have seen up to this point in the year. In fact, that can be a good thing for us anglers. 😉

With fewer hatches, the trout can’t be as selective about their daily calorie intake. My ugly flies may actually be able to catch a fish at this time of the year. When the hatches are peaking, the trout will often just turn up their noses at anything that isn’t just exactly right among 10,000 real bugs. And we can never be sure that the trout hadn’t already gorged themselves on Caddis the night before a fishing trip and therefore wouldn’t take the best fly we can offer.

So here are a couple of tips for fishing after mid-July …….

Reduce the size of your flies – the biggest bugs have already hatched.
Consider using the non-hatching bugs like Shrimp or Leeches.
With fewer bugs coming to the surface (and the water will be getting warmer till the end of Aug), try fishing deeper in the water column.
Try more “attractor” flies. The trout aren’t as picky about what they eat this time of year.

Enjoy ……. Ron Newman

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Ron Newman is a long time member of the Kamloops Fly Fishers Association and has spent the last 30 plus years fly fishing the Kamloops British Columbia area still water lakes for trophy rainbow trout. During this time Ron has accumulated a vast amount of knowledge on the subject which he has complied in his book, Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing : A Guide for Still Waters. Whether you are just a beginner fly fisher, or experienced and looking to hone some advanced stillwater fly fishing skills, we highly recommend that you pick up Ron’s book! A big thank you to Ron for allowing us to share some of that knowledge with everyone here at flyguys.net!

*** for more still water fly fishing strategies please hit up & review our still water fly fishing category here!

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