Roaring River Report

[timsfly]

The water is still high and clear at Roaring River, the dry fly fishing is getting better, we caught fish all week on caddis, adams, cracklebacks and even some on beetles, everything has been #14's and 16's except the beetles, we are using them in a size #10 or #12, long leaders and 7X tippet has been the rule this week using dries.

Nymph fishing has been great this week, the higher water requires more weight and longer tippets, but if you do these small things then the fishing has been good.

We have been catching trout on copper johns, pheasant tails, gold ribbed hares ears, micro eggs, y2k bugs and zebra midges. The best way I've found to fish in the higher water is to fish to bead head flies, the extra weight helps and the use of two flies gives the fish more choices, my favorite combo this week was a copper john or a pheasant tail nymph as my lead fly and a micro egg or a small zebra midge as my dropper.

Best colors for me on the zebra have been red or black.

Bigger woolybuggers are still working well, black, brown, green, and tan have been the best colors this week, bigger in the morning and the baby buggers are working well in the afternoons.

Roostertail spinners are still working well, black, skunk, brown and green have been productive colors, and the 1/16th or the 1/8th sizes are working best.

Plastic worms and plastic eggs are very effective when the water is high, but again the use of extra shot is required in some of the water, for eggs, a 3/0 or a #7 shot is effective for anchoring the egg to the bottom of the river, you can use a worm weight and a small shot about 24" above the egg, both ways work right now, the best egg colors have been white, flo. orange, hatch brown, and the flo. yellow.

Worms have been good also, 1 or 2 B or BB shot are needed now, keeping your weights about 18" above your worm is about right, fish the worms in the faster runs, throw the worm up in the fast water and let it drivt out, watch you line or keep it tight, if you see the line move or feel one pulling on the worm, set the hook, with the water like it is right now, you never know what you will catch, there are still big fish out there, they haven't all been caught yet.

Spoons are effective in the water when it is high, like it is right now, fish the spoons like the worms, throw them up in the fast water and let the current wash the spoon down, slowly reel the spoon back or raise and lower the rod tip causing the spoon to rise and fall, and feel for the line to feel heavy or sometimes they'll hit it hard enough to pull the rod tip down.

Alot of people using spinning rods and fly rods are using the thread jigs and the glo-balls under indicators, this is working well, you need to fish a bit deeper and sometimes add a spit shot on the line to help get the fly down faster.

Zone 3, powerbait paste and corn or night crawlers did very well this past week, good luck, see ya on the river.

[stephen seward]

Thanks for the report Tim. I'll be heading down the for my first time this year this weekend. I'll be sure and stop in and say hi and pick up anything I'm missing.

[timsfly]

Alright Stephen, I'll see you next week.