Report 1/5

[Paola Cat]

Made the 3 hour drive to BSSP for some C&R this morning. Fished for 5 hours. Fished all 3 Zones. Big crowds for the C&R ... it had the look and feel of a Saturday in mid April. Nice day but a little windy. Fishing was good. Started in the Zone 2 riffles and caught about a dozen on a peach egg pattern. It got way too crowded for me .... so I moved down to Zone 3. I hadn't fished Zone 3 in a long time. Started about half way down and walked down to the river. Caught a bunch of good sized fish with great coloration on peach and red egg patterns. (note to self .... fish Zone 3 more often during the C&R). Drove up to Zone 1 and fished the island area. Did pretty well on white egg patterns, red copper johns, and red glass bead midges. No giants today ... didn't even see any. PC

[rcguy]

Thanks for posting the report. I would have loved to have been down there. I figured there would be plenty of fisherman with the warm weather. I'm going down some monday here soon I hope. I am a little new to egg patterns. I did catch a couple last time down on the "easter egg" pattern you get at the Bennett store...the weighted one.

What egg pattern do you use? Size? thanks

[Paola Cat]

RC: For my egg patterns I use Glo Bug yarn and tie in sizes 10-16. My best colors are: peachy king, white, cerise, and deep dark red. See www.globugs.net for more information and tying instructions. I fish the egg patterns under a strike indicator and weighted with split shot to keep them as close to the bottom as possible. Fish them upstream quartering or directly upstream (like nymphing). Egg patterns work effectively for me in areas of current and "shallower" water. This is also a good pattern to target specific fish with while sight fishing. I've been using 5X tippet for most of the C&R. PC

[brittsnbirds]

Cat-

Sounds like you did better than I did. I didn't use any egg patterns, tried the crackles, zebra nymphs, scuds, leach and some drys. Did not do very good at all, however it was beautiful Sunday. It almost appeared like a normal day at BSP with the number of people down there.

I've pretty much decided that the day trips are getting to expensive (gas). I think next time I will pull the PUP down and camp in CG 1 to fish 2 days or more.

Pat

[Paola Cat]

Brit .. I hear ya on the gas deal. It's getting expensive to do day trips.

Did you check out Zone 3? It appears to be pretty much ignored during C&R and I found the fish pretty receptive. Those fish up around the island in Zone 1 and in Zone 2 are just getting hammered. I caught several fish that had been caught before and even caught one that had a zebra midge and a tiny dry fly already embedded in its mouth. I'll try to get down there this weekend. Might fish Zone 3 again and then maybe try the river. PC

[flyfishmaster]

PC,

You are so right about Zone 3 at BSSP. I think below Suzy Hole all the way down to the next big hole (for got the name,next to the parking lot) is some of the best fly fishing water on the stream. I HATE fishing slow deep holes. If the number of fish landed is your concern stay in Zones 1 & 2. But if you want to Fish go to Zone 3. I have landed 30+ lunker at BBSP (over the last 8 years) and 21 of them have come out of Zone 3. Heck a freind of mine a few years back during the summer, landed (and kept) a 12 lb 12oz bow in the fast water 50 yards past Suzy Hole.

Later,

FFM

aka: Kim

[rcguy]

Paola Cat,

Thanks for the egg info. I'm going to get some yarn at Cabelas on the way home.

Sounds like I need to get down there and fish zone 3!!! Can you fly fish there during the regular season?...never done it for some reason.

[flyfishmaster]

RC,

You can use a fly rod and reel, but since the regulation states that only artifical and natural bait is allowed no files from Zone 1 or 2 are allowed.

But what I do in order to fly fish the zone is use items like plastic worms or Synthetic eggs (made from glue gun). I have no yarn or feathers at all. These items are legal.

I had a grumpy old man yell at me, telling me I was not allowed to fish in Zone 3 w/ flies. I told him to go find a conservation officer and he did. The Officer check out the fly box I brought along with me and started laughing, telling me those are some ugly plastic flies. He told me that I can continue fishing.

So I do fish Zone 3 just for a change of pace.

FFM

aka: Kim

[rcguy]

FFM,

thanks for the info! Now I know. Many years ago my dad and I fished plastic worms all over the stream, when it was legal. I'll try zone 3 a little this summer. The reason I have not really thought about it much is because I was told years ago that the meat fisherman clean out zone 3 pretty fast of fish. Zone 1 has many more catch and release guys. Of course during the C and R season it should be as good as anywhere on the stream.

BTW, If all goes well this weekend I'll be heading to Bennett Monday the 14th for a day fly flinging. Suppose to be partly cloudy and 41 degrees.