Fall has made its way to the Green, but a high pressure system has settled it. It has been rather pleasant on the river. Enjoy the gorgeous weather while it lasts. Flows on the river have stabilized to a daytime flow of 924 CFS and a nighttime bump up to 2,000 CFS. The water being released from the dam is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
The streamer fishing has been heating up. My best colors have been white and gold, olive and copper, and black and peacock. Terrestrial fishing has started to slow down, but is still good on the lower river. Hoppers, beetles, and crickets have been working. If they are not eating the big bug, try trailing a smaller ant behind the hopper. Midges are around first thing in the morning, as the day progresses you will see some Psuedocloeon and Baetis coming out and some October caddis making an appearance. Expect to see more and more Baetis in the coming days. From the boat, I like to target the Baetis sipping fish with a dry dropper rig. These fish are very spooky so if you are targeting them, a stealthy approach is key. I’ll use a hopper that I can see trailed by a small Baetis or gray midge. I have found Mercer’s missing link fly to be doing the trick when targeting the risers from the bank. For nymphs this time of the year you will want to have small gray scuds (18-20), small gray and brown WD 40’s (20-24), gray soft hackle (18-20) radiation Baetis (18-20), zebra midge (18-20), Frenchie (16), and a variety of San Juan Worms from Secret Riffle down.