May Fishing

It’s May. Stream levels may be rising, but so are water temps. This means trout need to eat more chow to stay fat and get larger. Feeding trout are what we want. I’m convinced that a trout that is eating bugs can be fooled with flies, and I’m going to keep trying. I hope you do the same.

Before going to a stream at this time of year, contact your local fly shop to find out about conditions. If the water is too high and off color, the fishing may be slow. If the stream is clear, go fishing.

May is Mother’s Day, and Mother’s Day in Colorado means Mother’s Day caddis hatches. The Arkansas from Canon City upstream is one of the hot spots. The caddis begin emerging in late April and continue moving upstream to Buena Vista and above. How fast the hatch moves depends on water temperatures. Shops along the Arkansas track this hatch with vim and vigor, so check their web sites or give them a call for current info. Trout of all sizes and varieties move towards the edges of the river as they gorge themselves on larva, pupa and adult caddis. In the evening, egg laying females return to deposit eggs that will bring next year’s bugs, and the trout line up to feed once again.

The Roaring Fork and Colorado are also streams that have very good caddis hatches at this time of year. Water conditions will depend on temps, snow and rain and so on. The bugs will come off, but the rivers may be too high and muddy to fish. If they are clear, though, the fishing will be great!

When searching and fishing for caddis tie or buy larva, pupa, adults and egg-laying imitations. You can fish through the entire hatch during the course of a day on the water. Bug sizes will range from #14-18, with smaller bugs typically darker than larger bugs.

Larva patterns are thin and segmented, either bright green or tan, and have dark heads. Add a soft hackle and/or a bead as desired. Pupa patterns should be tied for fishing in either deep or shallow water, which means varying the amount of weight or size of bead used. Adult patterns can be tied with or without hackle and should be fished in fast or slow water according to design. Heavily hackled flies sit higher and work better in fast water while flies that have the hackle clipped on the bottom or do not have hackle often work better in slower water where fish have more time to examine the fly and how it floats on the surface.

Larva patterns should be fished deep, with enough weight to get the flies near the bottom of the streambed. Turn over a few rocks and take note of how many caddis larva there are; it is truly amazing to observe. As the progresses and water temperatures increase, watch riffles, runs and seams for splashy rise forms, which usually indicates trout are beginning to chase emerging bugs. The pupa swim quickly to the surface to emerge and the energy fish expend as they chase them to the surface often carries the fish through the film. They are not hitting flies that are flying, but bugs that are under the surface. Position yourself above aggressively feeding fish and swing a pupa pattern or soft hackle to their position, then twitch the fly as it approaches. They will nail that baby!

As the hatch continues begin watching seams for flotillas of bugs which will be lined up in the current drying their wings and being eaten by fish, birds and dragon flies. Make a good drift to feeding fish and they’ll eat your offering, as long as the fly is about the same size and behaves like the naturals.

When fishing caddis adults, try fishing upstream to rising fish. As the fly drifts by the position you are standing, pull the fly under the surface and swim it past and below your position. Often, fish will attack the sunken pattern. Many bugs do not successfully emerge, drowning in the process. They drift along with the current and become food for hungry trout.

I am personally very fond of fishing attractor patterns during caddis hatches. The Royal Coachman Trude with a small Copper John Dropper will often fool as many trout as exact imitations. Since we are in the foolery business, this seems a good thing: fooling wary, greedy trout with odd-looking bugs that we concoct.

Let’s go fishing soon, and then go again!

St. Vrain Angler Presents

May Fishing Tips

Key tips: be prepared for weather changes; runoff/none; hatches; nymph fishing. May is a weather dependent month.

Fly fishing in May is full of promise. The days are longer, the temperatures warmer and the fish more active. Active fish means fish that have to eat, and eating fish can be fooled by flies. That's what I like to hear. (see the April report for warmwater ideas; they'll be about the same during May!)

Another fact in Colorado is that the weather, temperature and so on will change during May, which is one of the snowiest months we have. One day may be bright, clear and still, and the next day might be cool, moist and windy. If you had your choice of when to fish, which would you choose? Most folks opt for the nicer conditions, but the fishing is often substantially better on the days that have more "weather". When you go fishing, go prepared for a change in weather. This is a good time to dress in layers, with a light, long sleeved fishing shirt near the bottom, a piece of fleece and a good rain jacket on the outside. If the outside stuff is light, but protects you from the weather, you can take it off a piece at a time and stuff it in the back of your vest. By the end of the day, you'll be glad you have it along to put on again so you can stay out for another hour or two and get the late feeders.

In addition to the probable weather changes, you're going to have water conditions that change, too. One day, a stream may be crystal clear while the next, after rain or snow and its eventual melt, the water may come up and become a bit on the cloudy side - or downright muddy! Anglers have to be prepared for the conditions at hand. Here are some helpful hints.

During most days, at some point during the course of the day there will be some insects hatching and the fish will likely come to the surface to feed. Be prepared for dry fly fishing by carrying imitations of caddis flies (medium darkness in 14-18) and some small mayflies (Blue Winged Olives will still be around in 16-22, depending on the drainage.) This is a good time to go prospecting for rising fish by forcing them to rise for an attractor pattern such as a Yellow or Orange Stimulator (10-14), a Royal Wulff (12-16) or a Coachman Trude (12-16). Or, use your favorite attractor. It's always a good idea to have a few parachute Adams along, for example. Lots of flies will work, as long as a good presentation is made. Find the spots where the fish are hanging, along the edges of drop offs, behind rocks or other structure and obstacles in the stream, or along the edges where currents change and deeper water is nearby. The fish want cover, but the also like being in a spot where they can get the to surface to intercept a bug that happens by. Use a 7.5-9 foot leader that tapers to about 4X, add a couple of feet of 5X tippet and attach your dry to that. If you are in very clear water and the fish are eating particularly small bugs, go a little lighter on the tippet, to 6 or 7X, for example. Use what works, get a good drift and be careful with splashy casts that will probably frighten fish. Remember, scared fish don't eat.

On the days that the fishing with dries is slow, or the water is cloudy, making it tough fro fish to see a fly floating on the surface, try some nymph fishing. For flies, try a few stonefly nymphs in 8-12 and be sure a few of them are pretty dark. A 20" is a great fly for this time of year. Also, try a bead head prince nymph, which is always a good producer, a copper John or a large, dark hare's ear nymph. If the water is more clear and you still want to fish nymphs, try a rig with one larger fly and one smaller and see what they want. Remember that the key to good nymph fishing is one more piece of lead. You've got to get the fly on the bottom and keep it there if you want to get into fish. Use a 7.5 foot leader and start with 4X tippet. If that is too heavy, add some 5X and try again. Keep your lead above the knot that attaches tippet to leader so it doesn't slide down the line while you're fishing. If you want to use a strike indicator, attach it about 2 or 3 times the depth of the water above the lead, which will keep the indicator in the proper position relative to the fly.

With nymphs or dries, fish the larger flies first. If they work, stay with them. If you move fish but they won't commit to eating the fly, fish through the spot again with smaller patterns. If you use a smaller pattern, you may have to go one size lighter on the tippet material, too.

A rule of thumb for prospecting is to move at the opposite speed that the fishing is: in other words, if it's slow, move fast to find fish; if fishing is fast - there is plenty of action - move slow. Another rule for me is this: never leave rising fish. If I find fish that are feeding, I stay put even if I can't catch them in order to learn more about that particular set of circumstances. Sometimes, I figure it out and sometimes I don't; I always learn something, though, and that's one of the great things about fly fishing!

If you have any questions about the above information, please give us a call at one of the shops: we'd love to help you!

Thanks for reading!

  Back to Tips