Dry Fly Tip #1

Early spring is a time of transition for the wild rainbow trout that swim in the many rivers and streams coursing through the Central Valley.  Longer days and warm temperatures bring a rise in bug and fish activity, but hatches this time of year can be shot and sporadic making the opportunity for an angler to target rising fish with a dry fly very hit and miss.  On the positive side rainbows that spawn in the late winter or early spring will be fresh from the spawn, hungry and feeding opportunistically.  In addition many of the rivers and streams in the area host healthy populations of large stoneflies that begin to crawl from their homes in the river cobble to bushes and grasses along the river bank where they hatch and dry their wings in preparation for their mating activity.  During the entire process hungry rainbows are looking for these bugs and will feed on them readily at any opportunity.  Large insects, sporadic hatches and opportunistic fish make the early spring a perfect time to break out my favorite type of dry fly to tie and fish, large attractors!  

-Brian