Fishing the Salmon Fly Hatch
With the high temps in our rear view and a more moderate forecast in our future it's time to start thinking about fishing. The flows on all our local waters are starting to drop and it won't be long until the salmon fly nymphs start to congregate near the banks waiting for the perfect night to crawl out and hatch. Then it’s game on, let the hoards blow through the floodgates and storm the rivers, flogging giant dry flies, frothing a lather into the river, all in hopes a fish will rise. The annual hatch usually brings out the sorts, all vying for a piece of water and in the end a rising trout. The hatch itself is a spectacle and one that even amazes me after all these years of enjoying its grace. I am going to share some insights I have learned over the years in hopes it will get you a couple more fish to the net.
Let’s talk about the bug itself. The nymphs typically spend three years in the river with a few even staying a fourth year. They are found in rocky areas of rivers with high levels of oxygen, crawling in and around the larger rocks feeding on organic material. When the water temperature reaches the mid 50’s the nymphs begin to migrate towards the banks rallying for the final push towards adulthood. The nymphs normally come out at night and crawl up willows, trees or anything that allows them to get out of the water and find a little cover. The adult bug works its way out of its nymph skin leaving a shuck behind and the tall-tale signs the hatch has begun. Females and males will find each other in the willows, tree branches, under rocks and logs, wherever they can procreate without being bothered. Once the eggs have been fertilized, the females will take flight and drop a black egg sack into the water, completing the life cycle of the salmon fly.
Knowing a little about the life cycle will help you create a game plan during the salmon fly hatch. The first thing I have learned about the salmon fly hatch is how unpredictable it is to hit. I have had clients ask me numerous times, “When is the salmon fly hatch, I want to fish it.” When I was working on the Big Hole River I would always say June 10th is a good starting point. However, it’s all about the runoff timing, also how big the runoff is in that particular year. With that being said, I always told them there are better times of the year to fish that are much more predictable and reliable for that fact. For the most part a salmon fly hatch starts low on the river and will work upriver a certain distance each day. But some years it can literally blow up on the entire river at pretty much the same time. I believe this happens in years when the high water flows were not as big as normal and the entire river falls into the 56 degree sweet spot, making the salmon flies hatch.
So let’s start before there are adults in the air, post runoff. I would say running a Pat’s rubber leg and a red worm is about as basic of a set up as one can get for this time of year. You want to target the banks and the inside drop offs anywhere you can find those on the river. Don’t forget the islands here, I have had some great luck over the years hitting the islands on the Big Hole River. If you are fishing from a boat, be prepared to row across the river a million times to target all those insides and softer edges. I have also found you do not need a long line indicator to flies, most of the water you’re targeting is gonna be 3-4 feet or less. Along with numerous other stonefly nymph patterns, try a size 8 or 10 beaded prince off the back of your lead fly, it can be killer. If you are having trouble keeping your flies close to the bank or willow line, run a dropper under a chubby 24-30 inches, this will help keep you in that strike zone along the bank and who knows, maybe get a dry fly eat or two.
Once the bugs hit the banks and fish start seeing adults the real madness begins. Start the morning off with a dry/dropper while the salmon flies do their thing on the river banks. In the early afternoon the females will begin to fly out over the river to drop their eggs. This is when dry fly fishing can get really good. Big explosive takes are the norm, kamikaze as I like to call them. When they really key into the dry fly, don’t be afraid to cut the dropper fly off and fish a single dry. One dirty trick to play if they’re giving the dry fly the snub is tying on another dry fly as a dropper but don’t add any floatant to it, let it drift just under the surface film. Fish like easy meals.
If you find yourself scratching your head watching a million salmon flies flutter about while the fish give you the middle fin, take a look at what you're doing. Are you fishing tight to the bank, off the submerged willows or down the inside feed lanes? Have you switched patterns, some days they will like the big, bright foamy ones, the next a more natural colored fly with a smaller profile. Size of fly can also matter, I like to downsize my bugs for a couple reasons if I’m not getting good eats. First off, fish tend to get jaded on those big dry flies they see drifting down the banks over and over, a smaller pattern can entice those picky eaters. The male salmon fly is actually smaller than the female, fishing a smaller fly can imitate the males who get knocked into the water as well. Another tactic I like in this situation is running what I call the second lane, which is the section of river 3 to 10 feet off the bank, outside where the majority of all the other boats are fishing. This can be smart because it puts your flies over some fish that haven’t seen many fisherman flies. Last tactic is skidding your fly. Make a cast into a tight spot or hole in the willows, lift your rod and mend at the same time and your fly will skid out of the hole and attract more attention. If there’s a lot of pressure the extra movement can pay off. If you have tried everything but the kitchen sink and still aren’t getting eats, there's a good chance the fish are full. Try to move up or downstream to get ahead of the bugs or away from the bulk of the hatch. Fish that are full will have bellies all knotted up with salmon flies and may even have them coming out their throat. It doesn’t take many salmon flies to fill up a trout belly.
Post hatch can be a great time to fish because there are usually enough salmon flies lingering around to keep the fish dialed in on them. Plus usually the golden stones follow right on the heels of the salmon flies so you have another bug to imitate for dry fly eats. I stick with the same morning routine of dry/dropper to a single dry if the fish are interested in the top water action. Play around with bugs and find the combinations you feel most confident with and put them to work. Remember what works and what doesn’t, always a good plan to write it down and keep a log. River flows are probably most important in my book.
One last tip for you wade anglers out there fishing the salmon fly hatch. I cut my teeth fishing salmon flies up Rock Creek and really had no idea what I was doing when I started. I messed around a lot with dry/dropper and caught some good fish with that technique. But one thing I found to be killer was finding a good willow bank submerged maybe 2-3 feet. I would put on a single dry fly and cast it straight upstream along the willows. Running a couple of casts at varying distances, I was able to cover the water very efficiently, giving trout multiple shots to eat your fly coaxed out even the most stubborn of fish. I would just slowly fish my way up the entire bank, picking fish off one by one. It’s a great tactic for those of you who cannot stand to sit in a boat all day.
The Reel 406 Fast Facts to Fish the Hatch
Post runoff before the hatch.
Basic nymph fishing, my favorite rig here is a Pat’s Rubber Leg and a red San Juan worm or a size 10 beaded Prince nymph, think big and buggy.
Target tight to the banks, inside corners and slower water out of the main current.
Willow lined banks can be very productive.
Don’t forget the islands, I have had some great luck over the years hitting the current lines off islands and also the tail out behind the island.
Don’t fish a super long rig flies to indicator, most of the water you want to target is in the 3-4 foot range.
Dry/Dropper can be a super effective and strategic way to present your nymph right on the bank or down seams off inside corners. Gives you some pin point accuracy, drop the nymph 24-30 inches. Odds are you’ll probably get a couple dry fly eats as well.
Salmon Fly Hatch
Start your day with a dry/dropper to feel out the fish. Once you start to get some consistent dry fly takes, I would go single dry.
If you miss a fish, give it some time to calm down before you recast at it, many times they’ll hit it again.
Don’t be afraid to fish the second lane, the water further from the bank that most fishermen are casting over to keep their flies near shore, this can be some gravy water that's overlooked.
Downsize your flies if you are getting refusals or not many eats. Remember the males are smaller than the females so the fish will have seen smaller bugs.
Switch patterns, fish can be finicky some days and you may have to change it up a couple times to find the right fly.
Skid your fly on purpose, adding a little movement can entice strikes.
If the fish don’t seem to be interested, they may be full so moving locations up or downstream can be helpful. Salmon flies are big and fill bellies pretty fast.
Drown a dry fly as a dropper fly, many salmon flies get washed under the water and this can be something the fish key on.
Post Hatch
Fish will remember the salmon flies for a number of days after the main hatch passes through that section of river. Plus there’s always a couple bugs lingering around for a week or two after the hatch.
Dry/Dropper is a good play. Usually there will be some golden stones and green drakes starting to show up so dropper nymphs can be switched up from the big stonefly nymphs from earlier in the hatch.
Wading Tips
Remember the water is big so check out the previous blog post for some good wading tips.
Work the willow banks, wading gives you the advantage of working multiple casts over the same water to make sure you give the trout plenty of opportunities to eat your fly.
