Do you know what the low water and high water limits are for the stream you like to fish? For me, the upper limit on this mid-klamath stretch that passes in front of our ranch is a limit of about 4000 cubic feet per second (cfs) posted at Orleans. I have not figured out how to consistently take steelhead on the fly at levels higher than that. That brings me to the report for today:
We have entered into a weather pattern producing repetative small storms and showers. If you look at the DreamFlows.com you will see a small rise from 2100 cfs up to 2400 cfs. (by the way, this link may not work soon after I post the blog, since they change the graph daily on the dreamflows page) I find these flows to be great for tight-line swung-fly fishing. Unfortunately you cannot get a feel for the clarity of the river, and more often than not, you dont get a report on water temperatures. My experience is that in this kind of weather pattern, you should expect an increase in large debris floating down the river such as fresh fallen deciduous leaves. Moss and leaves can make the day more challenging, but by no means does it make the day un-fishable. One of the mitigations I use is to use a Knotted leader rather than knotless leader systems. The small connecting knots often catch debris…and stop it from sliding down to the fly. The next point is to make sure my guests are regularly casting and inspecting leader and fly for captured debris. Obviously we need to keep the fly clean if we hope to entice a strike.
I have not been on the river the last two days, but my immediate bookings are going to allow regular reports on fish taken, so stay tuned! Here is a picture of a recent fish released near Ti Bar. Check out the water color and….all my GREY hair!
Doug