Colorado River Salmonfly Hatch Update – May 29, 2015
May 29th, 2015
Today is day 4 of the Salmonfly hatch. Yesterday again we saw good numbers of adult Pteronarcys in the willows and bushes along the banks, with increasing amounts of flying Salmonflies in the afternoon. Action has been a mixed bag these first few days of the hatch, with more action coming on nymph patterns than dries. This is to be expected early in the hatch.
The male insects emerge first, with the females following a day or two behind. With that in mind, it then takes a day or two after the first signs of the hatch for the males and females to get together and mate. It is generally after that point when we’ll start to see greater numbers of airborne adults, as the females return to the water to lay eggs. The timing of it all looks like the next couple of days could see an increase in activity on the dry, particularly if we get a little more sun over the weekend.
Our recommended approach would be to start out with a dry-dropper rig along the edges and seams, as well as structure, pockets and logs. As the day goes on you can adjust this to fish totally on dries if you notice fish rising to naturals or your imitation. Conversely, if you are getting the majority on nymphs, it might be worth fishing a tandem nymph rig with the idea that you can cover a greater range of depths.
This hatch runs on average for about two weeks, with some of the higher water years lasting a little longer. There are still plenty of nymphs still in the river, making their way to the banks. This will not only provide continued action on nymph imitations for several days to come, but also a continuing stream of new emerging adults for future dry fly potential.
Give us a call for any questions that you may have. 970-513-8055