Colorado River Salmonfly Update – Wednesday Morning June 11, 2014
June 11th, 2014
With two consecutive days of high sun after Sunday’s cool and rainy weather, Tuesday saw a huge increase in the number of adult Salmonflies flying over the river. Interest for dry fly imitations was certainly elevated and action was strong at times, particularly in the afternoon.
We had two guides on the water yesterday and both reported a continuation to the technical nature of the fishing but, very good results focused on throwing only dries. As we have been reporting, the bugs are there and plenty of fish are wanting to eat the adults. Unlike the past two years of low water and easy access, anglers really need to work hard to get them to come up. Whereas last year there may have been 6-12 inches of water in a holding lie, now there may be 4 to 6 FEET! Focus your efforts on those seams and breaks in current as well as submerged structure. Water levels continued to fall, dropping another 300 cfs over the course of the day down to 5,700 cfs and clarity is a solid 2 feet.
Adult insects remain present from Gore Canyon down to State Bridge with slightly higher numbers visible in the upper reaches of that stretch. We are now 9 days into the hatch, which can last anywhere from 7-21 days during a particular year. With that in mind, we would suggest not waiting too much longer to get out there and try to get your yearly fix of the big bugs.