The ‘dog days of Stanley’ means hopper dropper season is in full swing. We’ve had a number both large and small hoppers out in good quantities. Yeti Hoppers in pink and purple have been our go to in a size #10. Water Walkers in a variety of light and dark shades, #14 and #16 have worked well for the small terrestrials. The hi-vis micro chubby in a beetle pattern is another great small foam bug for the heat of the afternoon. Ant-Acids in brown, black and purple on our smaller tributaries have been producing for us as well. Mornings and evenings we are still seeing lots of caddis, as well as some PMD’s and midges so don’t hesitate to start and finish your day with delicates flies.
We are not done with stoneflies yet! Goldens are still about, some days we see them in the afternoon, others in the evening so keep a few in the box, in #10’s and #08’s, for when they pop off. Another lesser known hatch we get in the summer are nocturnal stoneflies, this is typically the last bug we throw before it’s too dark to fish, they tend to be a bit smaller then our other stone’s in the area. We like to throw water walkers in a nocturnal color way, typically in a size #12.
The Middle Fork.
Hooper Dropper season is in full swing. Stay tuned for an update on fly specifics as our guides get off the Middle Fork this evening.
Lastly, the high country! We like to hike up with a box full terrestrials, Woolly Buggers, Purple Haze and Parachute Adam’s, for the smaller dries we typically fish #12’s and #16’s. Our buggers range from #10 to #06’s in black, white and olive. If you are not seeing any top water action during the day, throw those buggers near the drop offs, the fish will typically circle those depth changes until they switch their focus to the surface.