Daily Report

Thursday was a bitter cold day with very windy conditions and the temperature struggled to reach into the 20's. Despite yesterday being cold, overall we did finish up the month as the warmest February on record. The good news is that the extended forecast calls for another warming trend as we head through the weekend and into early next week.  The release from the dam has been lowered and is now 500cfs and the Pineville gauge is around 771cfs. We currently have steelhead in the river from top to bottom with the upper end of the river in Altmar holding the most fish of any one section. The normal winter holding areas such as Lower Fly Zone, Schoolhouse Pool, Wire Hole, Ellis Cove, Trestle Pool, Pineville and Sportsman have all produced fish depending on the day. If your willing to walk and looking for some solitude, the mid to lower section of river would be a good choice.  For those anglers who are fly fishing, dead drifting with nymphs, indicator fishing with egg patterns or swinging streamers with sink tips or sinking leaders have all produced results. For those anglers who are bottom bouncing or float fishing, egg sacs, beads, marabou jigs and pink worms have all been productive. 

Suggested patterns;

Egg patterns: Steelie omelette in size 10, Estaz eggs in chart, blue, purple, size 10. Glo-bugs in chart, pink, orange, size 10. Sucker spawn in chart, pink, blue, size 6.

Nymphs: Prince nymphs in size 10, Hare's ear in size 10, Pheasant tails in size 10, Flashback nymphs in size 10, Wiggle stones in size 10, Steelhead hammer in size 12, Beadhead stones in size 10. Rusher nymphs in size 10. 

Streamers: Black or purple egg sucking leeches in size 6. Woolly buggers in black, olive, brown, white, size 6. Fish skull zonkers in black, white, olive size 6.