South Fork 9-20-16

Late in the day of September 13th flow out of Palisades dam was reduced to 5400 cfs. With the reservoir currently at 8% of usable capacity, more flow reductions are a given.  The current flow and promise of more reductions to come is great news for the wading angler as more of the river becomes safer for walk-in wade fishing.  That’s particularly true for the near future as a storm is forecast for the rest of this week meaning that prime time for enjoying the BWO and mahogany dun emergences is coming up. When moving from riffle to riffle, try fishing hoppers with a rubberleg and small beadhead dropper fished over gravel and to the banks. Streamer fishing has been improving with good success being reported on sparkle minnows and kreelex minnows. Nymphing has been productive as usual with small rubberlegs and bwo or pmd nymphs being the golden ticket. If you find yourself in a riffle with picky fish, try fishing a swung soft hackle to entice picky fish.