Blue River on the Trail

Good fishing can be influenced by any number of things, and so the story goes so can bad fishing.  The funny thing is that little factors can make the fishing slow at some time and, although it may make you feel like the fish will never take your fly no matter what set up you run, if you wait a little while things may change a lot.  This morning I didn't have any action until about 9:30 or 10, then I caught three small fish and had a hand full of takes, then after about twenty minutes it shut off again.  I don't know why the fish started biting but I do have my hypothesis for why it was slow, that damn full moon!  The full moon gives fish enough light to feed before daylight so when the morning sun rolls around they aren't as aggressive towards a little nymph.  Another factor which is characteristic for summer fishing is high temperature, when the day heats up fish move into deeper faster water and deeper faster water in these above average flows is very difficult to fish.  These two factors set me up for a slow morning.  I threw down about 12 ft of tippet with lots of weight before adding a yellow stone size 12 and a cased caddis size 14.  I caught fish on both flies although they were small, making me think that I still wasn't deep enough to get to the bigger fish.  Although the bigger fish may have been feeding all night and not interested anyway.  My best advice is to fish the evening. Caddis hatches are coming off pretty steadily later in the day and fish are eager to move around and feed after being kept down low all day.  My best advice right now is hit the river about 600 pm when temps start to drop, throw on a tan or grey caddis below a golden stone or green drake and hang out till about 8 after the sun sets and Ill bet you will have a damn good time.  Here are a few picks from this mornin below Hirschdale on the truckee river .