Ashland Fly Shop Fishing Report, June 23 2016

The Salmonfly hatch has simmered down on the Rogue and Klamath. That said, recent reports from the Holy Water on the Rogue suggest that trout are still responding to them. Will, Jon and Chris were on the Klamath Tuesday filming a Trout Spey video and hooked several nice trout on dries. There weren’t many Salmonflies or Golden Stones flying, but the Chubby Chernobyl was quite effective nonetheless. Streamer fishing with Trout Speys was productive. Several fish were hooked, including what appeared to be a small steelhead in the 20 inch range on the Black/Copper Goblin fly.

Reports from the Klamath Basin have been good. With the aid of warmer weather, Klamath Lake is improving as fish seek out the cooler water near the springs. Rumors of a Black Drake hatch on the Upper Williamson surfaced recently, reserved for those brave enough to venture into the wilds of the upper section. The Lower Williamson fishing is business as usual and this warm weather trend should aid the Hex hatch, if not already. The Keno stretch is closed for now, but the JC Boyle reach of the Klamath is worth the trip for the adventurous angler.

Brandon has been prospecting the North Umpqua for several weeks now with several steelhead encounters, and recently hooked a nice steelhead skating a dry. We haven’t heard much else about the North. But, most North Umpqua diehards are pretty tight lipped when it comes to their sacred water.

The NorCal rivers like the Upper Sac, McCloud, Hat Creek, Fall and Pit River are all great options for a weekend trout trip. Short line nymphing and evening dry fly fishing should be solid on the Upper Sac, McCloud, and Pit. For those with boat access on the Fall River, look for mid-day PMD hatches and evening Hex action. Hat Creek is undergoing some restoration and reports are good for those interested in the challenge of a technical dry fly experience. The Powerhouse 2 riffle on Hat Creek always holds fish. At this point in the season those fish have seen a lot of flies and the keen anglers will be using 6x and tiny nymphs to fool them.

Jon’s Top Picks

I would certainly be stoked to go back to the Klamath after having a good day there Tuesday. Even though the hatch has subsided, we caught plenty of fish on Salmonflies. We also had tons of fun swinging flies with Trout Speys. I hooked fish on sculpins and other streamers.

Having just fished the Klamath, and knowing there are a few steelhead in the Rogue, I might opt to find a steelhead in the Upper Rogue. The early steelhead are few and far between, but they are also the hottest fish of the season. Anywhere between the hatchery and Gold Hill would be my suggestion. That first summer steelhead of the year is always the toughest to get, but the most rewarding!

Jon's Essential Gear

Klamath

For Dry Fly Fishing – Redington Hydrogen 9’ 5wt, Bauer CFX 2 reel, RIO Gold 5wt Line, RIO Powerflex 9’ 3x Leader, Chubby Chernobyl, Still Stone

For streamer fishing with a Trout Spey- Sage One 11’6” 4wt, RIO Skagit Short 350 , RIO VersiLeader or RIO MOW Tips T-8 , 8lb Maxima, Morrish Sculpin, Mini-Loop Sculpin, and various other leechy flies.

Upper Rogue

Rod/Reel/Line - Sage Accel 12’6” 7 wt, Bauer CFX Spey Reel with a RIO Scandi 480 and RIO 15’ 10lb Steelhead Leader  and Redington Chromer 12’6 7wt, Sage 2210 Reel with a RIO Scandi 480, and RIO VersiLeader Intermediate

Flies -  Lady Caroline, Tiny Dancer, Unconditional, Brindle Bug