July Conditions

A long overdue update from SFF HQ, the Yosemite Rivers Fly Shop. As many of you may know, after two great water years, we are in the midst of a low water year. The fish, of course, are determined to survive and do a variety of things. They'll hunker down and hide or even move from one region to another if possible. We, the anglers, have to do the same. What we have been both practicing and recommending is fishing cooler areas as well as cooler times of the day. This serves to reduce stressing the fish (and the angler for that matter) during the heat of the day. Pulling a trout through warm water as it offers you a fight can actually harm the fish. Obviously, higher elevation waters are less a worry as they can run nice and cool even during a low water year. Watch the weather and feel free to call the shop for suggestions. Now, a few quick notes pertaining to technique: We are seeing the fish responding to hoppers! This is always fun. We also have noticed a decreased amount of PMD activity from previous years however will comment if this changes. Below is a shot of a hopper-caught trout from the Merced. Click on the image for a cool close up/expanded view. You can see the grasshopper.

Photo: Bernard Yin
Link: http://yosemiterivers.com