April 19, 2018 - Steelhead Report
What a ridiculous Spring season it's been so far. Rain, sleet, snow, hail, wind, freezing rain, ice pellets, and even thunder have made things less than predictable.
Overall, fishing has been good. Quite good actually. The Grand River and Rogue River have a good mix of winter and spring fish. Even though there are lots of steelhead around, it still feels more like early February than mid April. That's finally going to change this weekend.
It seems our final push of Steelhead are moving up river right now. 6th Street dam is seeing lots of new chrome fish. We're talking REAL chrome. Ones that have been in the river for 2 or 3 days. They will make their way upstream, and fishing will remain strong into the month of May. Even though the cold has been frustrating, it has slowed down the spring migration, and extended our steelhead fishing season.
Trout fishing has been good too. On certain days, the stonefly hatch has been epic. A couple guys from our GR shop had a wild day fishing dries. Nymphing has been great overall, with a few spectacular days mixed in. Small stoneflies, scuds, and BWO nymphs have been producing. Hennies are just around the corner...
Smallmouth have been strong as well. With water temps as low as they are, the bass are still podded up. In the early season, it's been said that "90% of the fish are in 10% of the water." Point being; if you find a fish, there is more than likely several more in that spot. As the water warms, they will start to spread out, and be more aggressive to the fly.
This weekend looks to be gorgeous. FINALLY. High temps, bright sun, and best of all, LOW WINDS. Should be a fishy one. See you out there.