Guide Lines Check Your Iris

Three guides walk into a fly shop … OK, seriously.  I stopped by Angler’s on Wednesday just about closing time.  Three guides — Tim, Gene, and Chris — were shooting the bull when I posed this question:  between now and May 1, what would you suggest that fly fishers should  pay attention to or notice so they are successful when they go out?  And where should they head?

 

After some grumbling about that being an impossible question to answer — “you can’t make predictions that easily,” “too much can change” — they began to reach consensus:

 

“Head to the Arkansas.”

“Yeah, no kidding.  Up to the KOA Campground.  Cotopaxi.  Texas Creek.”

“Caddis and BWO are gonna be poppin’.  When you see the iris springing up in your yard, that’s the sign.” 

“Fish the subsurface.  If you see a lot of action on top, there’s more just under.  Use a 4x.”  

“You know, Deckers is fishing great right now, too.  Size 22.  Black Beauty.  San Juan Worms — not the big ones — Size 22.”  “Small pheasant tails.  They’ll be hitting Pat’s Rubber Legs, too.”

“You’re gonna have to watch the flows. That’ll determine a lot.” 

 

Not a bad answer to an impossible question.  Tight lines.