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Angler's Covey Bug of the Month 

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FALL HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily

Report Date: 9/30/2024 

Current Conditions: 

We have hit the unofficial end of summer. While September is still typically very nice, we will start to see some changes coming up. Stillwater has slowed down a bit with the warm and dry weather we have seen the last 2 weeks. Fish are still being caught, but things are slowing down significantly as the temps rise each day. This is pretty typical of our stillwater areas at this time of year. The  callibaetis (lake mayfly) are still hatching, but we are seeing less and less of them each day. These hatches are definitely starting to wind down. The damsel activity has been strong with fish being taken both subsurface and on the surface. Focus on the hatches for the best fishing each day. The front end of the day has been best for fishing. In fact, the earlier the better right now.  Water temps are still on the warm side, and we are unlikely to see that change until we start to get sustained cool weather. These warmer temps have fostered quite a lot of weed growth throughout the lake, and also keep the fish pretty sluggish. Most of the fish are being caught before noon. The fish have really spread out and some type of watercraft to access more locations is ideal right now. Shore fishing can still be had but it has gotten tougher to access the better areas of the lake. The weeds are thick in the lake right now.

Both the north and south boat ramps are open.

*NOTE- Construction has begun by the south boat ramp. The shoreline to the north of the south boat ramp will be the area of focus. Wind and erosion have made the entire embankment unstable. Denver Water will be conducting a project to make this bank safer and more accessible.

Hatches:

Chironomids (smaller), Damsels and still some callibaetis are the main bugs right now. The chironomids are pretty early but will hatch a bit all throughout the day. The callibaetis will start to ramp up later in the morning (8-9am) and the Damsels will follow throughout the day. All of these bugs can be fished in static stages, slow stripping and even as adults. Sight fishing the cruising fish eating adults can be a ton of fun. Leeches, scuds, and streamers are also good options.

Tactics:

With the summer weed growth, it would be a good idea to beef up on your terminal tackle size right now. A good fish that gets you into the weeds will be hard to get out of them. 2x is a good bet right now. You can still fish from shore, but that is getting difficult at this lake right now. Boats, float tubes and kayaks are the ideal avenues to access the lake. Try static indicator nymphing at various depths, or even midge stripping the above hatches. Sometimes these fish like horizontal movement in the presentation. The depth you are fishing will be THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in nymphing. With the warmer water temps, fish have started to feed at greater depths. Focus on the 12 foot to 18 foot depths and in between the weed beds throughout the lake. As the water temps begin to cool as we roll into fall, we should see the fishing pick up quite a bit.

Tips:

With the water temps being on the warm side, its best to focus your efforts on the front end of the day. The fish have all but shut off after the hatches, so plan your fishing times around the bug activity. When it on, it will be on, but anglers can expect some significant down periods before and after the hatches.

Slow stripping or dry droppers with damsels can be good in shallower water right now too. Hoppers have also been decent on the banks.

Weather:

Short Term-  We couldnt have asked for better weather over the holiday weekend. We saw temps in the 70's and the winds were very mellow. Today and tomorrow will be more of the same, but we will start to see some increased precipitation chances this week. Thursday (9/5) will be cool and we could see some rain that day. It does look like we will have at least some chances of rain almost every day this week. Things will return back to average after that with temps in the mid to upper 70's heading into the weekend. Make plans to get out on the water this week, its going to be nice!

Long Term-  After this week, things look to be more of the same. Longer range forecasts are hinting at an "Indian summer" type pattern in our area. This is when temperatures and weather patterns remain pretty stagnant going into fall. In these patterns, we tend to see some warmer than average temps and dry conditions. These long range forecasts are not very reliable and we always recommend looking at short range weather for the best accuracy. At any rate, it looks like we will be in this current pattern for the near future. We should see at least another 4-6 weeks of nice weather, so get out and enjoy it while you can!

NOW BOOKING STILLWATER TRIPS

This is an area we offer guided fly fishing trips. Angler's Covey is home to some of the best and most passionate stillwater experts in the area. Fall can be one of the best times to target stillwater for a variety of species. If you would like to try your hand at stillwater fly fishing, give us a call! You wont be disappointed.

RECOMMENDED PATTERNS:

Our Top Nymphs for Today:

* Galloups callibaetis, size 16

* Mini leech jig damsel, size 14

*Zebra Midge, black, sizes 16-20

* Bubbas callebaetis, size 16

* Hares Ear, size 14-16

Our top Dry Flies for Today:

*Parachute Adams, sizes 14-18

*Adult damsel, size 14

• Chubby damsel, size 14

Morrish May, grey, size 14-16

Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:

• Baby Gonga, white/yellow, rainbow, size 8
• Swim Coach, black/purple, size 4
• Meat Whistle, crawfish size 1/0
• Home Invader, olive/white, size 6