It doesn't have to get any better than today.

After a couple of days where things just didn't fall into place and the fish were hard to come by, today seemed heaven sent. It was easily my best day to date and the odds on favorite for best day of the year. Had rising trout every minute I was in the water.  Bug hatches were super and for the most part good casts got looks and a lot of takes. Landed all but three fish I hooked with a 20 inch brown beating out a 19.5 inch rainbow for fish of the day.

Where was I fishing?  Three places - one above the no-kill on the WB, one in the no-kill on the WB and one on the BE where judging by the coffin fly I took out of the mouth of the first fish I caught, the drake hatch is over.

Where should you fish?  For starters, if its a sunny day you should head for the WB upstream from Oquaga before noon.  Why?  Because the apple caddis and the trout are putting on a show well worth watching. The fish are eating subsurface during most of the hatch but if you wait until the hatch starts to wain the fish will begin to look up. Then it's up to you.

The rest of the river system is in various stages of the big bug hatch.  Guides have flocked to the BR for the drake hatch and it has left a big portion of the system relatively boat free. Because of the cold water releases and their effect on the temperature in the various rivers you have as good a chance to run into a  hatch or spinner fall right now as you ever will.  I just can't tell you where.  The hatching is a factor of both temp and sunlight.  If its cold and cloudy the hatches can occur mid day. If it's hot and sunny the hatches will be pushed back until near dark.  If you are looking for a spinner fall, drive along a road near one of the rivers after 7:00 and when bugs start hitting your windshield, STOP and FISH.


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