Spring Hatch Report by Fishing Guide Mike Kaul
Two Rivers Emporium in Pinedale, Wyoming

Well Spring has finally arrived in the Rocky Mountains. The grass is turning green and the aspen are starting to show pretty good size leaf structure. The trout are starting to look around for new sources of food and are plenty hungry.

Being located at 7,000 feet above sea level Spring can come and go rapidly, so we have wild swings in temperature and moisture which makes it a challenge for the angler. Folks at lower elevations are generally experiencing good warm spring weather, but we here in the mountains know Mother Nature will yet play a few tricks on us before summer.

The last few days have brought warmer than normal temperatures which has prompted the spring run-off. Most of our streams will be high and riley (off-color) for the next several weeks. Our snow pack in the high country is lighter than normal and we did not have a lot of snow at lower levels so we will have to rely on our great glacier system in the Wind River Mountains for good, cool water flow throughout the summer. Thank heaven for those glaciers!

The hatch situation has changed a little do to these conditions. When the weather started to warm and we had some good sunny days normally the streams would start to raise and turn off-color with the melting of the low level snow.

The lack of low level snow allowed the streams to run clear during this warm period and prompted good sub-surface bug activity and during certain periods of the day, if the conditions were right, Blue Wing Olives, Duns and March Browns were coming of to the extent that the hungry trout were enticed to surface for a good meal. This is one of those deals where you had to be there to take advantage of this opportunity and it usually does not last very long.

Spring and Golden Stone flies are hatching and trailing a stone pattern behind a bead-head streamer is very effective this time of year. The Beldar Buggers (browns and yellows) seem to work very well along with the old standards Black and Olive Wooly Buggers. If you catch a warm afternoon look around for a good Caddis hatch and put on a 12 or 14 Elk Hair Caddis.

I was out doing some fencing this past weekend and saw a few hoppers. I use hoppers from the 1 st of April to the end of October. My theory is the fish do not know if they are looking at the first or last hopper of the season, it is just a real good meal, so do not rule out a hopper.

Keep in mind water conditions will change daily during the spring run-off, as will the hatch. Stop in at one of the local fly shops to check water conditions and current hatch activity.

FISHING SEASON IS HERE!!

Mike Kaul
Two Rivers Emporium
WYADVENTUR@aol.com