Report by: Tyler Smith
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Recent Fish rating
Upriver: 6.5 to 7.5
Walk-In: 7.0
Spin-Fishing: 7
Key: 1 = Go fish somewhere else 10 = Rent a helicopter and get here now!
Today’s Weather: Sunny, Low 33 High 58
The weather has been very mild and dry. The forecast is for more of the same.
Crowd Rating
Upriver: 1 No Crowds
Walk In: 1 Nobody here
Key: 1 = Sleep late and fish where you want. 10 = Very crowded, get up early
Be sure to take a look at our new website, it is vastly improved and full of great information about fishing Lees Ferry wwww.leesferry.com
Fly Fishing:
Fishing upriver has been good the last few of days. The river is running 9,550cfs for the majority of the day and increasing to 16,000cfs in the evening, but dropping back down by the morning. These new flows have really opened up the river creating an abundance of wading opportunities. Beginning in February the river will be running around 7,000cfs for the majority of the day and increasing to 13,000cfs in the evening and dropping back down by the morning. The key to a successful fishing day is to follow the sun. Where ever the sun is hitting on the water should make for better fishing.
Fishing the seams, riffles and drop offs from the gravel bars has been the most productive. We are primarily nymphing using Scuds, San Juan Worms, Zebra midges and Glo-bugs. The fish tend to be right on the edge or in the deeper water just after the drop off. Using a dry fly with a dropper such as a Zebra Midge, Glo-bug or Scud has also had some success depending on the water one is fishing.
There are more actively spawning trout in a few areas on the river. A person may consider fishing a Glo-Bug below a San Juan worm or a Scud. The spawn should only improve as we get later into January and February. However, the location of the spawning beds will change depending on the current river flows.
Although the water has come down another good option is fishing a small streamer or wooly bugger. Stripping the wooly bugger has been successful but the key is to vary your strip retrieve. This particular method may produce some larger fish. When streamer fishing, we highly recommend a Teeny 200 grain sinking tip or a similar line. The reason for the Teeny is that the sinking tip is twenty feet allows the streamer to cover more water effectively especially the deeper drop offs.
If this is your first time fishing at Lees Ferry or if it has been a long time since you last fished the Ferry we strongly recommend hiring a guide for the day. Not only will hiring a guide improve your chances at catching fish they will also give you advice on how to fish, where to fish and help improve your skills and techniques. It is a great way to learn the water.
If you’re contemplating a trip to Lees Ferry, I would say go for it. Fishing has been good. We have had a really mild winter thus far with comfortable temperatures. The crowds have virtually disappeared for the season it is as though you have the whole river to yourself. Weekends tend to have a little more traffic than during the week days. We have rooms available. Our winter rates are fifty dollars a night for one or two people from now until February 23, 2012. If you have any questions please give us a call at 1-800-962-9755.
Walk-In Report: By Dean Windham
Fly Fishing: The glo-bug is still working well in all areas of the walk-in. The fish seem to be getting used to the flow fluctations patterns and are feeding more in the morning and less as the day goes along. Everyone appears to be catching fish with some nice sizes also. Good news for February as the flow will fluctate but be even lower than this month. The predicted low flows will be 7,000 cfs in the morning and 13,000 peak in late afternoon. This will make the fishing even better.
The upper boulder area has been fishing well with glo-bugs, midges, and San Juan worms. A couple of people I spoke with also had some luck with scuds. This, area has some great holding water, so don’t overlook this as a fun place to fish.
The area from the big boulder down to the Paria River has been producing some really nice fat fish, Here also the glo-bug has been doing well. Most use a glo-bug dropper with a San Juan attractor. Some fisherman have also been using streamers, wooly buggers mainly, and having good results. Just remember if using streamers you will need a line with a long sinking tip. We recommend a Teeny T-200 line as it sinks quickly and puts the fly on top if the fish faster than the shorter sinking tip lines. With the lower flows wading is much easier and we can now get to some of the seams that we could not fish during the high flows of December.
The spot where the Paria enters the Colorado river is still fishing very good at all times. This is one area where it seem the fish are always hanging out. Twenty to thirty fish mornings are quite possible here. You can try most anything in this area including drys in the afternoon. Glo-bugs are the most consistent producer but everything works it’s just a matter of getting it down to where the fish are.
Remember when coming up to the Ferry make sure that you have new leader and tippet. The fish here will test your tackle and if it has any weaknesses they will find it.
Spin fishing the walk-in has been good this week. Most of the spin fishing is drifting glo-bugs. This has been the most successful method of taking fish at the walk-in as well as up river. Kastmaster and panther martins have also been working when you can find the fish and get them to drop down on the this. We did have some weather earlier in the week and it seemed that the spin fishing was better during this period. Spin fishing follows the same pattern as fly fishing in that the fish are more active in the morning with the rising flows and less active in the afternoon. This does not mean that you can not catch fish in the afternoon they just need more encouragement. With the lower flows predicted for February fishing should be even better but remember that with the lower flows it will take a while get used to what depth your lure needs to be at. You will be picking up more moss but you should also get more fish and perhaps even more larger fish.
The best area in the walk-in for spin fishing is where the Paria River joins the Colorado river but remember this area demands caution when wading due to all of the muck being deposited. The conditions change constantly so be aware of where you are wading. Also always put new line on your reels before fishing the Ferry as the fish are very strong and if your line is old it will not hold.
At the start of the week the rating was an 8 at the end of the week it was a 7 due to the fish getting used to the fluctuating flows and moving around more than the previous week. All in all the fishing is great and the weather has been awesome. If you have any questions about fishing the Ferry email us or call us at 1-800-962-9755 or stop by the Fly Shop for more tips and to pick up some local fly patterns. We’ll see you then.
Spin Fishing Up River:
Spin fishing is good! It’s all about bouncing Glo bugs, San Juan Worms and Scuds off the bottom.
You can also try fishing with gold Kastmasters, black and gold Panther Martins #5s or Rapalas in Perch or trout.
Also definitely don’t forget about the marabou jig, this one has been working great and has been very reliable.
Report from one of our customers:
I rented a boat from you all and fished the river on Sunday with 2 friends. First off the boat ran great. We had some issues the last time out and we appreciate that they are all resolved.
On to the fishing – 3 words — Best Day Ever. The weather cooperated wonderfully. Our party had 2 experienced Lees Ferry fisherman and one total noob. Our noob got a fish on the third cast and ended up with at least 20 to hand for the day. I got a fish on the first and second casts, missed the fish on the third and had one on the fourth. I had only two casts all day that did not have a strike or a fish and on those I had the flies stuck to the indicator. We each had over 100 fish to hand easily. It was truly and incredible day. I give the up river rating a 10 (maybe an 11).
Fish were hitting eggs, midges and worms with the eggs getting the most fish. We’ll be back soon.
Rusty
• If you have some news you would like to report about fishing lees ferry, the walk-in section or up river please e-mail your report to: anglers@leesferry.com Attn. Lees Ferry Fishing Report
• We would be happy to have your input, and pass it along.
For details on Lake Powell conditions and snow-pack, go here: http://lakepowell.water-data.com/
For a real time graphic view of water releases and ramp rates go here: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/uv?09380000
The AZ Game and Fish Department has detected whirling disease in a very small percentage of Lees Ferry trout that were collected for a random sampling. More recent samplings have turned up no sign of the disease, which may mean that it was a “one time†exposure, where the disease was not established or that the disease is present but at a very low prevalence. Anglers should still use caution in cleaning their equipment both before and after they have fished here or in other waters. For more information visit: http://www.whirling-disease.org
Lees Ferry Anglers Fly Shop maintains a large inventory of Abel, Sage, Winston, Temple Fork, Tibor, Galvin, Orvis, Simms, Patagonia, Scientific Anglers Mastery, Ex Officio, William Joseph, Fish Pond and Rio among others. We have been one of the largest fly tackle retailers in the southwest U.S. and we are Arizona’s oldest fly shop. We guarantee our prices to be the same or lower than any other fly shop or retail store. We offer free shipping on all orders over $100 and no sales tax on out of state sales. Call us for the best advice!
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE!!
*****CLOSEOUTS******
PATAGONIA- Women’s Stretch Jacket was $315.00 now $175.00
Call for all current sale items as they change quickly.
Cliff Dwellers Lodge:
Our lodge has rooms with cable TV (20 channels), in-room coffee, and the basic amenities. Choices of rooms are ONE king-size bed, TWO doubles and TWO queen-size beds. Also our group unit we call the HOUSE, sleeps six with two baths, dining area, kitchen, patio with a view, and cable TV. Rates vary with season. We are excited about the winter season and have some great “black board” specials planned. Patio dining is available. (Enclosed in the winter months)
Meet the Guides:
THE GUIDES AND STAFF OF LEES FERRY ANGLERS have thousands of days on this water, and over 100 years combined fish-guiding experience. Captain’s Terry Gunn, Jeff English, Skip Dixon, Natalie Jensen, Tyson Warren and Tyler Smith make up our guiding staff. Lees Ferry Anglers is proud of our fly-fishing guide team! Wendy Gunn, Ted Welling, Tyler Smith and Dean Windham work in the fly shop. We strive to provide you with the best customer service in the industry. All of our prices in our shop are the same or less than any of the Big Box stores and we really do appreciate your business.
A note from one of our customers:
Subject: Thanks
Greetings,
My name is Bill and I had the opportunity to fish Lee’s Ferry a few weeks ago while on vacation. My wife and I stopped by your shop to buy a fishing license and talk about the fishing. The salesman behind the counter was a great help, I wish I could remember his name. He suggested a lure, size and color, that I bought. And told me a good place to go fishing in the walk in area. He also told me the best time to be there on the water. He was right on. I caught several nice trout the largest being about 16 inches all released. The fishing was good, the scenery was assume, the weather was COLD and WET. I was not dressed for it.
The best part I looked up river and there was the salesman from behind the counter fishing about 50 yards from me, with a friendly wave.
Can’t wait to come back.
Thanks again
Bill
Posted in River Reports
