Lees Ferry Fishing Report
By: Terry Gunn
May 1, 2012
Recent Fish rating
Upriver: 7 to 8.5
Walk-In: 7 to 8.5
Spin-Fishing: 4 to 6
Key: 1 = Go fish somewhere else 10 = Rent a helicopter and get here now!
Today’s Weather: Sunny, Low 60 High 87
The spring weather has been near perfect with very few windy days.
Crowd Rating
Upriver: 2-3 No Crowds during the week & 4.5 on the weekends
Walk In: 1 Nobody here during the week & 4 to 6 on the weekends
Key: 1 = Sleep late and fish where you want. 10 = Very crowded, get up early
Fly Fishing Up-River.
What a difference a week can make! The bugs finally decided it was time to hatch and the midges and blackflies are making up for lost time. Over the past several days we have been seeing epic hatches throughout most of the river and the fish are moving out of the deeper water into the shallows to enjoy the feast. I spent today in the riffles and it was amazing how many fish were feeding on emerging midges below the surface. One way that you can always tell that the fish are feeding heavy is that they do not spook away from you. When the fish are feeding hard they will stay put and almost ignore the wading angler. I usually don’t like to talk numbers but the client I had today was a really good stick and we both agreed that he probably stuck 75 fish, 6 fish I measured at more than 18”, the largest was >20” and all the rest were in great shape and nice fish. I would guess that 25% of the fish were on dry flies and the rest were on nymphs. This was the best fishing day for me of the season and I think that it is a trend and I expect May to be great. I cannot begin to guarantee you that you will have a day like this here but I can assure you that it is more likely that you will have better fishing in the coming weeks than in this past March or April. I have also seen more spawning fish the last few days than were around last month. Go figure…it is late but it looks like a few fish decided to spawn after all.
Current flow forecast call May flows to be near the same flows that we saw in April, with a low of 7,000 cfs occurring in the morning then a slow rise to 13,000 cfs in the afternoon. These are perfect flows for fishing Lees Ferry. Remember that the flows are lower on Saturday and Sunday and these lower flows are almost always better for the midge hatches and fishing. It is more crowded on weekends but the fishing sure can be good. The projected flows for June will be slightly higher but should still be good for wading and fishing. The flows in July will be much higher and this is the time of year that we get back in the boats and spend most of our time drifting and fishing from the boat. July is the month for cicadas and the biggest fish of the year.
We have been mixing up wading and also drifting midge rigs from the boat which is a great way to get to the feeding fish in the deeper water. This is also a terrific way to cover lots of water and show fish that get very little fishing pressure a fly. The trick is to know where the fish are and then set up your drift do that the boat drifts through the area that contains the most fish. You always want to cast away from the boat towards either shore. The trick is to get a perfect dead drift the same as when you are wading. The best way to do this is to fish slack line on the water. You will need a long leader and the right amount of split shot and as a general rule, if you cannot see the bottom, you are fishing water that is too deep.
There have been some recent comments regarding our fishing report not being updated more often. I have personally taken over the duties of writing the report so that I can guarantee the information is accurate and to the point. We all know that fishing can vary from day to day but what I look for are trends and you can rest assured that I post a new report as soon as I see a trend developing or changing. If the report is a week or more old just assume that it is status quo and nothing of importance has changed since the posting of the last report. If you need more information feel free to pick up the phone and talk to a live person at 800-962-9755, we are here 363 days a year, 15 hours a day.
To help understand why midges are so important to our fishing success it’s good to know more about the lifecycle of midges and their importance to the trout diet. The adult midges contribute very little to the trout diet. It is rare that you will see an adult trout rise to feed on an adult midge; the reason is that the amount of energy expended is not worth the food intake. The adult midges breed then release their eggs into the water. The eggs sink and hatch into a tiny caterpillar (larvae) that lives on the bottom of the river for an extended period of time. At some point the larvae pupates and forms a chrysalis. The midge pupae will release in mass, and countless pupae will begin slowly drifting to the surface. This in turn flips the feeding switch for the trout and the fish will move into the shallow riffles where the pupae are concentrated by the shallow water. This is when the trout are feeding so heavily that they get careless and will eat our fly if it has a close resemblance to the midge pupae that they are feeding on.
The bigger the hatch the better the fishing; this is why the best fishing always occurs during big hatches and why the midge hatches are so important to the trout diet. The biggest midge hatches always occur in the lower water flows. During the lower flows trout are not eating worms or scuds because these food items are not available; the only time that worms and scuds are available is during the high water flows when the higher velocity water moves the suds and worms around. If there are no midge hatches in the lower flows the fish will not be feeding and the fishing will be slow. I go into a lot more detail on fish feeding behavior here: http://www.leesferry.com/main/area-information/fishing-101
Be sure to stop by the shop to see the flies that are currently working. The flies change on a daily basis and every day the LFA guides let everyone at the shop know the top producing flies and how to use them.
The streamer fishing has been picking up and will likely get hot when the water flows increase this summer. The reason for this is that the higher flows move larger food items around (scuds, worms, etc.).
Walk-In Fly Fishing Report: by Dean Windham
05-01-12
The walk in has been fishing really great again this week. All areas have been seeing many fish and some with good size. The flows have been the same as the past few months. The weather has been good but there was a low pressure front that came through last week that slowed down the fishing for a day and a half. Other than that the fishing is excellent.
The upper boulder field has been the most productive area on a consistent basis all week. The pocket water has been holding some nice 18 to 20 inch fish. Midges have been doing well. The San Juan worm has also been doing much better the past few days. I have not heard of many anglers using streamers in this area but in the afternoon they should be productive.
From the big boulder down to the Paria is fishing really good in the morning and then on and off until 4 or 5 pm. Midges are the hot fly here also. But streamers have been working better here all day and have been producing some larger fish, The inner seams have been where the fish are holding. You don’t have to wade very far to get into fish. The first seam is only about 5 feet from the shore. Watch how the bubbles and foam float and put your offering in the same area at the same speed. Long drifts can be done here but are not necessary to get fish. A good drift of 20 feet or so should be enough.
At the area where the Paria enters the Colorado, a number of larger fish were taken this week. I was catching at least one fish every day in the 18-20 inch range. Most of the fish in this area are fat and really fight hard. San Juan worms with midges are working really well here. Glo bugs work at times but don’t appear to produce a consistent bite. Streamers also work very well here especially in the evening.
So if you have not been up here recently, what are you waiting for? The weather is great and the fish are biting like crazy. Hope to see you on the water soon.
Spin fishing walk-in report 5-1-12
Spin Fishing Up River:
Spin fishing is just OK. The reason that it has slowed down is due to the fact there is so much algae floating in the river that it is difficult to get a good drift.
• 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.
Here is a report form one of our customers.
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 9:50 AM Subject: [Lees Ferry Anglers] Fishing report
My Son Scott and I decided to fish Lee’s Ferry as a “last minute” hey lets go fishing trip. The walk in on Saturday was crowded and a bit slow, but worth the effort. On Sunday we fished with Guide Jeff English from your shop. Again a last minute booking so we were fortunate to get him. Jeff put us on fish all day and needless to say we caught a boat load. Dry-dropper was the ticket. I have been fortunate to fish some A+ and blue ribbon fisheries with great success. Sunday was as good if not the best day as any I ever had on the Big Horn, Madison or Yellowstone!!! Thanks Jeff!!! AND your teaching moment was a success—I now understand that if you don’t land the fish, it is never the fishes fault…;} Thanks to the shop staff and kitchen for great treatment! We’ll see you in July/!!!
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
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!
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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, Tyler Smith, Kevin Campbell, Dale Gauthier, and Jared Nelson make up our guiding staff. Lees Ferry Anglers is proud of our fly-fishing guide team! Wendy Gunn, Ted Welling, Tyler Smith, Dean Windham, Andy Vincent and Katie McClenathen 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.










