Lees Ferry Fishing Report
Report by: Ted Welling
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Today’s rating:
Upriver: 6.00
Walk-In: 5.75
Key: 1 = Go fish somewhere else
10 = Rent a helicopter and get here now!
Today’s Weather: High clouds 72 degrees
Today’s Crowd Rating:
Upriver 2.0
Walk In: 1.0
Key: 1 = Sleep late and fish where you want.
10 = Very crowded, get up early!
Sorry, no new reports to pass on today. Will up date on tues. evening
Today’s Fly Fishing: Reports I received were good, water came up slow so fishing the tail-outs was O.K. until the water peaked. Those who drifted did well after
Spin Fishing Tips: Had a good report today, some anglers fished the rubber worm bouncing off the bottom and did well. Back trolling is still working well too. Don’t get many spin fishing reports so, if you are a spin fisherman and have a report to pass on PLEASE stop in and give us your report and we will pass it on.
Walk In: I have to tell you this area is still fishing very well. Move around a bit to find where the fish are. Reports I have had in the past few days were very positive, fishing is good in this section. You must have your fly right on the bottom if not you won’t catch fish so you may have to adjust your weight some to find the perfect rig. And that in itself can be ever changing as the water rises and the flow increases. Tight lines!!!
Fishing Synopsis and Forecast by Terry Gunn
Our recent fall weather has been almost perfect, with the exception of a couple windy days. The ramp rates in October have been more favorable than those we saw in September. The water has been slowly rising in the morning and peaking at a lower rate than last month. The trout have slowly been moving into the riffles to feed on the small (size 28) midges that are hatching most days. Most of the guides are having their best fishing by drifting out of the boats in the deeper water (3 to 8-ft deep). Bead head zebra midges are producing best in sizes of #18 to #20. When fishing these small midges it is critical to go down to 7X tippet, anything larger will not produce fish. I recently saw a rare sight for Lees
Ferry, a fairly prolific hatch of mayflies!
The water flows are near perfect for wading most of the popular spots on the river as well as the walk-in section. There will be a slight flow
increase in November, but will not be a large enough increase to impact the wading angler. The fish continue to look good, are strong, and in
great physical shape. The weather is finally cooling off and the remainder of October is normally the best and most comfortable weather of the year. We are seeing a tremendous number of fingerling trout in the river. This is a result from the terrific spawn that we saw this past spring, which bodes well for the future. The downside is that these fish will not be of catchable size until after next summer.
The AZ Game and Fish Department recently detected whirling disease in a small percentage of Lees Ferry trout that were collected for a random sampling. For those of you who are not familiar with whirling disease; this disease only affects fingerling trout and limits their survival. Adult trout can harbor the disease but in all respects appear healthy and normal. The arrival of whirling disease at Lees Ferry isn’t good news nor is it necessarily terrible news. Whirling Disease has infected many of the
tail-Water rivers with clear, cold water which is a consistent temperature year-around. Consistent cold water temperatures are believed by most
experts on the disease to keep the spread and severity of the disease in check. I’ll be sure to keep you informed as more data becomes available.
In the mean time when you do come to Lees Ferry be sure to clean your wading gear thoroughly before you leave to prevent the spread of
Whirling Disease. For more information visit:
http://www.whirling-disease.org
Spin Fishing: Egg patterns are still producing down deep when drifting. Make sure that you have the proper weight on so that the flies are bouncing the bottom and not dragging bottom. Consider a scud dropped below the glo bug about a foot and a half. Kastmasters and Rapalas are also productive while back trolling.
Projected River Flows:
Glen Canyon Dam Operations
Releases from Glen Canyon Dam in October 2007 will average 9,800
cubic feet per second (cfs) with a total of 600,000 acre-feet
scheduled to be released for the month. On Mondays through Fridays in
October, daily release fluctuations due to load following will likely
vary between a low of 6,500 cfs (during late evening and early
morning off-peak hours) to a high of 12,500 cfs (during daylight and
early evening on-peak hours). On Saturdays and Sundays, release
fluctuations will likely vary between a low of 6,500 cfs to a high of
12,000 cfs.
Releases in November 2007 will likely be similar to October. The
current schedule shows 600,000 acre-feet of release in November 2007,
which corresponds to an average flow of 10,100 cfs.
April through July unregulated inflow to
million acre-feet, only 51 percent of average. Water year inflow to
percent of average. The 2007 water year inflow was boosted by the
heavy storm events that took place in October 2006 resulting in
Inflow to
inflow in September 2007 was 296,000 acre-feet, or 62 percent of average.
25, 2007
3,601.9 feet with 11.93 million acre-feet of storage (49 percent of
capacity). The elevation of
identical to what it was one year ago today. [On
elevation of
The water surface elevation of
between now and March of 2008. The projected elevation of
on
Lees Ferry Anglers - Fly Shop Specials:
*****CLOSEOUTS******
SIMMS WADERS- Travel Waders $89.95, Lightweight Waders $109.95, Guide Waders $179.95, Half-finger Gloves $13.00, Women’s Classic Guide Waders $180.00, Wading Boots $50.00
EXOFFICIO- Men’s & Women’s Amphi Shorts $46.00
SMITH/ACTION OPTICS POLARIZED SUNGLASSES- 2006 discontinued models at 50% OFF
ROSS SPOOLS- 50% OFF
Cliff Dwellers Lodge
Our lodge has rooms with cable TV (20 channels), in-room coffee, and the basic amenities. Choice of rooms are ONE king-size bed $75 plus tax, TWO doubles $70 plus tax, and TWO queen-size beds $80 plus tax for 1 to 2 people. Also our group unit we call the HOUSE, sleeps six with two baths, dining area, kitchen, patio with a view, and cable TV. We are excited about the cool fall 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. Captains’ Terry Gunn, Jeff English, Kevin Campbell, Skip Dixon, Rick Smith and Natalie Jensen make up our guiding staff. Lees Ferry Anglers is proud of our fly-fishing guide team! Wendy Gunn, Natalie Jensen, Sandy Willie, Ted Welling, Jennifer Osgood, and Kris Stoudt work in the fly shop to provide you with the best customer service in the industry.
Email: anglers@leesferry.com
Lees Ferry Anglers
HC-67 Box 30
Toll Free 1-800-962-9755
Direct 1-928-355-2261
Fax 1-928-355-2271
Copyright © 1996-2006 Lees Ferry Anglers and Flyshop
All rights reserved Lees Ferry Fishing Report
Terry Gunn
Lees Ferry Anglers Fly Shop, Guides, & Rentals
Cliff Dwellers Lodge
http://www.terrygunn.com
http://www.leesferry.com
http://www.cliffdwellerslodge.com
800-962-9755