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Today’s Fish rating
Upriver: 7.5
Walk-In: 6.00
Key: 1 = Go fish somewhere else
10 = Rent a helicopter and get here now!

Today’s Weather: Mostly Sunny, High 103 Low 69

Up River crowd rating
2.0 No crowd
Walk In: 1.0 No Crowds
Key: 1 = Sleep late and fish where you want.
10 = Very crowded, get up early

Fly Fishing: Another great day of fishing here at the ferry.
Some anglers are having outstanding results with heavy nymphing and landing some great looking larger fish in the 17 to 20 inch range.

I have changed the rating not because the number of fish landed has increased but the overall health and size of these trout.

The cicadas have come and gone for the season and it was a minimal hatch this year at best, may-be next year. We are still landing a few on dry flies here and there but, not like 3 weeks ago along the tree lined shore. If that is what you prefer there are lot of fish stacked in the back eddies. However, if there is any kind of wind blowing the back eddies are sure to be vacant.
On a more positive note, we have noticed the midge hatches have been more and more prolific every day. Well, if the weather is in check with no wind or rain.

All in all, if the conditions remain we will most likely see some amazing fall season fishing. At the start of September the flows will be a constant 10,000 cfs thru October 31st. We here at lees ferry anglers believe the fishing will be just awesome during this time. We will keep you posted. T

Walk in: Word has it that this section is fishing well anglers are using the same bugs as up river. Dries –n- droppers, scuds, San Juan worms, and zebra midges. Anglers report fishing is productive from the boulder field all the way to the confluence.

Spin Fishing: I did a little spin fishing the past few days and did well.
I was using both a panther martin and a vibrax blue fox and I can’t tell you what worked better. Both did the trick. It was not on fire or nothing but, I was pleased. So, if you have been thinking of fishing,,,,,,,, C’mon down, fishing is good at lees ferry. Ted

BE SURE YOU CRIMP THE BARBS.
• 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.
-Ted Welling, Lees Ferry Anglers & Cliff Dwellers Lodge

Lees Ferry Fishing Synopsis and Forecast by Terry Gunn 6/29/09

Visit www.leesferry.com for daily fishing reports and updates.

Recent Fishing Conditions: Summer arrived with the mild temperatures and calm winds, a welcome relief from our crummy spring weather. The weather has warmed of late and the cicadas are starting to sing and the fish are just now starting to key in on them. It is too early to tell what “kind” of cicada year it will be…every year is different. I have seen the bite last only 2 weeks and other years last well into late August. Our cicadas are unusual in the fact that they hatch every year, most places they occur every 7 or 14 years. I have seen 4 hatches that were so intense that the fish would come up off the bottom in the middle of the river to eat a cicada that has landed on the water. Watch our daily reports for up to date reports on the cicada hatch.

The water flows will increase in volume for July and August. These two months usually provide the best and most consistent fishing of the entire year here at Lees Ferry and they are also the least crowded. In the higher water most all of our fishing is done from the boat, drifting with heavy nymph rigs or casting big cicada dry flies into the rocky shores. The largest fish of the year are usually caught in the summer months and it is during these 2 months that the trout experience tremendous growth rates due to the high water transporting large quantities of food around.

For those who were fortunate to be here during the 8,000 constant flows in early July, they likely experienced the best fishing of their lives. There were many days where more than 100 fish were hooked per rod, fishing was off the charts (we rated it a “9” only because no fish over 10-lbs were landed). You may remember from my previous reports my mention of our prolific spawn of 2007 and that the river was full of small fish that disappear from the time that they reach 3” and reappear when they are 12” long…well, they showed up in mass immediately following the 8,000 constant flow. They are everywhere! For the first time in many years we are catching fish of all sizes, from 10’’ to 20” which is typical of a very healthy river. The only downside is that our average fish size has dramatically decreased; the river is still chock-full of big fish but the challenge is getting your fly past the smaller and not so smart little fish.

The current health of the river is outstanding…better than it has been in years. Last year’s above normal runoff into Lake Powell delivered and stirred up countless tons of nutrients into the water and this nutrient rich water is passing through the dam and into the river. Algae is everywhere in the river and this provides food and habitat for the aquatic food base that the trout depend upon. Lake Powell has risen more than 30-ft this year and is still rising which is good news for us and all of the people in the southwest who depend on this water for household use and electrical generation. The rising lake and the nutrient load will guarantee this trend of healthy trout populations and good fishing will continue for the next several years.

The turning point and the beginning for the recovery of the Lees Ferry fishery occurred in 2005 when Lake Powell had the first above normal snow-pack and runoff year since 1997. Last year we had almost exactly the same conditions. The above normal winter snow pack and runoff into Lake Powell in 2007-08, stirred up a tremendous amount of nutrient laden sediment that had accumulated at the lake mouths of the Colorado River, San Juan River, and the Green River. Lake Powell elevation increased 43-ft. and the rivers flowing into the lake mixed the sediment and nutrients into the lake water. It usually takes several months before we see this mixing affect. The increased nutrient load in the lake and river is evident this spring by the dramatic increase in aquatic vegetation and aquatic organisms throughout the river.

For those of you that remember what the fishing was like in 1999 and 2000…you should be as excited as I am about the current conditions and what the increased nutrient load should do for the fishing at Lees Ferry.

Lots of stuff happening at the Ferry and it is all good!

Recent Fishing: With the water flows increasing we will be spending more time fishing from the boat than wading. Fishing techniques have been mixed between using a “heavy nymph rig” which is a 9 to 12-ft leader, strike indicator, split shot, and dual fly rig, a “double tiny” rig with a long leader and 2 bead-head midges on 7X, or a dry and dropper rig. I have been using 6 and 7X fluorocarbon tippet and feel that the lighter tippet results in a much higher success rate than say 5X. Anglers might argue that they break fish off on such light tippet but my argument is that in order to break a fish off, you first have to first get a fish to eat your fly and you are going to get more eaters with lighter tippet than heaver tippet.

When wading the riffles you need long dead drifts. There are 2 types of drifts; perfect dead drifts and all other drifts. Perfect dead drifts catch fish at Lees Ferry; all other drifts don’t catch fish here. You get a dead drift by mending the line, then throwing slack line on the water. If your line is straight from your rod tip to your indicator or you move your indicator during the drift, then your drift is not perfect and will not catch fish. The key to success is to stay over fish, get the flies down to the bottom, and get a long, perfect dead drift.

The high flow experiment, 4/08, was basically a non event as far as the fishery is concerned. It came and went with few visible changes to the river or the fishery. For more details and to see my complete comments go here: http://coloradoriverconservancy.org/.

The experimental steady flows that occurred in September and October 2008 (12,000 constant) were beneficial to the river and are scheduled again for 2009. In years past, the flows in September and October have been the lowest flows of the year and have reset the “green line” to the 5,000-cfs level from the 12,000-cfs level of the summer flows. This has effectively reduced the food supply in the river by a significant amount. Then the higher flows of November and December arrive; but because of the declining sun angle and the shade of the cliffs, photosynthesis and aquatic production in the river declines and the areas of the river that were desiccated by the low flows do not regenerate until the following spring. This did not happen this year because of the steady flows in September and October the green line stayed high. The current fluctuating flows (7,500-cfs to 13,000-cfs) are continuing to keep the green line higher than in years past. There have been prolific midge and black-fly hatches every day and it appears as though the scud population has a higher density than any time since 2004.

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

New guides at Lees Ferry Anglers: The last couple of years we have had several long time guide staff move on to bigger and hopefully better things. Last year we had 3 new guides join our team, though new to our organization they are not new to guiding. Luke Blaser, Tom Jones, and JD Miller have joined our team. They bring with them a couple of decades of combined guiding experience on various waters around the world, college degrees, and an enthusiasm for guiding that is contagious. I’m proud to introduce these fellows and I’m sure that you will agree that they are a great addition to our team.

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. A more recent sampling 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

Glen Canyon Dam / Lake Powell
At the beginning of the day on August 29, 2009, and through the end of the day on August 31, 2009, releases from Glen Canyon Dam will be made in accordance with the attached schedule. This schedule details a flow transition from the daily fluctuating release regime during the month of August, 2009 to a steady release regime which will begin on September 1, 2009.

During the month of September and October 2009, releases from Glen
Canyon Dam will be held steady as a part of the steady flow experiment described in the Final Environmental Assessment for Experimental Releases from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, 2008 through 2012 (EA). The steady release target for 2009 is 10,000 cfs.

This notification is to confirm that the release volume from Glen Canyon Dam for September 2009 will be 595,000 acre-feet. Hourly and daily average releases from Glen Canyon Dam for September 2009 will be steady with no fluctuations for power generation. However, as described in the EA, releases may fluctuate +/-1,200 cfs within each hour, if necessary, for power system regulation. The hourly average releases should be maintained very close to the steady flow target of 10,000 cfs. Spinning reserves will also be available if needed for emergency response purposes.

The release volume for October 2009 will be 615,000 acre-feet and releases will also be steady at 10,000 cfs as a continuation of the steady flow experiment.

Transition Release
Schedule Page 1

Date Time CFS
8/29/09 1:00 10000
8/29/09 2:00 10000
8/29/09 3:00 10000
8/29/09 4:00 10000
8/29/09 5:00 10000
8/29/09 6:00 10000
8/29/09 7:00 10000
8/29/09 8:00 10000
8/29/09 9:00 10500
8/29/09 10:00 11500
8/29/09 11:00 14000
8/29/09 12:00 15500
8/29/09 13:00 15500
8/29/09 14:00 16000
8/29/09 15:00 16000
8/29/09 16:00 16500
8/29/09 17:00 16500
8/29/09 18:00 16500
8/29/09 19:00 16000
8/29/09 20:00 15500
8/29/09 21:00 15500
8/29/09 22:00 14000
8/29/09 23:00 12500

8/30/09 0:00 11500
8/30/09 1:00 10000
8/30/09 2:00 10000
8/30/09 3:00 10000
8/30/09 4:00 10000
8/30/09 5:00 10000
8/30/09 6:00 10000
8/30/09 7:00 10000
8/30/09 8:00 10000
8/30/09 9:00 10000
8/30/09 10:00 11500
8/30/09 11:00 12500
8/30/09 12:00 13500
8/30/09 13:00 14500
8/30/09 14:00 15500
8/30/09 15:00 16000
8/30/09 16:00 16000
8/30/09 17:00 16000
8/30/09 18:00 16000
8/30/09 19:00 15000
8/30/09 20:00 14500
8/30/09 21:00 14500
8/30/09 22:00 13000
8/30/09 23:00 12500

Transition Release
Schedule Page 2

8/31/09 0:00 11500
8/31/09 1:00 10000
8/31/09 2:00 10000
8/31/09 3:00 10000
8/31/09 4:00 10000
8/31/09 5:00 10000
8/31/09 6:00 10000
8/31/09 7:00 10000
8/31/09 8:00 11000
8/31/09 9:00 12000
8/31/09 10:00 14000
8/31/09 11:00 15250
8/31/09 12:00 15500
8/31/09 13:00 15500
8/31/09 14:00 15500
8/31/09 15:00 15500
8/31/09 16:00 15500
8/31/09 17:00 15500
8/31/09 18:00 15500
8/31/09 19:00 15500
8/31/09 20:00 15500
8/31/09 21:00 14500
8/31/09 22:00 13000
8/31/09 23:00 11500
9/1/09 0:00 10000

Check out: www.kutv.com/content/outdoors/default.aspx

I have had some people that are fishing on their own (unguided) tell me that they are having a difficult time catching fish. The fishing has changed from the peak of 2000 and many people are not adapting to the new conditions. The current fish population is lower than it was in 2000 and there are not fish “everywhere” in the river like there were several years back (this is probably the reason that we are seeing better conditioned and larger fish today). Just because you might have been successful in one spot on the river in the past does not mean that particular spot is always good. There are many times of the year that the water flows, or conditions are not right to hold fish at “famous” spots such as 4 mile or Dam Island. It is often challenging, even for a good guide, to stay on top of where the fish are and what they are eating; but we do have the advantage of spending a lot of time on the water.

Lees Ferry Anglers - Fly Shop Specials:
“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 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, Skip Dixon, Rick Smith, Natalie Jensen, J.D. Miller, Luke Blaser and Tom Jones make up our guiding staff. Lees Ferry Anglers is proud of our fly-fishing guide team! Wendy Gunn, Sandy Willie, Ted Welling, 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
Marble Canyon, AZ 86036
Toll Free 1-800-962-9755
Direct 1-928-355-2261
Fax 1-928-355-2271

Copyright © 1996-2009 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