There are some incredible fish coming out of Crane Prairie, but they aren’t coming easily. Fish are spread throughout the lake, and our guides are finding just as many fish in the shallower parts of the lake as in the channels. Covering water is key to finding an area of concentrated fish, so slow stripping Wooly Buggers and leech patterns is a good place to start. We are beginning to see more in the way of standard Chironomids in the #14-16 range rather than the small Midges we saw through most of the Summer. As a result, an indicator rig with a red or black Chironomid and a balanced leech is one of our standard searching setups. Make sure to impart a decent amount of movement to the flies, not only to attract attention but to cover water at a decent rate. As we said fish are not always coming easily, but there are some lunkers around for those who put in the time to find them. Fishing continues to be best when we’ve got a little chop on the water, especially in the shallows where fish tend to be more wary.
Scott and Dave got into some beautiful wild fish on a recent trip.
Suggested Dries: Paracricket #14-16, Chubby Chernobyl #14-16, Black Stimulator #14-16, CDC Flying Ant #16, High Vis Beetle #16, Purple Haze #16-20, Parachute Adams #16-20
Suggested Nymphs: Dark Assassin #16-18, Olive Bird’s Nest Hare’s Ear #14-18, Black Yankee Buzzer #14-16, Ice Cream Cone Blk or Red #10-14, Two Bit Hooker #16-18, Bruised Balanced Leech Olive or Black #10-14, Ruby Balanced Leech #10-14, Thin Mint #8-12, Olive Wooly Bugger #8-12