The great spring fishing we saw on Crane has led right into a fantastic start to the summer season for one of the area’s most sought after stillwater fisheries. We’ve been consistently receiving reports from our guides and shop customers of excellent fishing, and there is no reason it should slow down anytime soon. We’re still fishing a lot of Chironomids and Leeches, and need to see things warm up a little more before the Damsels and Callibaetis become major food sources. The best numbers are coming below an indicator, the Chironomid/Balanced Leech combination is tough to beat. We are also seeing good numbers of fish while stripping Leech patterns on intermediate lines, which can be a fun way to change things up for those not wanting to look too much at an indicator. We are seeing some Caddis and various small Mayflies as well, and when conditions are right there is potential to find fish looking towards the surface. Terrestrial patterns will also find an occasional opportunistic fish throughout the day. Fish are still spread throughout the lake so there is no need to focus too much on the channels just yet. It shouldn’t be long before we start to see the Damsels moving around and the Callibaetis should start showing up any time now with the warm weather in the forecast.
Suggested Dries: X Caddis #14-18, Tan Elk Hair Caddis #14-18, Cutter’s Caddis #14-18, Outrigger Caddis #14-18, Parachute Adams #14-18, Purple Haze #14-18, Tilt Wing Callibaetis #14-16, Thorax Callibaetis #14-16, Hackle Stacker Callibaetis #14-16, Parachute Callibaetis #14-16
Suggested Nymphs: Black or Purple Zebra Midge #16-18, Juju Chironomid #16, Black Ice Cream Cone #14-18, Traffic Light Black Nugget Chironomid #14-18, Dark Assassin #14-18, Balanced Assassin #14, Bird’s Nest Hare’s Ear #14-16, Bird’s Nest or Black Depth Charge #14-16, Trigger Callibaetis #14-16, Mighty May Callibaetis #14-16, Black or Red Two Bit Hooker #16-18, Balance Leech #14