The Crooked saw its fair share of high water this spring, and has essentially been out of the question as far as fishing opportunity goes for more than a month. We’re happy to report that the flows have come down to a manageable level and it’s time to start thinking about heading East for some native Redsides again. At the moment flows are a touch over 400, so expect high-water conditions, but know that there is plenty of fishable water and good numbers of hungry trout. With the off-colored water we tend to size up slightly when picking our flies. Midge patterns are still a good go-to, we like dark colors like black and purple which provide a profile the fish can see. Baetis patterns are also great this time of year, size 16 seems to be the sweet spot but venturing up or down a size can produce good results. Something with a little flash like a Rainbow Warrior or Lightning Bug can be great while we have the high water. Now is also the time to start thinking about swinging leech patterns and soft hackles, a black Slump Buster can save the day if the small flies don’t seem to be getting the job done. Continue to keep an eye on the flows. They’ve been jumping around a fair amount and a drastic change in water level can slow things down for the couple of days following a change.
Suggested Flies: Black or Purple Zebra Midge #16-18, Black or Red Two Bit Hooker #16-18, Olive Micro Mayfly #16-18, BH Pheasant Tail #14-18, Olive Anato-May #14-18, Copper Microstone #14-16, Black or Pearl Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Black or Pearl Lightning Bug #14-18, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear #14-18, Olive Soft Hackle #14-18, Black Slump Buster #10, Black Wooly Bugger #10-12