Jonathan Cook wrote:
rw wrote:

Dave LaCourse wrote:

On Sat, 05 Aug 2006 10:13:17 -0600, rw
wrote:


[bunch of MF dialog]

I have to say that this thread is what ROFF is _really_
all about. Us regulars know that the two involved have
no love lost between them, but when it comes to helping
out on fishing advice, rw steps right in.

Wonderful!

I should also mention that Dave doesn't need any "fishing advice" from
me. I know he's an excellent fisherman. And the guides for Solitude or
the two Helfrich outfits will know at least as much as I do about the
Middle Fork.

From the boat during the day, while floating, I'd fish large
terrestrials along the bank. I'd expect a lot of caddis in the morning
and the evening. There are some mayfly hatches, but they're sporadic and
sparse in my experience. A stonefly nymph followed by a PT or a GRHE is
a good choice when the fishing is slow on top. Also a big gaudy dry fly
fished in the holes -- Madam X and Turk's Tarantula are local favorites.
Don't pull the trigger too soon when you see the fish come up from ten
feet down.

There are big Bull Trout in the Middle fork, so a streamer might be
productive. Or you could keep a small cutt on the hook for awhile and
get lucky. Just kidding!

Dirty water will put the fish down. The Middle Fork is usually crystal
clear, but there are blowouts if it rains where there have been large
fires in recent years. If the main river is dirty the tributaries will
fish very well. I think the fish move into them to escape the silt.

The nature of the river is that there are long stretches of unproductive
water with few or only small fish. Any decent fish will most probably be
along the banks on these stretches, but it's also worth casting to the
rocks. The deep holes below the rapids and along the rock-face bends
hold most of the good fish.

A good cutt on the Middle Fork is 18".

When the fishing is really on it's possible to have a 100-fish day on
the Middle Fork, but we all know that that is very wrong. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.