Fishing Report
Stay tuned for weekly fishing reports throughout the season. We will provide you with current conditions, hatches, and suggested fly patterns.
Updated, July 21st, 2024
North Platte: Cooler evenings and afternoon rainstorms helped to stave off warm water temperatures this week, sustaining fishing throughout the day. Fishing on the North Platte will remain productive throughout the day. Tricos are becoming more noticed during the mid-morning hatches but are not quite to the prolific numbers yet. Certainly, be on the lookout this week for fish beginning to key in on the fallen spinners. During these times, fish can become very picky in what flies they will take. Come prepared with a few different trico spinner patterns with varying wing sizes and materials. Long leaders and accurate casts make for better luck during the feeding window when trout are podded up and feeding on fallen trico spinners. When not keyed in on these tiny mayflies, fish can be fooled with a variety of other fly patterns: midges, small mayflies, terrestrials, yellow sallies, and caddis can all work very well. Target fast riffles during the hot sunny days and throw streamers when cloud cover and if rain moves in. Both of these tactics will work equally as well on Big Creek as on the North Platte.
Evening caddis hatches have also continued to provide anglers with opportunities to catch rising fish. Indicator rigs, with a stonefly imitation and a flashy nymph, continue to produce fish in deeper runs and pocket water behind boulders. With clearer water, now is the time to lighten tippet, with nymph rigs having the most success on 4x-6x.
Big Creek: Big Creek is low and clear, however recent showers have kept temperatures and flow at ideal levels. Fish are happy and actively feeding on hoppers, smaller stoneflies, and caddis throughout the day. Rigging with 4x-6x tippet is recommended, though anglers should be patient landing larger fish on lighter tippet! Fishing hopper-dropper and dry-dropper rigs with caddis, terrestrials and attractor dries have all proven to be successful.
In warm weather conditions, please be careful handling fish. We encourage all angers to keep fish wet by quickly releasing them back to the water right away and limiting the time out of the water by taking fewer photos.
Current Hatches: Caddis (black and tan), Tricos, Yellow Sallies, PMDs, Midges, and Terrestrials (grasshopper, beetles, cicada, and ants).
Suggested Fly Patterns:
Nymphs: Black and Coffee Rubberlegs (#6-10), Wired Stoneflies (#6-10) Rainbow Warriors (#18), Peaches and Cream (#12-14), Z-Wing Caddis (#12-14), Egan’s Jig (#14), Copper Johns (Green, Red and Copper) (#12-16), Pheasant Tails (#14-18), Prince Nymph (#12-16), Duracell (#12-16), Spanish Perdigon (#18), Zebra Midges (#18-22)
Streamers: Wooly Bugger, Kreelex, Slumpbuster, Bread n Butter, Thin Mints, all (#2-8).
Dries: Chubby Chernobyls (#10-14), Stimulator Caddis (#10-14), Elk Hair Caddis (#12-16), Grasshoppers (#10-14), Parachute Adams (Natural and Purple) (#12-18), Purple Haze (#18), Trico Duns and Spinners (#18-22), Yellow Sallies (#12-16), PMDs (#14-18), Beetles (#10-14), Ants (#10-14), Griffith’s Gnat (#18)
General Entomology
The major insect hatches consist of stoneflies, caddis, and mayflies. There is also an ample supply of terrestrial insects, aquatic worms, and native minnows that make up much of a trout’s diet.
Hatches generally begin mid-morning, and at times will last the entire day. Spring offers a diverse range of caddis, stoneflies, and mayflies. Terrestrial insects are most abundant during the heat of the summer—July and August—and will survive until the first hard frost. The most notable mayfly hatch in the upper North Platte River watershed is the trico mayfly, which usually arrives late-July and August. In the fall, and especially with a little moisture, blue winged olive mayflies may hatch the entire day.
Throughout the year trout will feed subsurface on the aquatic stages of many insects. Spring is often a time when lots of terrestrial nymphs and aquatic worms are flushed through the streams. It is also a time when stoneflies and caddis hatch, attracting the attention of many trout. In correlation with the seasonal hatches and as stream levels drop, trout will shift their focus to smaller mayfly and midge nymphs later in the season.
Trout are opportunistic feeders, and at certain times territorial. Streamers imitate the various life stages of fishes and leeches, and can be an effective method of fishing the entire season. Streamers are usually large and flashy, which make them a great option during the early season when water levels are high and off color. They also work well in lakes where trout sometimes ambush their prey.
General Hatch Guide
Mid-June to July
- Caddis
- Stoneflies (golden, salmonflies, yellow sallies, and little black)
- Mayflies (pale morning dun, green and brown drakes)
- Terrestrials (grasshoppers and ants)
- Aquatic worms
July to August
- Caddis
- Stoneflies (yellow sallies)
- Mayflies (trico, pale morning dun, callibeatis, and mahogany dun)
- Terrestrials (grasshoppers and ants)
- Midges
August to September
- Caddis
- Mayflies (trico, blue winged olive, and blue quill)
- Terrestrials (grasshoppers and ants)
- Midges