[ARCHIVE] Stillwater River Report 4/20/2020

Stillwater 4/20: With warmer weather color the river may be off color. The water temperature remains cold, but as it warms a bit, March Browns should be coming off in big numbers. There are scads of caddis nymphs in the rocks. It’s not a bad idea to start fishing caddis nymphs early. It’s always a crap shoot if the water will be clear enough to fish the big hatch. Nymphing has been productive with everything from a girdle bug or stonefly pattern, to san juan worms and small beadheads like a red copper john, Lil’ Spanker or midge patterns taking fish. A beadhead poxyback March Brown nymph should be fished now either as part of a tandem nymph rig or trailed off of a small streamer if streamer fishing. A #14 Pheasant Tail has been very productive as well. There may be BWOs, midges or March Browns coming off at various times or all at once depending on the weather and if it’s too windy. Look for sippers on the edges and in back eddy pools. Try a #18 parachute BWO, parachute adams, or purple haze along with a smallish size emerger. The number one March Brown dry fly pattern is Trina’s March Brown Drake in size 14. Also try fishing a small streamer like a Grinch with a beadhead nymph like a prince, hare’s ear, copper john or pheasant tail dropped off of the back. As of the writing of this report, FASs remain open for fishing following the guidelines for social distancing.