Between "Ten and One" in Eleven Mile Canyon

Between "ten and one" is not a casting instruction. It is the inconsistency of fishing in the canyon right now. One day a beginner client, will land 10 fish but then the very next day, another client might only land one. I would like to blame it on inconsistent flows but I would hardly call the fluctuations extreme. The flow is consistently high. Fishing should be more consistent but often fish don't follow the established principles. The quality of fishing feels more like a "roll of the dice" or as we might say of a sporting event, "Depends on who shows up today."  Lately, I have been wondering what fish are going to show up for the game. Yesterday it was brown after brown; this morning it was only a rainbow. Ten browns to one rainbow, to be exact. "Ten and one."

Bugs are hatching: Tricos, PMD's and caddis, midges, but surface feeding is also inconsistent varying from place to place in the canyon. Some of the flatter water on the edges seems to produce rising fish but with the canyon flowing as high as it is, flat water is in short supply.  In the "raging" sections we are not seeing much surface activity because in a trouts mind, it is not worth moving through the heavy water column to inhale a bug that provides only a micro calorie of energy. It is just too much work and somehow trout can do the math. But if you do see rising fish or water that looks like it would be good, try an "Amy's Ant," trailing a small (size 22) parachute Adams or a trico spinner or a PMD emerger. 

Trout in the heavier water will lay low and feed on all the nymphs, larvae, drowned trico spinners and annelids getting washed down along the bottom. So, nymphing with double/triple fly rigs with a strike indicator and heavy weight is the way to go. Make sure you adjust the strike indicator high up on the leader to allow the flies to drift along the bottom. Bring two rods, one rigged for drys and one with nymphs.Gray and black RS2's size 24 seem to work best.

Who knows what kind of day you will have and how many fish you might catch. Somewhere between ten and one. Depends on who shows up. Good that you are at least showing up.