It seemed like the majority of February barely required a jacket most days to go to work and we had countless customers walking in wearing shorts and/or flip flops….not so much the case now. Oh well, as long as the mountains also continue to receive some of this ‘wintering’ then I’ll be good with it. Afterall, getting as much moisture up there as possible right now is a critical component to keeping the trout swimming in cold water come late summer and avoiding the smell of smoke in the air. But anyway, back to our current situation. Welcome to March everyone! I’m personally pumped to see the 3rd month of the year arrive for a variety of reasons. To start, it means we’re one step closer to Summer getting here. Secondly, it’s Rainbow and Cutthroat time out there! I know I’m the opposite of the norm when it comes to spawning seasons, because I always find myself getting way more excited for the Bows/Cutts to spawn than for the Browns in the Fall. Perhaps it’s just because the season is young and this always seems like a good way to kick off an exciting year to come on the water. It probably also has something to do with the fact that I’ll be back to guiding. The off-season flew by (as it always seems to) and I was able to get quite a bit of personal time on the water, but I’m ready to get back to taking people fishing and teaching them about this great sport. We’ve already got the first few trips of the year out the door and the calendar is continuing to fill up by the day. If you missed the first report click HERE to get caught back up. Additionally, I’m putting the finishing touches on this past weekend’s report, which will you’ll be able to read about tomorrow here on the Blog.

For those willing to get out and brave the elements (if they continue to stick around) March should continue to provide good very fishing. Any river connected to a reservoir is sure to be seeing it’s fair share of anglers looking for lake run spawners so keep that in mind as you make your plans. If you happen to be on a river that doesn’t receive a run of lake fish, the Rainbows/Cutthroat will still be getting very aggressive and spawny so take advantage of this. Now is definitely the best window of opportunity we’ve had in many months to get a good streamer day on the books so if you’re hitting the water, spend a little time throwing some meat….you might be shocked just how productive this can be on these aggressive fish when the stars align. Otherwise, nymphing will still continue to be the most consistent way to get a few fish in the net day-in and day-out. Egg patterns will become more and more productive by the day as more and more ‘real’ eggs get dumped into the system by spawning fish. March can also be a great month to experience some phenomenal dry fly fishing if you happen to stumble onto a good Baetis (Blue Wing Olive) hatch. My biggest advice when hitting the water this time of year is to keep an open mind. Don’t “plan” on catching fish any one particular way or another. Experiment with some streamers, keep your eyes open (literally) for sight fishing opportunities (except to actively paired up, spawning fish), and always have a few small Parachute Adams or your favorite Baetis dries on you. March can be a very unpredictable month for weather and this will play a major role in how fish in a river will be the most catchable on any given day. In general though, fishing should be on the up tick though as the days get longer and the weather (hopefully) gets warmer.

As always, please keep in touch and let us know how we can make your time on the water more productive and enjoyable. Or better yet, book a Guided Trip and let one of our professional fly-fishing guides show you a great day on our local waters! Other than that, keep an eye on the Blog for daily updates on all things fly-fishing as well as on our Customer Events Calendar. It’s going to be an exciting year at Trouts Fly Fishing and we hope you all continue to be a part of it! Thanks again for reading and we look forward to seeing you in the shop or on the water.