Seasonal Conditions

The Crystal is a freestone in every sense of the word. During runoff, this river runs and high and hard and can be virtually unfishable. During low water years, this river can slow to barely a trickle. Due to the instability of water flows, bug life is not as prolific or consistent as other rivers in the area. The trade-off however, is that this river doesn't see near the fishing pressure as other rivers in the area, which results in fish that are often quite eager to please. A dry/dropper rig is the perfect setup for most summertime situations. The Crystal is most productive during early-mid summer and can provide a welcome refuge from the crowds of anglers often found on other nearby rivers.

During the summer months, anglers can expect to primarily see caddis, mayflies, and some stoneflies. Due to the lack of pressure, attractor patterns such as stimulators and PMX's work quite well. Terrestrial patterns such as hoppers, beetles and ants will also put fish in the net during the warmer months of the year. If no hatch is present and the fish aren't responding to attractor dries or terrestrials, fish the nymph versions of caddis, small stoneflies and various mayflies.