Fly Fishing with Victor Babbitt April/May 04 Drought, Drought, Drought! When are we going to get out of this crazy drought cycle? It looked like the water situation was back under control in early March but changed rapidly as the weather became overly nice. I guess I shouldn’t complain, the sunshine is great but I worry about the Fall months and the low water conditions. It’s like an aquarium, the smaller the surroundings or the lower the water, the slower the fish grow or not at all. Another issue is the spawning beds, they get filled in with silt and need the higher flows to blow them out and allow the fish to spawn in clean gravel. Let’s just hope we get more precipitation over the next couple of months! Are you ready for the opener? The California Rivers open on the 24th of April and at this point the fishing should be great with run-off already happening! The East Carson should fish well around the opener if the weather stays like it has for the past month. As usual, Streamers should be the flies of choice while the water is still high and off colored. Bright colors will help and the bigger the better! On occasion we pick up a few fish on Stonefly Nymphs fished on the bottom with a ton of weight but I still think Streamers are the way to go. The West Carson looks good right now, early in the month of April, but don’t count on it looking that great by the opener. Use the same flies as above. The Stillwater fishing is already turning on for those who just can’t wait for the rivers to open. Indian Creek Reservoir has been doing fine as well as Summit Lake. Spooner Lake has thawed and should be getting better by the day. I would count on Red Lakes, Caples and Silver to thaw sometime in the middle of the month and maybe towards the end. Davis Lake is open as well as Frenchmen’s and both are fishing quite well! Pyramid has been hit and miss but well worth the effort. Another spot I would give a try is Hinkson Slough out at the Mason Valley Refuge outside of Yerington. It has been fishing well for over a month now with huge fish being caught on small nymphs and dry flies. These are just a few of the fisheries to be thinking about as the sun shines and we all get ready for summer! For those who do not know how to fly fish or for those who would like to become a better fly angler, now is the time to get started with lessons or clinics. Now is also the time to start practicing on the lawn or out in the Lake. Casting is the most important aspect of fly fishing and should be taken more serious than one might think. Casting is a sport of its’ own and an art form as well. Those who cast well will always catch more fish. To cast well one needs to practice and if you practice with proper technique you will excel at casting. I think that makes sense? What I am getting at is, learn to fly cast properly. The best way I know is to take lessons from a professional casting instructor and the next best thing is to watch videos. A video I suggest is The Essence Of Fly Casting by Mel Krieger. In this video he covers all aspects of the cast from start to finish in a simple to learn format. You watch for a few minutes and then practice for a bit and so on and so on. After a bit of practice you should be ready for the river! Professional instruction can’t be beat if you are willing to take the time. At Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters we offer casting tips in front of the shop on any afternoon for free. What we like to do is critique your cast for a few minutes and then give you something to work on. Then you can come back another day after practicing and we will move on to the next step in the casting process. Another option is to hire one of my guides and do a private lesson. All of these ideas will help to improve your casting and help you enjoy the sport a bit more. Just remember practice, practice, and practice! For further information on any of these fisheries or any other information about fishing in the Tahoe Area, stop by or give us a call at Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters. We are in our new location at 2705 Lake Tahoe Blvd next to Midas Mufflers. Or you can reach us by phone at 530-541-8208. Please remember and remind others that our tributaries to Lake Tahoe do not open until the first of July! Thanks for reading and Please Remember to Catch and Release All of YOUR Wild Trout!