Early summer is stonefly season in the West, and as the snow-melt-driven runoff drops into stable river flows, hordes of large salmonfly nymphs crawl toward the shoreline, amassing for their annual emergence. Like bull elk during the rut, big trout let their guard down this time of year to gorge on the bounty of clumsy protein. Anglers stress over which week to take off from work in an effort to catch the flies at their peak.
Narrowing down where to go, when to be there, what to use and how to use it takes a lot of trial and error. This article will flatten that learning curve by providing answers to those questions, along with a few fly- and spinning-tackle techniques to try this summer.
THE HATCH
While it’s colloquially known as the “salmonfly hatch,” you’ll find both
