Our 5 Favorite Fly Shop Questions

As fly shop employees, guides, and avid anglers, we love to talk about anything that has to do with fishing. Whether it’s bugs, weather, or techniques, we soak it up. With that being said, there are certain questions that are so repetitive it’ll give us the shakes. These are those questions.

1. What are the river flows going to be like?

This is a tough question. Obviously everyone wants to know what is going with the river, including us. All we can do with that question is give you the best guess we can with the information sitting in front of us. This is one we wish we could answer with certainty.

2. Can we fish eggs?

Our answer to this question every time is as follows; please don’t. Being there are so many bugs in the river, we find it a bit lazy to fish an egg pattern. There is a reason we don’t sell egg patterns in our shop.

3. Will the bugs be hatching by then?

This is a good one. As fly shop employees and guides, we do have a general idea of when certain bugs are supposed to hatch. But depending on weather and water conditions, you never know. We will do our best to guess for you, but feel pretty silly if we guess wrong.

4. Why is the river so busy?

This one is hard not to giggle at. Everyone is here for the exact reason you are here; the fishing is good. Yes, the river gets crowded, but that’s what you get with a river that holds an unbelievable number of fish per river mile. Though it gets busy, there is always space to fish.

5. When is the best time to fish the river?

I enjoy this question primarily because I get to answer with a question, “how do you like to fish?” We are fortunate to have a fishery that is available year round. Typically, Winter time is nymphing with a chance of some midge activity. When spring rolls around, it can be a dry fly enthusiasts heaven while midges and baetis are going off. Spring also offers some solid streamer fishing. Summer time is dry fly time. Black caddis and tricos are here in abundance, and the fish take notice. The fall offers our best opportunity to streamer fish. As the browns begin their aggressive pre-spawn stage, they become more active and willing to take a flashy bug stripped in front of their nose.

All kidding aside, we love to talk all things fishing, regardless if it is a fore mentioned question. Absolutely any questions you have regarding the river or the area are welcomed. Give us a call at the shop or shoot us an email through our website.