Despite the low water, fishing on the Crooked has been great. A few skwala stoneflies have been seen crawling around out there. We’ve heard a lot of great things about the afternoon blue wing olive hatch. Fish will also start looking for midges later in the afternoon. Due to the low water, focus your fishing efforts on deeper areas where fish will stack up. If you’re nymphing you’ll likely have to weed through some whitefish to find your trout. Small nymphs that imitate the BWOs and the midges will be most productive. A size 12 stonefly nymph to imitate the skwalas isn’t a bad idea either.
Water on the Crooked should be on the rise any day now. Be wary if you’re crossing the river and you see more debris floating down the river than usual. Rising water conditions may slow the fishing down for a day or two, but not significantly. After the water rises, try fishing some larger nymphs. I love fishing during some of our rainy spring days. Get out there and enjoy these conditions while they're here!
Recommended Dries: Purple Haze #18-20, Parachute March Brown #16, Winkers Midge Black #18-24, Stillborn Midge #18-20, Chubby Chernobyl Black #14-16, Tilt wing PMD #16, Tilt Wing Dun Mahogany #14, Black Stimi #14-16, CDC Thorax PMD #16-18
Recommended Nymphs: Peacock Jimmy Legs #10-12, Perdigon Purple #14-18, Physco Prince #14-18, Two Bit Hooker #16-20 Red or Black, Trina’s BWO Angel-case Emerger #16-20, Tail Water Tiny TB Olive #18-22, BWO Biot Emerger #18-20, Soft Hackle Olive #16-20, Zebra Midge #18-20