Dream Stream and 11 Mile Canyon Fishing Report 3-15-13

11 Mile Canyon is running at 65 c.f.s. and the Dream Stream is sitting around 50. The Dream has a great dark green color to it because of ice melt, and the Canyon is crystal clear. Much of the lower portion of 11 Mile that was covered in ice is now open, but as we all know a week long cold front could change that. The two tunnels area fished fantastic! Crowds were an issue the further upstream you went from Springer Gulch, but compared to the Dream Stream there was plenty of open water.

The Dream Stream is showing signs of life, but desperately needs more water to really get the fish going. With flows sitting at 50 c.f.s. and with the extreme over crowding, what few lake fish have moved in won't be staying long. If you're adamant about going there focus your attention on the deeper runs with baetis nymphs and emergers, and midge larvae and pupae. Barr's Emergers, RS-2's, JuJu Baetis, Copper Johns, Small Black Beauties and Top Secret Midges will all work. These same patterns were what was on the menu in the Canyon as well.

5x and 6x fluorocarbon come highly recommended! Try and get as close as you can to the bottom without dragging on the bottom to minimize foul hook-ups. Note: newcomers to catch and release fishing or fly-fishing in general, no matter where you fish this spring be mindful of the fact that if you hook and land a rainbow or cutthroat it is important to wet your hands before handling the fish, and if you want to get a photo be sure not to squeeze it, and keep it out of the water for a short a time as possible. 

When releasing the fish do not rock it back and forth. Instead, find a slightly calmer spot where there is still plenty of oxygen in the form of moving water and release the fish. Trust me you do more harm than good if you spend a bunch of time handling and rocking the fish trying to revive it. If it shows signs of bellying up then find a spot with decent current and hold it facing up river until it takes off under it's own power. Remember to pinch your barbs on any hook larger than a size 20 to make things easier on spawners. We have an amazing resource in those two stretches of river so let's do our best to take care of it. Tight lines everyone!