Tips for dog days fishing

Gotta be honest. There are better months than August to catch trout in local rivers.

In the past week or so I’ve floated both the mainstem Flathead and Kootenai Rivers. The fishing was fun, easy, and relaxing, but there wasn’t a lot of rod-bending, except in casting.

Fly fishing, we did catch some cutts in the Flathead and rainbows in the Kootenai, but most fish were under-sized for our expectations. In talking with other fishermen, we did as well or better than most.

Catching river trout in August does require some adjustments to your fly fishing game.

Here’s some factors to consider to catch more fish this month:

• Fickle weather. Fish don’t like bouncing barometers and a typical August features late afternoon thunderstorms and windy evenings. I’ve always been a believer in waiting three days after a cold front to catch spinyrays (bass, perch, pike) and about two days to let trout reassume a feeding mode.

Of course there are exceptions—and we all know the best time to go fishing is when you can—but, really, some days ARE better than others.

• Bright, sunny days. Awesome for photos but trout prefer cloudy days and shade. And depth.

Trout in shallow water must be aware of predatory birds, like eagles and osprey.

And they are more easily spooked by boats and fly lines.

Plan your fishing from first light to mid-morning and you’ll catch more trout.

• Go big. With all the private party and guide traffic on area rivers, trout have already seen your size 14 Adams, Stimulators and Elk Hair Caddis.

Probably several times daily.

And, if you don’t believe me, sit back on the shoreline and watch boatload after boatload of anglers drifting flies through the same holes.

• Hit the middle of the river. And Go Big; Really Big. Sizes 4 and 6 foam fatties with sparkle tinsel and rubber legs, or over-sized Stimulators, Pink Pookies and Madam X’s.

In sum, we can all do better than banging the banks with small flies in the middle of a sunny afternoon following a cold front.