A perfect storm is brewing for this weekend. We have not low, but normal seasonal flows out of the tailwaters for this time of year under the FFMP flow plan for the first time in over 5 years. These flows were fine, and in fact produced some exceptional early to mid spring fishing in the first years that the FFMP went into place. That was before the latest boom in this sport occurred however. For several years running now, anglers familiar with the river have known that we had not yet seen or appreciated the true reality of how over-capacity this river system is due to high flows, which provided an escape for those that didnt need to fish upriver in order to feel withinin their comfort zone or catch fish during the spring season. There were places to go and ways to separate yourself from other anglers. These Exceptionally wet springs and surplus water have caused anglers to forget what “normal” is as we have had cfs flows in the thousands, not hundreds, for most spring seasons throughout the past decade. We also have had a spring in 2022 where it was high, cold and hit and miss prior to about a week ago. That fleeting spring feeling and warm temps giving anglers FOMO that spring is slipping away coupled with many sections of river being squarely in-between hatches, low, and warmish are about to expose how overcrowded this river has become. The fact too many people fly-fish now to preserve a previously normal sense of space on a river is a problem we can’t reverse, but we can limit how horrible a ruined river is to be on moving forward. Some ruined rivers are still tolerable, while others truly don’t justify fishing anymore. That’s the enthusiastic goal here that we are trying to achieve. Sounds negative, but let’s be real its true. We can’t comfortably fit everyone that fly-fishes in anymore under previously normal spring conditions without thinking about boats and people before the trout we are after. Particularly when most anglers insist on fishing from a boat every day they are on the water. So yes, we are about to see the most crowded weekend the west branch and upper main stem has ever seen.
I’ll be fishing tomorrow and likely on the west branch, my first day fishing the river this season. I have already decided that I will be wading tomorrow. I raise this because it’s a decision every angler will have between now and Sunday, but few to none will make. The decision to float will be made despite many anglers pulling into lots seeing there are already 10-15-20 trailers there that are empty signifying that an excessive number of boats have already launched there before them. They won’t care though, they’ll rationalize that no one fishes the back channel they have in mind…despite the fact the river is only 485 cfs and that backchannel is shit right now. They will rationalize that there are heads others aren’t seeing out there that they will see, when in fact there may not be a fish on the WB that is over 12’’ that hasn’t been hooked at least once this year already between the dam and balls eddy. They will rationalize that there is room for one more, and that it is their RIGHT and decision on how they want to fish, and that they are choosing to float because they want to. 75-100 people making that decision on Saturday alone at the ramps that exist between the dam and balls eddy will create the ruined river experience that requires no genius to predict right now two days before it happens and likely continues this spring season.
The goal of writing this isn’t to play the role of hack mind-reader, but rather to highlight how (1) predictable a perfect storm weekend like this is/and how angler decision making surrounding the NEED to float is the problem (2) insisting on floating doesn’t benefit you as an angler when a situation like this exists.
Point one is self-explanatory and requires no more detail. We all know this weekend is going to be horrible, and we all know a lot of people are going to launch their boats at the same 4 ramps anyway. So lets get to point 2.
Point 2 focusing on why launching your boat is actually against your interests is not just an opinion, but rather a fact. Boats will be on a schedule, no matter how patient or eagerly they row downstream on Saturday. You will not be able to deviate from the pack based on the pace you are fishing on any given 5-10 mile stretch. Boats will see fish in certain areas that are rising steadily, or perhaps semi steady but the hatch is just getting going. They will look upriver and see 3-5-7 boats in view. They will think anxiously “is this fish worth it” or “ maybe they are rising better around the corner” or just out of pure competitive instinct pull anchor because they don’t want to let 3-5-7 boats pass them on the river. And by doing that, the angler will have just left fish to find fish, violating perhaps the most golden rule in all of fly-fishing.
Introducing my plan, I will be wading and cornering off a location to start. I will be mindful of boats coming down-river and be giving them the clear “get the fuck behind me” finger point well before they get to play dumb and say “sorry I didn’t know which way you wanted me to go.” I will have witty insults for every and any guide I see disregarding row behind etiquette well before they are right in front of me for both them and their clients to hear. Private boats playing dumb or perhaps just too inexperienced to row their own boat they had to have will be equally insulted until I feel they are nervous and finally questioning whether they should be on this river with their new toy they have no control of at flows such as this. I’ll likely cast line into boats that think rowing on the far side of the river opposite of you is the same as rowing behind you if they disregard my obnoxious finger point from 300 yards upstream and every yard closer as they continue downstream towards me. If the cobble is small enough in the area I’m standing, I may pick up a rock or two and ruin a fishing pool for both of us If someone thinks that taking the fish 20 feet below my fish is acceptable. I’ll make it intolerable for the boat to remain there, knowing that these fish are used to taking grenades every single day… and that the fish will be rising again anyway in 20 minutes after I’ve ruined the experience for every other boat nearby that didn’t give me the space I reasonably should have expected as a wade angler. Even if the fish doesn’t come back up, I will consider my stone’s throw to be a victory.
Moving on from assault tactics against boat owners that don’t know how to act, lets explain why wading will work better anyway when it comes to results. For one, you rotate with the bugs and what’s happening. You start where the morning fishing is best, rotate higher or lower, wherever you think activity is likely to improve and be “on” relative to the time of day. You aren’t stuck with a “lull period” if you are able to change the stretch entirely between morning, afternoon and evening. In a boat, You also can’t cut 3…5…7 boats that are in front of you in addition to the same number of boats behind you that you are closing in like pirate ships. The boats in front are hitting most of the targets you are eagerly rowing down and towards. The program of staying ahead of those boats behind you but not catching those in front of you adds an element that has nothing to do with the fishing. You aren’t focusing on the water and fish you want- you’re focusing on the human factor and distracted. In support of putting waders on, Wading allows you to corner off your spot, focusing in on the fish that are there, and with the tactics above the place will be yours. Be vocal. Be strategic in where you fish thinking about areas where there is clearly enough water depth behind you to row behind and fit between you and the bank. That way there is no excuse for a boat not to play ball after getting the finger point from hell. You also spend more time fishing rather than trying to get to a place worth fishing as disappointment repeatedly sets in hoping a spot was open only to find 3 boats are there right now with some poor old bastard wading and sandwiched between them trying to pretend he’s having fun…and who lost the fire to throw cobble stone at fiberglass years ago. At the end of the day, people are insisting on taking their boats because they like having everything they can carry in the boat. They have gotten in the habit of a massive boat bag and cooler rather than a few fly boxes tucked away in their vest or waders. They also think that covering water gives them the best chance to find good fishing, not realizing that with the amount of boats thinking the same thing now and certainly this weekend, that theory is flawed. I point this out with some humor, but mostly facts and truth to emphasize why this issue is as simple as recognizing 485 and too many people justifies leaving the boat at home. Dare I say…pure actual fly-fishing.