After a huge spike in flows as the result of heavy rain earlier in the week, the Lamar has settled back down. The rain pushed some mud into the river, but all that has passed on down. Flows are back in the 250 cfs range, which is damn near perfect for this time of year.
Dries are still the name of the game down here. Small green drakes and PMDs are the main breakfast course, with hoppers, beetles and ants serving as lunch, and some larger drakes and more hoppers for dinner. The terrestrial action doesn’t really get good until about 11 or 12, once the day starts to heat up. Hang a small bead head nymph off the back for better success rates. Popular ones are mayfly pupae, pheasant tails, princes and hare’s ears. Pretty standard stuff for this time of year.
If you look for them, you can still find some of the big green and gray drakes that have been hatching all summer. I love this hatch for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is fishing a big dry that the fish love. They are starting to fade out, so you might have to cover some water to find them.
The Lamar remains pretty crowded right now, and likely will continue to be so for a few more weeks. Bring lots of bug spray, as they are still as thick as ever. Bears are out in force in this area, so bring a buddy, talk loudly, and leave your bear spray in an easily accessible place.
Tags: River - YNP - Lamar
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