What should I expect?

[Alosa]

Hi folks. I'm looking for a little advice. I plan to fish some skinny water near Merced River at the end of April. What should I expect for hatches at this time of year, and bearing in mind the lack of a snow pack? What types of nymphs and dries should I take with me?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Alosa]

350 views and NO ONE has any idea what I should expect in the western Sierras in late April? Come on folks...surely someone has some general insight about attractor patterns, etc. that are worth considering...

If it's any help I'm thinking of taking along size 12 yellow stimulators, as well as some small (size 16-20) flashback BWO emergers and nymphs. Am I on target, or way off?

[Scott V]

Seeing as this season has been incredibly early and hard to predict, it is near impossible to say what you will see. Bug hatches are happening a lot sooner than normal, and I mean by like 6 weeks in some areas. So giving an answer would require a crystal ball to be honest. Water temps are different all over the place. Just take what you are confident in throwing and keep throwing until something hits. Flip rocks when you get there, sit on the shore for a couple minutes and see what is happening.

[Bob Scheidt]

I live in Fresno and fish this area. You are on target. I would have # 14 Stims, cream colored parachute dries in 14's and 16's, ants, and some small nymphs. Nymphs, I like PT's, any wet, a caddis nymph is great. If it's a beadhead, I would use brass beads in 7/64 size for 14's. I like the 3/32 tungsten bead with a 16 nymph. If you fish a dry and dropper, a 14 dry will still float the 3/32 size tungsten nymph, it will sink, but won't pull down a good floating dry.
5x tippets are fine, have fun!
Bob

[bigfly]

Alosa, the point is, No one knows....300 people as clueless as you...
The worst drought in a hundred years or so.....
Virtually no living person has that much background.....
There is no normal.........
The true heart of fly fishing is to go see.
And then fish............
Scott called it....the normal bugs (check hatch charts) six weeks early all over the Sierras.
Expect low flows, and sneaky fishing.
Don't fish close to the car......
I've been telling people not to think location first...but water first.

Jim

[Alosa]

Thanks guys. That's the kind of feedback I was looking for.

[cdevine]

Thanks guys. That's the kind of feedback I was looking for.

Defintely everything is fishing earlier this year. No real run off and streams are clear, cold, and skinny. Water is still cold so fish can still be lethargic. I've found that no benefit to be on the water early. Seems like 11-4pm on most days is best. (or near dusk) That will change shortly when the water warms up and flows get even lower.
On the Truckee you would see flows 700-1000 in normal years at this time. Wading is tough to say the least and fishing the edges is where to go. Now you can skip across the water on rocks and high stick anywhere. Just night and day.

I would look in normal years what was working in June and use those sort of patterns as a start. That seems to be working in most cases but its a scouting mission really.

Please may these t storms drop some water in our lakes.