Tiny BWO mayflies hatch all winter on long Steelhead rivers.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think Bill McMillan wrote an article in "Salmon, Trout, Steelheader" magazine years ago about catching small to medium size

Steelhead on these cold overcast days in the winter in Oregon's rivers on small dry flies. I think he said the mayflies were around a size

18 but he used a #16 Adams dry fly because these fish were not that finicky.


A friend who live on the middle Rogue river reported to me that he fishes BWO emergences on the middle Rogue river in the winter

when the river is in good shape.


We fish the BWO hatches in the winter on the lower American river for small Steelhead for many years. Overcast calm days are best.


I am sure this BWO hatch goes on in many lower elevation rivers in California.


Herb Burton, owner of the Trinity Fly Shop, and friends fish mayfly hatches in the winter on the Trinity river for decades when the river

is in good shape. Up there they get trout and small to medium size Steelhead.



The upper Eel river has mayfly hatches in the winter and spring too.


This is all weather dependent so the rivers are running low and clear for this to happen.

[OctoberCaddis]

A decade plus ago, when I still lived in the area and fished the American regularly, I watched a high 20s steelhead sipping mayflies, I assume BWOs, in a slick at the base of a cliff for a good 45 minutes. I still think about that fish - I was at the top of the cliff with perfect visibility, though there was zero approach to cast to it from above or river level and I had a swing rig with me anyway, but man it was something to see! My then-young brain was perplexed as this didn't align at all with what I thought I knew about steelhead at the time.




I think Bill McMillan wrote an article in "Salmon, Trout, Steelheader" magazine years ago about catching small to medium size

Steelhead on these cold overcast days in the winter in Oregon's rivers on small dry flies. I think he said the mayflies were around a size

18 but he used a #16 Adams dry fly because these fish were not that finicky.


A friend who live on the middle Rogue river reported to me that he fishes BWO emergences on the middle Rogue river in the winter

when the river is in good shape.


We fish the BWO hatches in the winter on the lower American river for small Steelhead for many years. Overcast calm days are best.


I am sure this BWO hatch goes on in many lower elevation rivers in California.


Herb Burton, owner of the Trinity Fly Shop, and friends fish mayfly hatches in the winter on the Trinity river for decades when the river

is in good shape. Up there they get trout and small to medium size Steelhead.



The upper Eel river has mayfly hatches in the winter and spring too.


This is all weather dependent so the rivers are running low and clear for this to happen.

[Mark Kranhold]

Had a memorable evening up at Watt many years ago on the American. It was an early fall evening and I had a steelhead take a tiny mayfly and go airborne as I was battling the clay heads and drop offs from not falling in as I tried to get into slack water to land this beautiful wild 6 lb football. That was a fun evening on a 4wt singlehander, think that’s what made it so special!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

We have been fortunate to have the lower American river run right through our town with good access too.

Until the last 30 years most fly fished our river by wading.


Today, floating the river has become very popular.

Andy Guibord was one of the first to spend time on the river fishing from a small pram for Stripers.