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Tiny Craig finds prosperity as outsiders chase trout
CRAIG, Mont.- The midafternoon heat is intense in this little town, and the fishing is a little slow. But Mike Bushly is still upbeat.There's air conditioning inside The Trout Shop, an emporium loaded with cool fishing stuff - flyrods, vests, waders, flies, ventilated clothing and a well-stocked deli offering drinks, sandwiches and chilled salads. Even the thick fleece-lined jackets have a perverse retail appeal.And Bushly has plenty more reasons not to sweat. The shop and the small community that surrounds it are awash in anglers ready to spend cold cash chasing big trout."This is our Christmas right now," Bushly said. .
Fish hopping for hoppers
As a general rule of thumb, the insects that make up the trout diet tend to get smaller as the summer progresses. The most notable exception is the grasshopper.
These bugs are relatively long-lived, and they grow larger during the season. In the last week of July the hoppers made their appearance in the Sierra, and they have the trout looking up for chow. The most common color at this time is tan. The critters are young (1-inch long) and size No. 12 or 14 flies will be a close match.
The most notable hopper bite from an anglers perspective has been on the Walker River drainage on the east side of the Sierra. Jim Weil from Kens Sporting Goods in Bridgeport reports that on the West Walker river along Highway 395, hopper fly patterns are the No. 1 fish catcher.
The West Walker is just now getting down to fishable flows, and a big fly will get the trout to swim up through fast water to take an insect on the surface.
Fishing: Grafham led then others took the bait
IT IS 40 years ago this summer since Grafham Water, in Cambridgeshire, opened as a trout fishery. It is 50 years this summer since Chew Valley Lake, in the West Country, did likewise. Together, they launched a movement that has changed the face of British fly fishing. Grafham proved much the stronger influence. Neither Grafham nor Chew was the first supply reservoir to be stocked with trout and made available to the public. Blagdon, in the West Country, had become that in 1901. Much smaller reservoirs notably two in Northamptonshire had also opened earlier. What made Grafham, near Buckden, so special was its size and location, the quality of the fishing it offered and the timing. .
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