I've read that the westslope are especially surface oriented which I like.I do like the cutties…
They'll also readily take a shallow dropper. In my experience nymphing is only needed when it gets really windy and the surface is a mess.I've read that the westslope are especially surface oriented which I like.
Yes, I sometimes add a nymph dropper too. It's fun to catch fish though on a large Purple Haze! John Gierach quotes someone who said, "If the trout are hard to catch, then you're not in the real West."They'll also readily take a shallow dropper. In my experience nymphing is only needed when it gets really windy and the surface is a mess.
I do like to swing small soft hackles for them…They'll also readily take a shallow dropper. In my experience nymphing is only needed when it gets really windy and the surface is a mess.
That was probably true at one point, lol. That said, I do think Westslopes give a newb the best shot at "oh, so this is why people think this is so much fun." But I've been on trips where the casting skill varied greatly (which is to say, also the ability to get a good drift), and it was pretty wild to see how the fish size directly correlated to the casting/get-a-drift ability.John Gierach quotes someone who said, "If the trout are hard to catch, then you're not in the real West."
I think the depends on what they are feeding on. BWO and smaller, castIng matters…sort of. Other hatches, get it “near” the feeding lane and hold on. My favorite place to take new friends interested in fly fishing is places where westslopes are plentiful.That was probably true at one point, lol. That said, I do think Westslopes give a newb the best shot at "oh, so this is why people think this is so much fun." But I've been on trips where the casting skill varied greatly (which is to say, also the ability to get a good drift), and it was pretty wild to see how the fish size directly correlated to the casting/get-a-drift ability.
I've read that the westslope are especially surface oriented which I like.
They'll also readily take a shallow dropper. In my experience nymphing is only needed when it gets really windy and the surface is a mess.
Yes, it's fun to fish large sizes, #10-#14, because I can see them!
They like Purple Haze
Yes, I've used terrestrials like the hippie stomper. I'm kind of partial to Will Dornan's Circus Peanut, a Snake River staple, but also effective on westslopes. My biggest WSC was 18.5" or 19.5". I can't remember which! I caught it on a Goddard caddis skittering on the surface. And yes, it's nice to carry just a small box of flies and a couple spools of tippet.When I envision the perfect day of fly fishing in my head it is on a small wadeable stream after run off throwing dry flies for eager west slope cutts with nothing but a spool of tippet, a small box of dries, some floatant and my favorite 4wt. So hard to beat. My largest westslope came on one of those days in western MT and after giving me a lot of grief denying fly after fly, finally rolled on a black EHC size 18 and taped 20”, one of my most cherished fish for sure. Really could go for some of that right now.
One of my favorite attractor dries for days like that is a hippie stomper. Killer fly.
Snake River fine spotted cutt? I really should cast one of those Redington Classic Trout rods!
A bit down the basin, northwest of the range of the fine spotted subspecies, I think. I gave that 9’0” to my Dad and he tells me it’s one of his favorites. I do enjoy the 8’6” for the dry fly fishing, or a type 4 full sink line in the lakes.Snake River fine spotted cutt? I really should cast one of those Redington Classic Trout rods!