Hoot Owl Restrictions:
Rock Creek is now under Hoot Owl restrictions from the confluence of the West and Middle Forks down to the mouth of Stony Creek. Fishing in this section is prohibitted from 2:00 p.m. until midnight Please handle fish with care—keep them wet and release quickly to reduce stress during these warm conditions.

Rock Creek has been fishing well, but the water levels are very low right now. Flows are currently sitting at approximately 150 CFS at the moment, but we should see some increased water volume with cooling weather. Nightly water temps are getting down in the high-fifties and staying in the mid-sixties in the afternoon highs. Fish are sure to become increasingly active as temperatures get cooler.

Dry fly fishing this time of year is always good. Mayfly hatches will be starting a little later in the afternoon on mornings with the cooling temps. Especially  once we start seeing frost on the ground, if you get out before the sun comes up the dry fly action will be a little slow, but streamers and attractor patterns are great options to find fish before the mayflies begin emerging. The PMDs, Tricos, and Hecuba are still going. The BWOs and Mahoganies will start to become more prevalent as the Trico and PMD hatch comes to a close, and will be the most abundant until early November when they’re usually done. With the best dry fly fishing being early morning and late evening, the middle of the day can be a bit slow. That’s always a good time to alternate to the streamer or the nymph, though the hopper dropper rig can also get some good action with the promise of some opportunistic eats on the dry. There aren’t many if any hoppers present on the creek at the moment, but a chubby Chernobyl or foam ant works great for the “hopper” part of the rig.

Nymphing is always a reliable option, especially for fishing that mid-day lull. For tight-line nymphing or fishing as a dropper, smaller perdigons and soft hackles do a great job of imitating the BWOs and mahoganies before they hatch. For fishing deeper water with indicator rigs and sink-tip lines larger bugs like the Double bead stone, rubber legs, and TJ hooker are great options to imitate the larger stoneflies in the river and great options for indicator nymphing or sinking line fishing.

The streamer bite has been slow with summer heat, but we’ll see it pick back up with cooling temperatures. Some spots are harder to effectively fish the streamer with current low flows, but fishing unweighted flies in the upper water column or plumbing the deep pools for active fish is sure to bring you success in your day on the water. Small, quick, and flashy patterns like a skiddish smolt, kreelex, or gotcha are reliable patterns in late summer, but as the weather cools The Goldie, Dungeons, Peanut Envies, and Lil Kims will all turn heads and get good size fish to the net. Swing into the shop to pick up all of your essentials to getting out on the water!