Rock Creek is extremely low at the moment, and has missed a lot of the rainfall we’ve had in the last few weeks elsewhere. The creek is sitting at 157 CFS down from 258 CFS on 8/15, which is certainly not a trend we want to see. While Fish and Game has taken the Hoot-Owl restrictions off rock creek, temperatures are still very high with highs in the high sixties and nightly lows in the low sixties.

Terrestrials are still a reliable move with a handful of reports that ants have been killing it. The “Glitter Ant” pattern has been getting great action. Hoppers are still good on the lower section, especially around the fields with a slight breeze. They’ll disappear with the first heavy frosts of fall, but ants will still be present until there’s snow on the ground. Caddis are still present in both adult and larval forms. Hecuba have just started coming off in spurts and mahoganies should be short to follow. The first cold rains of September and the BWOs will start coming off.

Streamer fishing is a reliable move for moving bigger fish. Small flashy streamers fished fast around turbid current seams is consistently the pattern for late summer streamer fishing. Though overcast days or bursts of rain can produce some spectacular action with bigger streamer patterns as those big fish have been itching for a window of cool weather to move up and feed. Once the CFS starts climbing with fall precipitation, the streamer bite will turn on like a switch.

Nymphing is always consistent, and a reliable move on days where the fishing is a little tougher. Small perdigon patterns in natural colors on sunny clear days, and bigger darker patterns when the overcast days or when some fresh rain fall has made the creek a little more turbid.