I can hardly believe it. Yesterday, I had two different people tell me that they spotted Blue-winged Olive mayflies. It's not unheard of this time of year, but it's been so cold, and there is still snow on the valley floor, so it just seems too early. One report of the "blues" came from a co-worker. He said he spotted one near his house, which is not far from the Weber River. It was probably blown there by the wind. The other report came from farther south by about 70 miles in the Utah County area and the lower Provo River. Both reports have me thinking about spending some lunch hours on the Ogden River. On warm afternoons, it is fun to stand and observe a BWO hatch. Maybe I'll start throwing the fly rod in my truck and cast to a few risers. I'm thinking it is still a bit early, and try to be patient until a full-blown hatch comes off. No sense getting giddy on a rumor of blues---yet!
The hatching of BWOs is my sign that Spring is here--or just around the corner. It is a time of awakening. A time when the smooth low water on the river starts to swirl with life. When temperatures start to rise into the 40s and 50s consistently, the BWO will start to hatch consistently. One thing I can do in the next couple of weeks is tie up some BWO patterns. I love to fish the adult imitations and my go to pattern is my chain-stitched BWO. I love to watch trout slowly sip that fly off the surface. This year I want to increase my take by fishing an emerger pattern--something that will sit just under the surface. I watched a couple of fly fishers have an excellent day last year by fishing emergers. it looked like a lot of fun.
I'll try to post some pictures of the flies, the trout caught, and the areas that I fish once this hatch comes to fruition. A trip in search of Blue-winged Olives is just what I need after a cold, long winter. There is nothing better to chase away the winter-time blues than to chase after a few rumors of blues.
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