This is probably about 8 miles downstream from the dam. Still a little early in the summer to fish a hopper pattern but a dry in the early evening was fun and a nymph rig worked exceptionally well all day long. This river fishes a lot like the Arkansas does. In this stretch of it you can throw bigger flies in the 14 range and I found myself using stuff that had been sitting in my fly box for a long time. Beadheaded Prince Nymphs were deadly down here. The trophy area below the dam was pretty typical. The flows were a bit low and the fish were concentrated in the deeper runs and very leary. These fish are crazy smart. You can watch these fish slide out of their feeding lane when they see the split shot coming. They know that means that flies are about to follow. They'll slide right back in as soon as the fake stuff goes by. There was a bit of a hatch that came off late in the evening one night and I switched to a Green Drake. This is a bug that has an epic hatch each year on the Taylor. In a circle with a diameter of about a foot, you'll see half a dozen Drakes on the water. It's exciting to throw your fly out there and watch the biggest trout you've ever seen rise from the deep and check it out. If it's not spot on, they'll leave it but when they do come up and gently slurp it....I can't continue with this. Incidentally...if you're in the area I'll give this free advice to you: You might wanna hit this section in the next week or so as the Drakes are coming.






Smaller bow.


These are the crowds I had to battle each day in the trophy area. Brutal.

Baby Dharms taking in the scenery.

Thanks to my wife who never complains about having to deal with the pups when I'm out pounding the water. An hour of fishing always turns into 5 for me.