While there are still a few salmonflies around, the main event on Rock Creek right now is golden stones, yellow sallies, and caddisflies. The dry fly fishing has been great. Get out and fish!
Flows on the upper section are on the drop. The water clarity is good, too. That said, floating and fishing has been the best way to get at the fish while side channels and bank fishing has been good.
Streamers have been picking up a few fish, too. See below for fly suggestions.
If you're floating, be safe. If in doubt, scout it out. Wear a life jacket.
Here are a few tips for fly fishing Rock Creek:
1. Fish the side channels, slow inside deeper bends, runs with a couple feet of walking speed water and structure, riffles, and undercut banks.
2. Try swinging or stripping a copper/gold kreelex minnow in any walking speed water you can find along the banks, and at these flows even up along the grassy drop-offs if the water is in the grass.
3. Try a golden stone dry, a black and purple or peach chubby with a short-ish dropper of a yellow sally nymph, perdigon, or golden stone nymph.
Here are a few fly suggestions:
1. Goldie Hawn size 14-18
2. Purple Haze size 14-18
3. Elk hair caddis size 14-16
4. Kreelex Minnow size 6, in copper/gold
5. TJ Hooker size 10-12, in coffee/black
6. Pheasant Tail Nymph size 12-20
7. Golden Stone Chubby size 12-14
8. Zebra midge size 16
9. Pink pearl core worm size 10
10. Peach chubby size 10-12
11. Black and purple chubby size 10-12
Flows and looking ahead:
1580 cfs at the time of publishing this report.
Here is a link to the Rock Creek USGS Water Information.
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