July
Big Flies After Dark
Flows are further subsiding in July on Eastern freestone rivers, and water temperatures start to become an issue. If they rise much over 70 degrees, don't even bother to fish. The action will be slow, and those trout you do catch and release in the warmer water will have a greatly reduced chance of survival. But there are some bright spots. Giant Hexagenia mayflies hatch early this month on upper Midwestern rivers, as well as on trout ponds and lakes from Labrador south through the Appalachians nearly to Georgia. This, again, is late-evening or after-dark fishing with the promise of very large trout.

For the best daytime fishing in July (other than in cold tailwaters), take a hike. The small, headwater tributaries of major trout streams almost always have cooler water than the main rivers, and trout often migrate to such places.

Water levels are also of concern now in some Western rivers, as ongoing drought coupled with irrigation withdrawals may cause some rivers to warm much too rapidly. Otherwise, this is the perfect time for casting a size 14 Royal Wulff (above) upstream in the tumbling, high-country pocket water of rivers in Idaho and Colorado, for example. This is probably the world's bestselling dry fly simply because its bright white wings make it very easy for anglers to see on the water. The trout can see it, too.