[montana_sam]

Went out on the Cedar today for the first time this year.
Nothing really to report. The river is running fast. Fished a hour and broke one off nymphing.
I fished the Cedar last year and know the river pretty well.
However, I still have a few questions.
1) Dry Flies - When does the surface action start? (Mid July?)
2) What species of fish are these? (See attached)
They were of the color of the outside of a watermelon, but striped!
I am a Montana boy and know nothing about Salmon, which I assume these are.
I had to have seen thousands. Are these salmon? How long do they stay in the river?
Very Interesting!

Any Info would be great,

Thanks,

Sam

 

[stefanelliott]

Good luck with an educated answer.

 

[stefanelliott]

But as for the dry flies if you go late evening you will find lots of trout sipping off the top, yellow stimis work good, or just try to find what they are eating and match it the best you can.

 

[John Wallace]

They are peamouth minnows. I help do a study last year for Bellevue. They spawn around now by the 1000's. They go up creeks,streams, and rivers. They will spawn then go back out to the lake till next year. Some my stay or go back and forth but not many.

 

[Stew McLeod]

Last 45-60 minutes any night and the dry action is on at the Cedar (ok once the flow die down a bit more). As mentioned Yellow Stimi's... PMDs, or my favorite BWO or EHC.

Stew

 

[Tim Lockhart]

Days can be really hit-n-miss depending on weather/conditions, but I've never seen a bad evening on moving water...even the Seedy. Fish early eve till dark and you can use 100% dries if you like. I did when I used to fish there, and not just out of preference, it worked best. Play hatchmatcher if you want but it's certainly not a requirement. Usually I'd go smaller in more visibility / bigger in less visibility, and that's not just daylight...i.e. a med/fast flow w/ medium depth was often a deadly place to skate a large pmx, even in direct sunlight. Worked fine for me but you might get a number of differing opinions about what's best...any of them can work so find what suits you. Spend less than a handful of eves working dries there and you'll start to know where/when your fly will get whacked. Oh, and if you're not seeing them rise yet don't think they can't be taken on the surface...long as you're past late afternoon it's fair game, especially where they can hold comfortably. Wherever fish can hide and still view the surface you'll draw strikes.

Good luck!

Almost forgot...Stew makes a great point about the last 45-60. I used to see everyone hit the truck an hour too early (happens at lakes a lot too). Night after night you see everyone take off, then the real action starts. If it's still legal to be out there it's not time to go home yet.

 

[11961]

Consider yourself lucky that you had the chance to witness a peamouth spawning event. They have a "here today and gone tomorrow" type of spawning event that even scientists have a hard time pinpointing.

 

[jimmyjoe]

Last year the peamouths left egg deposiits two inches thick, and 100's of feet long on some beaches. As the water went down the stench was horrible as they started to rot. I see these all the time, the water just boils with fish!

 

[JesseC]

do trout eat their eggs?