The Middle Fork Stanislaus River is currently flowing at 103cfs, a slight decrease from last week. These flows continue to provide excellent wading conditions and are right in the sweet spot for summer fishing. The forecast calls for slightly warmer weather this week, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 70s, along with a chance of afternoon showers on Monday and Tuesday.

Fishing Conditions & Tactics

The Middle Fork continues to offer some of the best fishing conditions we've seen all season. As flows gradually decrease and water temperatures steadily increase, the river is fishing exceptionally well and should only continue to improve throughout the summer.

Although water temperatures remain in the low 50s, trout are feeding aggressively and become even more active as the river warms throughout the day. Nymphing remains the most productive technique, particularly during the cooler morning hours. Both euro nymphing and indicator nymphing are excellent choices, with plenty of pocket water, seams, and deeper runs that can be effectively targeted.

As the afternoon progresses, the dry fly bite continues to improve. Increased insect activity and warmer water temperatures have led to more consistent surface action, making mid-afternoon through the evening the best time to fish dries. If you're looking to maximize your chances, start the day with nymphs and transition to dry flies as fish begin looking toward the surface.

Overall Outlook

The Middle Fork is firmly in its prime summer fishing pattern. With ideal flows, comfortable wading conditions, warming water temperatures, and increasingly active trout, this is an excellent week to get on the water.

Fishing should only continue to improve as we move deeper into the summer. Be sure to pack layers for the cool mornings and keep an eye on the forecast for the possibility of afternoon showers early in the week.

Before heading out, stop by the shop and we'd be happy to help you choose productive fly patterns, fine-tune your setup, and point you toward some of our favorite access points.

The south fork of the Stanislaus is currently running at 13cfs near strawberry and 13cfs near fraser flat, both of these areas remain nearly unchanged from last week. The weather this week is expected to be slightly warmer with the beginning of the week in the mid 80s and heating up into the high 80s by the weekend.

This area is great to take the whole family, make a quick trip up after work, or even a shorter day trip. These flows are extremely wadeable and are actually on the lower side of ideal, but not by much. With these lower flows dry fly fishing has been incredible and will only continue to get better as we see more and more terrestrials make their appearance for the summer. There are also still some great areas to nymph, however, with how great the dry fly bite can be here it can be hard to pass up.

It is only going to continue to get better as we progress through the rest of the summer. Be sure to stop by the shop and we can help you pick out incredible flies and help steer in the right direction to start catching fish. Be sure to pack layers this week.