I hit the Elk July 3 from about 4 until dark. The river below the dam is full of fresh stockers. Most folks seemed to be doing well on wooly buggers, but I just hate stripping those things. I caught a few on the usual small nymphs, but was pretty frustrated. Usually, I can find what they are looking for and put a run of fish together. About an hour before dark, my buddy figured it out. We fished the slower water halfway or 3/4 to the bend. Attach a size 16 or 18 gold ribbed hares ear (ours had no bead head) below a wooly bugger. Toss a quartered cast downstream with a high rod tip. Let the flies sit there at the end of the swing for a few seconds, then strip a couple of times. Fish would take the hares ear on the swing, the pause or the strip. We probably caught over 20 between us in that hour and didn't move more than 50 yards. The takes are quick, so the high rod tip helped with the set.
