Biting right now — August

Cold tailwater keeps fish active even in the dead of winter. We find rainbows and browns holding in the deeper runs and behind current breaks near the dam, taking nymphs and small streamers slow and low. Fewer boats on the water this month, and the fishing holds up well for it.

Water temps start to inch up and the fish respond. We work the tailwater seams and gravel bars with nymph rigs, picking up rainbows, browns, and cutthroat steadily through the day. Cloud cover days tend to fish best for streamer work.

This is one of the best months of the year on the river. Rainbows and brook trout are stacked up and feeding hard as water temps climb, and we cover a lot of river with dry-dropper rigs to find them. Brown and cutthroat action stays strong too, making for a full day of bent rods.

Water is cool and clear coming off winter flows, and rainbows and brookies are stacked up in the runs and tailouts below the dam. We fish nymphs deep through the current seams and swing streamers on the slower bends. This is one of the best months of the year on this river.

Cutthroat move up hard this month and hold in the riffles and along current breaks near gravel bars. Rainbows are still active and brookies keep showing in the softer water behind rocks. We adjust fly size as bugs start hatching more consistently through the day.

Warmer water pushes fish toward deeper runs and shaded ledges as the day heats up. Rainbows and cutthroat still feed but the bite slows and windows get shorter, so we start early and work the shade. Brookies and browns are not worth chasing this month.

Water runs warm and low this month, and the trout know it. Rainbows and brook trout will still take a fly early, before the sun gets on the water, but browns and cutthroat shut down. We fish dawn starts and work deep runs and shaded banks, then call it by mid-morning.

This is the toughest stretch of the year on the White. Warm water pushes fish into the coldest pockets we can find, tailwater seams and deep bends, and the bite stays slow all month. We keep trips short and early, and we are honest that this is not a month to expect a big day.

Cooling water flips a switch on this river. Rainbows, browns, and brook trout all turn on and feed hard through riffles, current seams, and around structure below the dam. Cutthroat start to stir but stay picky, so we spend most of our time on the other three and fish a full day to cover the water.

Water cools and flows steady out of the dam, and browns start staging on gravel bars and current seams ahead of the spawn. Rainbows and brook trout are aggressive in the riffles and along current breaks, and we are throwing streamers and nymph rigs through the same runs all day. This is one of the best stretches of the year on this river.

Browns are locked into their spawning runs on the gravel and we fish streamers tight to the banks and behind boulders where they hold. Rainbows and brook trout stack in the tailwater current and eat nymphs steadily through the shorter daylight hours. Cutthroat show up in the same slower pools and round out a strong month.

Cold water slows everything down and fish hold in the deeper, softer water below ledges and in the dam tailwater. Browns are still the standout fish this month and we work slow drifts with heavier nymphs to get down to them. Half day trips work well here since the bite windows are shorter and tighter in the cold.