CLEAR MOUNTAIN CREEKS. I’ve been out on them the past few weeks treasure hunting. A fair amount of stream miles/kms covered while walking the cold flows over uneven stones. The smaller version of the Green Drake (Flavs) family (Mayfly) were around on some of the streams. A few of the bigger Drakes too. Cutthroat trout are always willing to take them on the surface. The hatch never gets ignored. Survival in mountain streams requires that trout feed when opportunity knocks. And this relatively large mayfly means calories and thick healthy fish. Some streams have Drakes. Mysteriously others just a valley or a few miles away do not. The fish in those rivers are not as robust; not as wide.
Some gems found while treasure hunting…
comparaduns/haystacks, a simple pattern
trout on dries 
Huge trout from a tiny creek. That’s incredible!
The trout come from 3 different streams…mainly 2 though. All are still cold for late August and quite fast between some of the sluggish looking pools. One is really unfishable until first or second week of august…super cold and fast.
Yes, incredibly healthy trout for smallish water…and beautiful water. Logging going on around 2 of them. If silt gets in then drake hatch weakens or disappears…and so do the incredible specimens in them.
Thanks for commenting Jim.
bob
Look at the shoulders on those cutts! Western green drakes and west slope cutthroats may be my favorite fish/hatch combo. Their slow rises to your fly must have been magical.
That is a system in perfect balance. I always wondered how those streams in your area could produce such a biomass of trout. But between the logging and the coal mines, I hope for the best but fear for the long term future.
Greg: “A system in perfect balance” is an accurate and perfect way of describing it. I’m sure many rivers were once like that…
Thanks for commenting…contributing.
bob
Hi Bob
Glad you found some trout feeding on drakes. I remember last year about this time when we were out on the small creek in BC and had a few drakes hatch in the afternoon. We caught some great fish!
Vic
Vic…recent outings were kind of a repeat of when we are on the river last yr…those creeks are pretty consistent if weather is stable. Hope all is well. Thanks for commenting.
bob
PS – I like how you captured the pale olive/chalky gray undersides of the naturals on your comparaduns.
Greg: My ties are usually pretty rough/ crude for those streams as the trout aren’t super picky once on the feed, especially in the flow. On some real slow/ flat pools I had to change fly pattern and go with a sparser hacklestacker type fly. The color of the body is pretty good…in all honesty trout rising in the steady flows would probably eat other colors angling as drift good.
Okay, thanks for commenting again. Tight lines out there…
bob