5-13 SS Skwala 2

  Hi everybody this is David Sparks bringing you sportsmen’s spotlight. I did a Google search the other day and I said what is a skwala… just for fun. These amazing things came up. I will tell you next. So after asking Mr. Google what is a skwala, I see all of these websites: spring skwala swap, another one, big black ugly bug gets the job done on Bitterroot River, flyfishing the skwala hatch on the Big Hole River. Will  Josh Mills knows a little bit about the skwala hatch and spring flyfishing. “This is kind of the first kickoff of dry fly season. After a winter of staring at thingamabobbers  and straight indicators and nymphing  and all that other stuff, this is a time when you throw a big meaty dry fly out in a big brown or a rainbow is going to say that’s a meal and I am going to come get it. Now the things that you want to look for is that they are going to start keying these stone flies because they are a very sporatic hatch. You have to look for things like a consistent warming trend. The  rivers are in pre runoff  stage so you’re not seeing big torrents, were not looking at the big runoffs like you get in June. These bugs are going to be hatching late March through the first couple of weeks of April depending on water temperatures and water temperatures as they are starting to escalate into the mid-to upper 40s, that’s when you’re going to see these stone flies start to move around, go through their molting process and emerge as aerialized adults.  The key color on skwalas is a light olive or green color. So go to your dry fly store, ask for some skwalas and go have some fun.