Scuds -- tiny, bottom-dwelling crustaceans that resemble shrimp -- are the primary forage, and several fly patterns in sizes 12-22 are available to imitate them. The nymph and winged forms of mayflies, caddisflies, midges, damselflies and dragonflies are also important foods, as are terrestrials like ants and beetles.

Pheasant-tail and Copper John nymphs, Zebra and Y2K midges, Chuck’s Emergers and soft-hackle flies mimic many of these insects. “Wait until you get to the river and go to a local fly shop to buy your flies,” Reed advises. “They know what’s working right then.”

Big trout bites come in the form of crayfish, black-nosed dace and sculpins. Woolly buggers, Clouser Minnows and Dave Whitlock’s Near ‘Nuff Sculpin in sizes 2-12 imitate these foods. Spin-fishermen match them with Rebel’s crawfish crankbaits, black-backed Rogue jerkbaits and bottom-running crankbaits in greens, browns and yellows. On high water, boaters who cast large jerkbaits to shoreline structure draw strikes from enormous browns, and flashy spoons, inline spinners and jigs account for countless smaller trout.

Youngsters delight in catching sculpins with bits of worm on tiny hooks. Tough-fingered folks who nab molting crawfish have the most deadly bait on the river for browns, Reed said. “A few old-timers still set out minnow traps by their docks,” he stated. “They run the point of the hook down through the jaw, then turn it and put it through the body pointing up so they can cast it real gentle downstream. It looks like it’s swimming in the current. That’s a great way to catch big trout, but not many are still dedicated enough to do that.”

OBEYIN’ THE RULES
You may keep up to five rainbows per day with no length limit, but your five-fish daily bag is limited to two brown or cutthroat trout per day, and they must be at least 16 inches long. The brook trout limit is also two per day with a 14-inch minimum.

In the catch-and-release area from Otter Creek to the sign 200 yards above River Ridge Access, only artificial lures with a single barbless hook are allowed, and all fish must be released immediately. A $5 trout stamp is required in addition to your fishing license.

DRY RUN CREEK
Dry Run Creek is even shorter and sweeter than the North Fork. It flows with effluent from the federal hatchery for about a half-mile. A few years ago, a trout biologist verified that the number of fish crowding a portion of the creek represented the most dense trout population on Earth -- and conditions haven’t changed much since then.

The creek is open for catch-and-release fishing during daylight hours only to disabled anglers and those under 16 years old, with help from others. (And enforcement officers are watching to ensure that “helpers” don’t turn into “anglers.”) Only single-hook artificial lures or flies are allowed.