The Boulder River is hanging in the 1000 range and will probably stay there for awhile. This isn’t a big fish river but it is fun river to cast attractor dry flies. Wading will continue to become more manageable as flows drop and floating should be an option while the river is dropping.These flows are conducive to both wading and floating if you are an experienced rower. We are seeing some golden stones, yellow sallies, caddis, PMDs, and a few salmonflies. A Pat's rubberlegs, 20 incher, or mega prince in combination with a duracell, prince, blowtorch, or lil' spanker is a great rig to start with. Dry fly fishing has been good with surface activity increasing in the afternoon. Chubby Chernobyl, Stimulators, and attractor dries are all a great option to get some trout looking up.
Best Flies for the Boulder
Pat's rubberlegs (Black, Coffee) #6-10
20 incher #6-10
Duracell #14-18
Prince #12-16
Blowtorch #14-18
Lil' Spanker #12-18
Chubby Chernobyl (Purple, Yellow, Tan) #6-14
Stimulator #8-16
Foam Run Caddis #12-16
Baby Gonga (Olive) #4-8
Mini Dungeon (Olive, Natural, Tan) #4-8
The Month Ahead:
The Boulder is a good option for all of July--just depends on flows for floating or wading as being the best way to fish. The colder water also makes it a nice option later in the summer when other fisheries are getting warm. The short floating window will probably be over by the third week of July.
Long Term Fishing Forecast:
Dry fly fishing will continue to pick up on the Boulder. Like the Gallatin, the Boulder has extremely cold water and tends to fish well all summer. Terrestrials become very important over here later in the summer.