March 20, 2026 | Beaver Tailwater Fishing Report
- Ryan Burks
- Mar 20
- 3 min read
Well Spring has officially sprung with the Spring Equinox happening today. As usual this time of year, mother nature has been a bit temperamental and can't quite make up her mind on what to do. With the recent rains, and increased generation we have seen an uptick in the flows from the dam and I'm sure this will push some of the warmwater species up the river to spawn. Read on below to get some more details.
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Beaver Tailwater Levels & Conditions
Beaver Lake is still far below power pool. The lake peaked at 1116.3 msl on Tuesday and has been falling since. It currently sits at 1115.81 msl. The generation schedule early in the week was a bit sporadic, but since Wednesday evening we have seen a stead release of about 3930 cubic feet/second. This has pushed cool, clean water down the river and made it MUCH easier to navigate in a boat, and you can currently get anywhere you'd like to. The current generation levels effectively rule out wading. The weekend schedule hasn't published yet, but with the increase in temps and air conditioners kicking on, I would expect this level of flows to continue through the weekend and until the weather cools a bit and demand on the electric grid goes down.
Without any rain in the last several days and a good flush of water coming through the dam we are having great water clarity, even in the lower part of the river. The walleye have made a push up the river and the white bass are hot on their heels. I expect that these several days of generation coupled with a little warm-up in the water conditions will have the white bass moved up in a big way this next week. We will have to wait and see, but I have a good feeling about loading up on these guys next week.
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What's Working
We are still in a midge pattern when focusing on trout, particularly in the upper river and in the more clear water. We are hanging these from 18" to 3 feet below indicators depending on the water depth. In deeper water, or when fishing below the Hwy 62 bridge, the Micro Jig continues to reliably produce fish. Jigs are great right now, especially in the lower part of the river. They are great for targeting trout, white bass and the occasional walleye. In windy conditions, hang them 3-4 feet below an indicator. In flat water, don't be afraid to cast and strip them back.
When the dam is pushing water, drift fishing for trout has been good. We are fishing something big and bright, like a Y2K or San Juan Worm with a Purple Haze Sowbug or a larger Ruby Midge below it. Depending on where you are, you will have to adjust your depth and weight, but a large BB split shot about 12" above your top fly and your indicator set about 8' to the top fly is a good place to start.
Throwing small baitfish streamers is always a good bet when the generators are on, but can be even more fun this time of year. You have the possibility of catching Rainbow or Brown Trout, White Bass and Walleye on any given cast. It can sure make for an interesting day on the water.
To wrap up the week, we have seen some ups and downs in the fishing, but overall it is trending in the right direction. There are lots of warmwater species moving upriver and staging, and this warm weather and increased river flows might just push it all into high gear!
Check out the store portion of our website for flies, and if you need something you don't see there...don't hesitate to reach out! I can make it happen.
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