June 5, 2026 | Beaver Tailwater Fishing Report
The theme as of the last week has been one of fluctuating flows and wild changes in water levels. Adapting to these differing flows has been tricky, but fish are still eating and getting flies down in their zone has been the name of the game. Check out below for more detail.
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Beaver Tailwater Levels & Conditions
Beaver Lake is currently holding at 1121.42 and holding relatively steady. We've seen a few days of drops in the water level when the US Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water. The generators are STILL down, and likely will be for a while. From what I understand, the issue is with the brake pads. The generators could start up fine, but they are not confident they could stop them. I'm certianly not an engineer, and don't have an in-depth knowledge of how the turbines work, so take this with a grain of salt. When the Corps is releasing water, they are letting out a combination of flood gates and conduit water. It is giving us a good mix of oxygen and cold water, and is the best we can ask for under the current conditions. I am working through some channels, such as (Freedom of Information Act requests) on getting more information and hope to be able to provide more details soon.
What is concerning about the situation is that the most recent information I received from the Corps was that generation could "possibly" resume this summer. My concern would be for the water temps as we move into a summer weather pattern. Without some consistent cold water, we could be in trouble come July and August, particularly in the lower portions of the river. At this juncture, I think we should all be hoping for some big rains, so the Corps has plenty of water to let loose this summer if we are in fact still not able to see cold water come through the turbines.
One quick note - the generation schedule that we typically rely on is not being accurately reflected. The Corps Facebook page is one place to go to find out what's happing currently. The app (linked below) is also showing current information, but not future predictions. If you are wading, you need to be VERY AWARE of the water levels. When the flood gates and conduit pipe are opened, the water rises exponentially faster than under normal generation. There is no "buildup" as the water is let loose through the turbines. It goes from zero flow to up to around 9,000 -10,000 cfs instantly. If you are on foot - take the horn very seriously and waste no time getting back to the bank.
Enough griping...on to what's working...
What's Working
In lower flows, our standard bugs are producing great. Rootbeer and Ruby midges always have a place in your rig. We are fishing these on indicator rigs on 5 or 5.5x tippet, and typically as a trailer below a slightly larger fly to draw some attention our way. For our upper fly, we are doing well on a variety of different things and tend to adjust these depending on water depth. In deeper sections - Micro Jigs, Meyer Leeches, small Girdle Bugs, and size 12 or 14 Beaver Blowtorchs get the nod. In shallower water, I lean more toward Tailwater Sowbugs or Swiss Straw Scuds.
I've also had some good luck fishing dry dropper rigs. We are fishing smaller Psych Ants and Bionic Ants with a Rootbeer or Ruby midge tagged a couple feet below in the lower flows. Really looking forward to the terrestrial bite picking up in shade lines and below overhanging trees over the next couple months.
In the big flows, you are going to have to fish long tippet and lots of weight to get down effectively. We are throwing Jumbo San Juan worms (pictured below and added to the website soon), big Y2K's, Slush Eggs, Girdle Bugs.....anything heavy that can get you down quickly in depth and flow. I'm fishing around 8 -10 feet from my indicator to my split shot, which have been AAA or even SA sized. I'm throwing these on 10' 6 weight rods.
I haven't had the chance to do much streamer fishing, but word through the grapevine is that it's hit or miss and can be lights out one day, and zero the next.
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.
Question: Are they sounding the horn prior to releasing water from the fllood gates/conduit?