The Pan fished a little slow this trip, with most days producing only 6-8 fish each. A colder February has caused the spawning run to be a couple of weeks later then usual. The big rainbows were not yet staging for the spawn. A couple of bows in the 20-22 inch range were spotted, but were usually seen flying through the bend pool and not interested in taking a fly. The weather was warmer when we were there, bringing on some excellent midge hatches. We took a lot of fish on dries, most days we averaged 6-8 browns in the 14-16 inch range, with an occasional rainbow. The big fish for the trip was a hefty 22-inch brown. With the flows coming out of the back spillway, the Toilet Bowl was devoid of flows, but not fish. Some browns decided to stick around and could be caught in the evening. Right around dark these fish became surprisingly aggressive and would hammer wooly buggers striped through the pool. The best flies were again black beauties and miracle nymphs, with pheasant tails producing the best on the lower Pan.

March 11-12, 2004