October will be tough here. Currently it is fishing great and access is fantastic in the open day use areas & trail heads. The road into the SJ is now open for all, however the INFS is removing the huge trees that fell during last falls wind storm by logging trucks and there will be significant delays at times while the trucks come up and down the narrow road that leads into Devil's Postpile. Soda Springs and Agnew Meadows campgrounds remain closed. It is possible to fish a dry fly all day on the SJ right now. I like para mayfly (#18-20), caddis adults (#16-18), floating ants (#18), stone fly adults (#12), and para high vis midge patterns (#20) cast with a 5X tippet. The fish are really moving into the deeper pools now so concentrate on water that is deeper than a foot for more consistent grabs. Wet wading is still pleasant with studded boots and a staff, however it can be a little uncomfortable until 10-11 am.

Photos:

Photo #1:Mark Vidovich with one of the "dozens" of beautiful wild trout he fooled recently on the San Joaquin while casting dry flies with a 3 wt. fly rod
Photo #2:John Ballotti had a great day casting dries and nymphing with #18 Assassins to many aggressive wild trout on the San Joaquin. The larger pools are holding the highest concentrations of trout due to low water conditions.
Photo #3:This is a bona- fide golly whopper for the San Joaquin, although this long rainbow John caught is "stunted" due to a lack of food for its size. Most likely this is attributed to the low water this season and flood conditions last year.
Photo #4:Mark properly showing us the first of my "three P's" crucial to catching trout while fly fishing in the Sierra. "Positioning" downstream and "presenting" upstream-will allow you to "perform" more catch & release!
Photo #5:Now you see why they are called "stone flies" This is the exoskeleton of what the trout deem to be PRIME RIB baby.