Paradise Valley Spring Creek Fishing Report - July 8, 2025

It's PMDelirium in Paradise Valley!

The PMD hatch on the Paradise Valley spring creeks is in full swing. Depending on where you find yourself — Armstrong's, DePuy's, or Nelson's — the hatch can vary in intensity from day to day at each location.

Midges are also in play early in the morning, as are spinners. Pair your favorite PMD merger or dun with a pheasant tail nymph below it to give fish choices on what to eat and to determine where they are eating in the water column. That may be on the surface, in the surface film, or at some point between the substrate and the surface.

Anglers should have a variety of patterns to fish at a variety of depths. Early on, try pairing two nymphs under a sensitive indicator to determine what size fly the fish are keying in on. One of my favorite combinations is a size #16 pheasant tail and a size #18 pheasant tail. Use one fly that is naturally colored one and one that is dark olive. This helps me determine what size fly to use throughout the rest of the day.

We are also seeing a smattering of caddis flies on both Armstrong's and Depuy's that have been bringing fish to the dry and wet fly. I like fishing an X-caddis or an elk hair caddis dry, size #16 in tan with a soft-hackle dropper, also tan.

Don't rule out small terrestrials like ants and beetles this time of year either. They are great for fish that are held up against the bank after the PMD hatch dwindles around 1:30 p.m.

Favorite flies right now: Sawyer's pheasant tail nymph, last chance cripple, CDC biot emerger and dun, sparkle dun, para spinner, rusty spinner, floating nymph patterns