Andy Mahurin's January 2026 Fishing Outlook for the Caney
Andy Mahurin's January Fishing Outlook
I hope everyone had a great holiday season! January is shaping up to be a phenomenal month carrying into the spring. This is my all time favorite time to be out and about. So grab that new gear you got for Christmas, layer up and get out there as much as you can.
Both no generation and high generations have been fishing great with a possibility of a fish of a lifetime. Water temperature and oxygen levels are back to where they need to be after a struggle with both late summer and fall.
For the wade fisherman I've been seeing most of the fish caught in the riffles, or slightly more moving water, as well as the the head of a run and tailouts. With the orfice gate closed now until early summer the water is super clear and the fish are a little more spooky especially as the eagles and other predators are around. I have been lengthening my leaders and running a dry fly or new Zealand indicator with the typical midge set up. Olive nymphs in size 16 to 22 have been working really well. The big key is to drift to the fish and not cast to the fish. Always fish closest to you then work your way out with each drift.
I also have been seeing the start of our shad kills as well in the high generations. The Threadfin shad so far have been in the two to three inch size, so trim down those streamers to accommodate. I have been tying a kreelex on a size 4 streamer hook and that has been working well. Dead drifting white wooly buggers 6 to 8 ft below a indicator has been very productive. Be safe out there on those higher generations with these colder days approaching.
Flys:
Kreelex streamer in silver size 4
White wooly buggers size 4 to 10
Olive midges size 16 to 24
Pheasant tail nymph size 16 to 18
Blowtorch size 16 to 20
Pheasant tail size 16 to 18
Rainbow warrior size 16-22
Perdigons size 16-20
I hope everyone has a great 2026 season and wish you all the best of luck. If you have any questions on rigging, flies etc. please feel free to give me a call or email. And if you see me out there give me a wave! Thanks everyone.
(October25)
September was a rough one for many, anglers, including myself, on the Caney due to water quality and clarity. As we roll into October, I suspect it will be the same for the first part of the month. Once we start getting those cooler nights and days, fishing should be getting better as we move along through the month. With that being said, the fish numbers are there. What I have found is that wooly buggers have produced the most fish as of yet - different than our typical nymph game. Due to the water clarity, moving wooly buggers or small streamers in the grass beds and structure has been producing a fair amount of fish.
Top flies for late September and October:
White wooly bugger size 8-12
Olive wooly bugger size 8-12
Egg patterns
San Juan's/ squirmy worms size 8-10
Zebra midges 16-22
MIND THOSE REDDS!
As we roll into the October/ November months the Brown trout will start their spawning sequence. I know everyone loves catching big browns, but let them do their thing. I witnessed a lot of anglers in the Lancaster stretch poking a lot of nice fish off of their beds. Even if there hasn't been any historical spawning activity on the Caney, the fish are expending a lot of energy doing so.
Remember if you have any questions about anything, fishing related or not, feel free to give me a call or email. I will try to answer the best as I can. Be safe out there and tight lines!