I'm not real religious when it comes to prayer. In fact my prayers are usually for good cigars, better whiskey and fish in love with dry flies.

I'm a man of simple needs. However, when the droughts in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas ended in one fell-swoop, I began to think it might be time for prayers to be directed toward California. I think we've had enough rain for awhile. So, as I write this column on a Sunday, waiting for my fishing buddy, I believe my conversations with the Big Fly Fisherman will take on a different tone.

It is now July, and many of the rivers and streams are still not fishable. Normally by this time of the year, everything is fishing. I remember past years worrying about low water by now. So, what's one to do; make lemonade out of lemons?

Don't sit around waiting for the rivers to clear up and slow down, head for the lakes and ponds. The two lakes I have fished recently are Pastorius and McPhee. I fished Pastorius from my float tube. However, this reservoir is easily fished from the shore. I found Pastorius to be high and way off color. There was also moss being blown around the surface of the lake. Don't let that deter you. As I floated around the lake I saw lots of dragon flies. However, the fish were not the least bit interested in my imitation of dragon flies. What they were interested in was my imitation of a green wooly bugger. When I let it sink, and then slowly stripped it in, the trout loved it. The other nice attribute of Pastorius is that it is close to town.

McPhee was fished from a bass boat. Fly fishing from a bass boat dictated that I start with a bass popper. My poppers of different sizes and colors produced zero fish. I then tied on a white wooly bugger. That's what worked last year. After stripping that in for an hour with no success, I went to a green wooly bugger. And, similar to Pastorius, I had fish jumping into the boat. Well, not jumping into the boat, but my fishing buddy and I had fish on all day. Green wooly buggers have also attracted bass, trout and pan fish in a private pond that I can access. Obviously, when in doubt, go green. While I haven't fished Big Molas or Havilland, they're the next lakes on my list.

Reach Don Oliver at [email protected].