To everyone who replied,
This is fascinating stuff! John, what a great thread! I have read all the responses and they are just super! I guess I need to rub elbows with some of your fine folks and hope that these techniques and methods osmose over to my side and sink in! Let's get together in Roscoe, NY in 2012! I'll bring a very large note book and a video camera!
Dougsden
Working flies
Moderators: William Anderson, letumgo
Re: Working flies
Fish when you can, not when you should! Anything short of this is just a disaster.
Re: Working flies
Dougsden, I have often thought about you, I trophy hunted(20 yrs) White tail deer just a few miles south of you .I used to get my arrows swedged in Sardis
Small World
John
Small World
John
"The trout do not rise in the cemetery, so you better do your fishing while you are still able." - Sparse Grey Hackle
Re: Working flies
What sometimes works for me when fish are spooky is to fish like your fishing steelhead or salmon.
Stand upstream from the part you like to fish,cast over the fast current and let the fly go downstream.
Knowing how long your leader and tippet are,watch the flyline and stop it by every "place were a trout could be"let the fly like in a normal deaddrift come up to the surface.
This way you keep far out of sight from any fish.
Klaas
Stand upstream from the part you like to fish,cast over the fast current and let the fly go downstream.
Knowing how long your leader and tippet are,watch the flyline and stop it by every "place were a trout could be"let the fly like in a normal deaddrift come up to the surface.
This way you keep far out of sight from any fish.
Klaas
Re: Working flies
Add to what Klass described!
As you continue in search with the down stream approach, take advantage of the length of your rod! I fish a lot of "pocket water" in much the same approach, starting at the top of a "shoal" or "ripple", I will approach or work in from the shoreline, with a series of casts, first working up stream, working river edge, out towards towards center stream, and allowing the cast to fish through, to down stream. Continue with the same length of line, with the "line of drift" being placed about12" out further from shore with each pass. Once you have fished through to the point that your cast in at length, straight out in front, then take a few steps out. Repeating in the same manner until I have moved out towards midstream, about one and a half rod lengths out!
1) From this point, I will face turn to face down stream, using a reach to the out to the midstream side, allow a few more feet of line to drop down stream to a dangle! From there work a few short "strips" of the line, pausing a bit, then two more short strips and a pause, continuing until you have moved the fly back towards you, about the length of your leader!
2) At this point, I tip the rod about a foot, back towards straight down stream (NO Casting!), Pause, then simply let the line that you striped, drop, or, simply feed out freely with the current! In doing so, you allow the fly goes back down stream, in a "free fall" and sink, until the line tightens and causes the fly to "lift" through the water!
Continue this process, repeating until you have effectively fished all water, as far as you can reach to either side of your single standing location!! In using a 9' rod with a 9-12' leader, I can fish through a section of water that measures about, 18' wide and 12' long! That is a lot of effective water! Hitting every pocket current line and the back eddies!
If you can wade safely in the down stream direction, take 3-5 steps, find a solid standing point, and Start all over (Step 1, above!). If conditions do not allow you to continue down stream, work on towards the opposite shore, or if need be, back towards the entry point on the starting bank and relocate to a new section of water!
This approach is great when fishing in high winds or extreme cold as there is little "casting". By stripping your line, you will carry a bit of water into your guides, resulting in occasional freeze up! As I fish a lot of Midwest tail waters, (read that as extremely wide, waters with long shoals and shuts!!!) I fish this way through the coldest of days and enjoy the peace of reduced traffic on the river! In big winds, I'll select sections to fish, allowing me to face down wind and down stream! Stay warmer all day!
The real secret to fishing this way:
Often, the fish will slam your flies! Always have a few feet of line in your rod hand! With any take, do not "set the hook" but instead, drop that line, then sweep the rod gently to the side, parallel to the water to take up slack, setting into the fish, or use a light strip set to hook up! I find the the first method allows the fish to "turn down stream" after the take, allowing the hook to set "into the mouth" instead of pulling it out of the mouth! From there, enjoy!!
FliTrap
As you continue in search with the down stream approach, take advantage of the length of your rod! I fish a lot of "pocket water" in much the same approach, starting at the top of a "shoal" or "ripple", I will approach or work in from the shoreline, with a series of casts, first working up stream, working river edge, out towards towards center stream, and allowing the cast to fish through, to down stream. Continue with the same length of line, with the "line of drift" being placed about12" out further from shore with each pass. Once you have fished through to the point that your cast in at length, straight out in front, then take a few steps out. Repeating in the same manner until I have moved out towards midstream, about one and a half rod lengths out!
1) From this point, I will face turn to face down stream, using a reach to the out to the midstream side, allow a few more feet of line to drop down stream to a dangle! From there work a few short "strips" of the line, pausing a bit, then two more short strips and a pause, continuing until you have moved the fly back towards you, about the length of your leader!
2) At this point, I tip the rod about a foot, back towards straight down stream (NO Casting!), Pause, then simply let the line that you striped, drop, or, simply feed out freely with the current! In doing so, you allow the fly goes back down stream, in a "free fall" and sink, until the line tightens and causes the fly to "lift" through the water!
Continue this process, repeating until you have effectively fished all water, as far as you can reach to either side of your single standing location!! In using a 9' rod with a 9-12' leader, I can fish through a section of water that measures about, 18' wide and 12' long! That is a lot of effective water! Hitting every pocket current line and the back eddies!
If you can wade safely in the down stream direction, take 3-5 steps, find a solid standing point, and Start all over (Step 1, above!). If conditions do not allow you to continue down stream, work on towards the opposite shore, or if need be, back towards the entry point on the starting bank and relocate to a new section of water!
This approach is great when fishing in high winds or extreme cold as there is little "casting". By stripping your line, you will carry a bit of water into your guides, resulting in occasional freeze up! As I fish a lot of Midwest tail waters, (read that as extremely wide, waters with long shoals and shuts!!!) I fish this way through the coldest of days and enjoy the peace of reduced traffic on the river! In big winds, I'll select sections to fish, allowing me to face down wind and down stream! Stay warmer all day!
The real secret to fishing this way:
Often, the fish will slam your flies! Always have a few feet of line in your rod hand! With any take, do not "set the hook" but instead, drop that line, then sweep the rod gently to the side, parallel to the water to take up slack, setting into the fish, or use a light strip set to hook up! I find the the first method allows the fish to "turn down stream" after the take, allowing the hook to set "into the mouth" instead of pulling it out of the mouth! From there, enjoy!!
FliTrap