Guide tips: The
Roll Cast
If you spend anytime on densely
brush lined trout streams, this cast is an essential part of your presentation.
It is fundamentally simple and with very little practice one can become
proficient enough to handle the majority of situations the cast is designed
for.
One must have water to properly
practice and develop his or her roll cast. A lawn, mat or other dry surfaces do
not provide sufficient enough resistance of the fly line to effectively “load”
or bend the rod during the cast.
The beauty of the roll cast is that
you do not require any space behind you for the line to be back cast into. It
is an especially nice cast to use with the wind at your back. All the fly line
remains in theory, in front of the plane of your shoulders. Before you actually
take a rod to hand try imitating the cast by using this practice motion.
Pretend for the moment you have a small hand axe in your casting hand. You are
going to “chop” a large tree limb that is situated an arms length distant and
just slightly above your waist height. You know from experience that you will
not be able to cut the limb with one fell swing, but a series of blows will do
the job. You bring the axe up, cocking your arm by bending your elbow slowly so
as not to hit yourself or anything behind you. Your elbow stays in front of
your body and well out in front of your shoulders; elevated as far as necessary
to give you power to hit the tree limb. The imaginary axe may be well above
your head, with your hand being about ear level. You stop the axe completely
from its backward motion while at the same time aiming for the limb. The stroke
of the arm is downward towards the limb, with a little break of the wrist added
just as your arm becomes straight, just prior to the axe hitting the limb and
stopping abruptly. Practice this in slow motion at first, increasing your power
and speed when you feel comfortable. Remember to stop the arm completely just
about as your hand gets to waist level.
Use the resistance of the water on
the fly line to drag out a section of line by keeping the rod tip low to the
surface and allowing slack to be pulled down the rod and onto the surface in
front of you. You may need to do this several times to get enough line to cast
(20 feet is good to start with). Keep your elbow in front of the plane of your
shoulders and elevate your entire arm with your forearm being perpendicular to
the surface of the water and the rod tip high and eventually pointing at the 1
O’clock position if you are right handed, 11 if you are left. Do this motion
slowly, keeping the fly line ON the waters surface. Do not pull the line out of
or off the surface. You elbow should be well out in front of your shoulders and
elevating as you bend your arm bringing the rod back to the proper angle. Study
the lines position in relation to your rod, it should NOT be laying alongside it
and touching. If it is, slowly roll your wrist outwards to move the line away
from the eventual path of the rod. You will notice a slow curve of fly line
coming from the water towards the rods tip. This is the pre-formation of the
loop you will eventually cast. Use the analogy of the axe to continue the
casting motion, remembering to stop the rod abruptly once it has reached waist
level. Do not allow the line to go back behind your head. A common mistake
with roll casting is to drop the rod tip down bringing the “loop” of line lower
than the height of the rod tip when cast forward. This will cause a poor cast
and you may even hit yourself with the fly line or leader as it goes forward.
Another common error is a “backandforth” motion of the rod when casting. Make
sure you stop the rod completely before going forward. This hesitation is
necessary to properly load the rod when it changes direction. The line will
follow the path of the rod…ALWAYS. As you get more proficient with the cast you
can even “shoot” additional line after the loop develops. Practice this cast on
both sides of your body by bringing the rod over your opposite shoulder. This
is called a backhand cast. Use your elbow as a “pivot” point keeping it out in
front and on the same axle or line that you would use with your forehand roll
cast.
This
is a must know cast and it will give you superior presentations when adverse
conditions warrant.
Guide tips: Into
the backing!!!
Why do big fish get big? They have
been hooked before and know how to play the game without getting caught. When
you eventually set the hook on “Troutzilla” there are several things I suggest
you can do that may help you get a photo opportunity with the fish of your
dreams.
First, make sure you keep your rod
tip high and the upper half of the rod bent! Do not let the butt section of the
rod get parallel to the water surface and allow the tip to point at the
streaking fish. Keep an angle to your running fish. Hence the name of the
sport: angling. Your rod is a spring that absorbs shock use it! As line peels
off the reel the resistance of the fly line increases dramatically as the amount
of line increases. You must back off on the pressure you are applying to the
fish as it makes its initial burst. Keep your rod tip as high as possible (hold
the rod well above your head if necessary), this will keep a significant amount
of line out of the water and reduce friction that can break a line or weaken a
hook set. Resist the urge to “palm” or slow down the reels spool. A decent
drag set properly prior to the hook set has no emotion. It does not care if the
fish is 8 inches or eight pounds! Let the reels drag do its job. When you do
finally see that mysterious thin line called backing peeling off the reels
spool, rest assured you have a substantial adversary on the end and your fight
is in the infancy stages. The weight of the line and the reels drag will
eventually slow the fish down if your gear is properly matched to the potential
of the water you are angling in. Observe where potential obstacles like weed
beds, anchor lines and shallow water are. You must watch the lines direction
and put side strain on your fish by moving the rid tip opposite to the direction
the fish is motoring immediately. Do not strip backing! Whatever it takes,
keep the reel spool turning if the fish alters direction and comes back towards
you. Backing materials do not lay as well as fly lines and not only will you
lose the fish, you will be in the penalty box trying to untangle a gob of
Dacron!
As you retrieve line the fish will
no doubt make several more runs away from the pressure. These are prone to be
shorter and with substantial but somewhat less energy. Keep your hand off the
reel handle when not actually retrieving line; many fish are lost during this
series of shorter bursts due to “hanging on” of the reels handle.
The tug of war will go on until the
fish’s runs are very short with many headshakes and rolls of its body. Jumps
may occur any time, lower your rod tip and dip the rod tip swiftly near the
water to prevent losing angle and breaking off at all times during a fish
getting air. You must apply steady pressure by keeping the rod bent at all
times. Get your tip up immediately after a jump. Hopefully you have a good
long handled catch and release net handy. Avoid bringing your leader into the
guides of the rod until you are convinced the fish is ready to bring into net.
Most of the time its head will skim the surface if you have your tip high, this
is a good time to slide the fish into net.
After a prolonged battle fish will
acquire tremendous amounts of lactic acid that build up in the muscle tissue.
Please make sure you fully revive the fish by holding its tail and moving it
back and forth while laying it upright under the water. Avoid lengthy durations
of time out of water for photos, as it is a death sentence.
Guide tips: A
clean fly is a happy fly!
The fishing is just so-so, we get a
grab every now and then but the gurgling of the water and the singing of the
birds breaks our concentration…We all have a tendency to get lethargic on the
maintenance of our flies. A tiny miniscule piece of river grass has attached
its self to our fly and we have not looked close enough at the imitation
recently to detect it. Bummer! The trout want nothing to do with this chunk of
salad that has found its way onto our fly. It is essential to keep your fly
clean at ALL times if you want consistent results.
Dry fly presentations are less
likely, but not immune to encounter this problem. If you are fishing a nymph or
a streamer I encourage you to examine your imitation closely EVERY cast. It
will make a huge difference in the long run. Scrutinize your tippet and leader
also, many times a knot will be a location for some algae or grass to attach its
self to and spook or alert the trout to danger.
The best way to clean a fly is NOT
by mechanically “picking” the goo off the fly. Dipping the fly into the water
and swishing or agitating the debris off the fly while under the surface is
best. This method is easy on the materials that comprise the fly and it does an
efficient and quick job of cleaning the fly. You may also blow on the fly while
it is still wet to clean it instead of handling the fly and pulling the goo
off. A series of false casts lightly nipping the surface and using the
resistance of the water to pull or strip the debris off the fly can be very
effective and a quick way to get a clean bug or tippet
Natural aquatic insects or baitfish will not have algae or debris clinging to
their bodies. Make sure your presentations are “salad free” when stalking trout
in your favorite waters.
Guide tips: What
fly to use?
Late season trout fishing can be
down right frustrating at times, but on the other hand very rewarding. Aquatic
insects such as caddis flies and larger mayflies, stonefly hatches and
terrestrial insects, these are long gone during the winter months with the
cold-water temperatures found in the fishable waters of the Eastern Sierra. You
must look to the foundations of the aquatic insect world and the mainstay diet
of trout all over the world for a clue as to selection of a pattern that will
get grabs during the short solar periods of winter…the midge.
Midges hatch year round. Trout
recognize them as a staple everywhere and in the Eastern Sierra waters they
rule! You will find them in substantial numbers in all the tail waters like the
East Walker River and the Lower Owens River, including the Gorge. You will see
them emerge on Pleasant Valley Reservoir.
When in doubt about selecting a
pattern where you can see no clues as to what the trout are feeding on, go to
the mighty midge and you will get results. Start with a pattern and size that
you will not need an electron-scanning microscope to tie on or identify. Many
midge larva patterns that trout feed on are good sized, and they are plentiful
in the tail water sections of The Owens River. If you are not getting results
with the larger flies, go down one size at a time until you do get grabs. Midge
patterns are not complex and you will see that the fish are triggered more by
size, color or shade and where the fly is presented in the water column than by
intricate designs. I suggest you have patterns that incorporate some flash into
the design, as this will assist in the visibility of the smaller sizes to the
trout and imitate the translucent effect of the insect molting or emerging, a
very vulnerable time in the life cycle of the insect.
Streamers. Some imitate nothing
and can be a configuration of “pet fur”, material scraps and assorted materials
put together while under the influence of several “barley pops!.” Others
resemble small baitfish or trout fry. Use them in the winter, or when you are
having difficulty locating concentrations of “biters.” Trout will hit larger
flies out of aggression or to defend their territory. Trout may not move far to
inspect a tiny nymph, but put a chunk of protein like a small baitfish imitation
out in the strike zone and all of a sudden Mr. Trout kicks into high gear and
the genetic imprinting of “attack” takes precedent.
I have adopted the commercial
albacore fisherman’s school of thought regarding what colors to use and when. A
good rule of thumb is to select a dark colored pattern in low light or cloudy
days and choose brighter marked flies for the sunny, brighter mid-day times.
Contrast is the key in my opinion.
Of course, if a specific baitfish
is present one should always imitate size and color as best as possible in this
case.
We hope this brief on fly selection
will help you get into some fine winter fly- fishing opportunities found here in
the Eastern Sierra.
Guide
Tips: Stillwater damselfly migrations
The damsel fly hatch is a great time to pull imitations of the nymphs
#10-14 with a light to moderate sink tip or floating line. Find a weed
line or scum line free floating with the current or wind and stay on the
leading edge of this as long as you can. Damselflies lay their eggs on
this dead vegetation and feed on spent midges that have accumulated on
these unattractive but lucrative fishing areas. The trout will
“migrate” with these rafts of dead weed hoping to ambush a damselfly
adult or nymph. If you have never experienced a grab on a damselfly now
is the time! Fish the nymphs using multiple rapid movements by pulling
or stripping the fly line in quickly and aggressively. Allow the fly to
stop dead and sink periodically, this is called a pause. The grab comes
more times than not after a pause. Try to keep your rod tip at an angle
when tugging damsel imitations, you will understand when you break off a
time or two after a hard take when the rod can’t absorb the hit by
bending!
Guide
tips: Low light periods
With the long days having
anglers fishing low light periods and higher, faster water flows in some
areas, it may be difficult for some fly fishers to see the imitations
being cast to the trout. A good trick when fishing small dry flies or
emergers in difficult conditions such as shadows or riffle water, is to
use a larger higher visibility pattern as the target fly and drop the
smaller imitation with a short 12-18 inch section of tippet from the
bend of the big fly. A dry fly with a dry dropper so to speak.
Have several different
colors in your vest of strike indicator’s. Experience has shown me that
in changing light and water speeds, the eye will pick up on yellows,
reds and whites, with each novel situation. Mixed color poly yarn
indicators, although more difficult to cast, work well in a diverse
light spectrum.
Choose sunglasses that have wrap around sides, or panels to concentrate
light and reduce glare. Polarized, amber colored lenses are the optimum
choice for low light situations and are great for seeing colors and
shapes.
Guide
tips: Attractor Patterns
I have been asked on
several occasions what an attractor pattern is. The Laker girls have
several I really enjoy inspecting. (Just kidding).
These are flies either wet
(subsurface) or dry (surface) that do not resemble nor imitate any
specific aquatic insect or baitfish. They have characteristics and
images of several types of imitations rolled into one so to speak.
Most attractor patterns are
brightly colored, larger than natural food sources and have a high
visibility to both the angler and trout. Some examples of popular
attractor patterns are as follows:
Streamer attractor: Wooley
Bugger. Matuka, Zonker
Dry fly: Royal Coachman,
Stimulator, Trude
There are many patterns
that represent several types of aquatic life without being specific in
size, shape, and color. These fall into the attractor category.
Presentation of your
imitation is far more important than the actual exact duplicate of what
is present in most cases. Attractors help us do this in many
instances.
These flies constitute an important part in any fly fishers box and have
purpose in many instances when trying to find the right bug.
Guide
Tips: Wading Gear
I got smart after nearly
having several hernias attempting to put on dried wading boots that had
been stored in the back of the truck for several days. Keep them moist
in a heavy trash bag or plastic storage bag if used periodically. You
may also obtain buckets with resealable tops for not too much and store
the boots in there for quite a while. I add a little bleach to keep the
mold off and prevent organisms from contaminating different areas. The
boots are nice and soft when I put them on and I am not worn out
battling gear before fish.
Turn those waders inside out for a few hours after each use. This
prevents “OLD GYM SOCK SYNDROME” Washing your breathable waders
periodically will keep them working the way the manufacturer intended.
Guide tips:
Eyewear
“See him, see him, look at the size of
that fish! See him?” “No, I don’t see the fish, where is he? I’m
looking right where you are pointing!”
This is a common conversation with myself
and those clients who do not have POLARIZED sunglasses for eye
protection.
I value a good quality set of polarized
sunglasses in several lens shades as much as I value a properly balanced
fly rod when trout fishing. It is imperative to see what lies under the
water when angling for trout. This is not possible with standard
lenses.
I suggest you have amber colored lenses
for low light or cloudy days and copper or rose colored lenses for
normal or bright sunlit days. Photo chromatic lenses are available for
more money, but they work great and it saves having to carry more than
one set of glasses.
Get glasses that “wrap around” your face
contour and reduce back glare. Side panels are built into some models
and these work well to keep the glare off the lens. Although somewhat
ugly and not very stylish…the fish will not care, they think we are
horrid looking whatever our attire!
For those folks who have prescription
lenses, there are companies and optometrists who manufacture polarized
lenses for your correction. Snap on, flip up covers can also be
purchased for your corrected lenses; these are far better than nothing.
See more; catch
more, fish with a good set of polarized sunglasses.
Guide Tips:
Deep cuts and pools
Fish the deeper
cuts and pools with streamers and a sink tip line. Try a cast quarter
down stream with a big mend opposite the area in which you intend to
pull your streamer through. Retrieve the fly with a tight line pulling
upstream with aggressive short strips and short pauses. Keep the rod
tip under water a foot or so and learn to strip set the hook by waiting
for a solid take then pulling the line until the rod loads up with the
fishes weight. Good luck!
Guide
tips: Fishing Zones of
Transition
Before you
make that first cast, look at the water and find zones of change in the
texture of the surface. Use
those polarized glasses and look “into”
the water and observe the differences in the bottom configuration.
Take a second to observe where the shadows and the sun are in
relation to you. Look for
areas of transition in any water that trout exist and you will locate
them. They love change.
Locate a
moving foam line in a river and find a “softer” piece of water
adjacent to it, bingo! Trout
city. Find a sandy bottom
along the inside bend of a rivers turn, look a little deeper and examine
the gravel or rock lining this edge.
Set up your nymphs drift to follow this line and get ready for a
take.
A low hanging
sun behind the brush has cast a definitive shadow line across a slow
moving stretch of river. Fish
the edge of this shadow, it is a transition zone, Troutzilla likes this
area.
You are
kicking around in a float tube on a stillwater.
You see a wind line on the waters surface that seems to hang in
one area of the lake. Fish
the edge of the wind line and hang on!
The edge of weed beds, drop-offs along the shoreline, the inlet
area of a stream or creek, all are zones of transition.
Recognizing
these areas will catch you more fish.
Look for them before you make that first cast!
Look for the transition zones close to you and fish these first.
This way you will not line, or spook fish in the entire pool or
run.
Guide tips, Nymphing
Mid-summer
months provide many opportunities for utilizing weighted nymphs. The long daylight hours send fish deep to escape heat and
full sun. Hatches occur
during a.m. and evening hours commonly and this can make for tough
fishing during the "off" periods.
Properly weighting your nymph can be paramount to your success
during this time.
A good rule of
thumb is to set your lower or bottom fly, if you are utilizing a tandem
rig, at 1 1/2 times the estimated depth of the water below your strike
indicator. Example- water
depth 3'. Set depth of
indicator to 3'x 1.5=4.5’ depending on the velocity or flow rate of
the current you are fishing, weight your rig with lead, or non-toxic
shot so that the indicator is displaying signs of the weight or lower
fly "tickling" or bouncing lightly along the bottom.
If you are not periodically bumping the bottom, you may not be
deep enough to present a natural appearance of the imitation.
Use only enough floatation for your strike indicator to do the
job. Smaller is better. Easier
to cast and less obvious to "Troutzilla". Dry flies make excellent indicators with small bead head and
lightly weighted nymphs. Not
to mention, they can get bit!!! Poly
yarn type indicators are good for quiet and softer water areas.
Foam/rubber core models are easy to adjust depth and provide good
floatation with heavier rigs.
When adding
weight to a rig… I will describe several methods.
You can add split shot or non-toxic steel shot attached to a
small dropper tied to the bottom nymph on a short tippet of smaller
diameter. If the shot gets
"snagged" or fouled on the bottom, the weighted dropper tippet
only, will break (in theory). If
you are using a tandem rig, attach the weight(s) between the lower
flies. This allows both
nymphs to be working near the bottom or strike zone.
Space the weights out with a small gap between shot, if more than
one, they will cast much better and not weaken the leader as much. If
you tie your own flies, use tungsten beads. Lead wrapped and then
inserted into the taper of a bead head works great on most sizes down to
#18 also.
All this
science is for not if we do not execute the most important factor of
nymphing… a natural dead
drift, with the imitations moving at the same velocity as the water you
are angling. Mending of the
fly line, a book in its own right is crucial to achieving this easily
said but seldom accomplished task.
Keep as little fly line on the water as possible.
Raise or lower your rod tip to accomplish this whenever possible.
Watch the
strike indicator closely to see if it is dragging across the surface
towards you. If it is, you
can bet your nymph is acting in a devious manner below the surface and
will not fool "Zilla".
I hope some of
this will help you achieve a better "drift" this summer.
Guide Tips: Selecting the killer fly pattern
Selecting the right pattern can be a frustrating event. We have all been in the situation where the trout are actively feeding and you do not, or can not see what is the bug-o-choice. I have found in most situations that it is presentation and size that will get results, other than an exacting imitation of the bug.
Here are some tips that can help you decide what fly to choose and when. HOW a fish is feeding can tell you
a lot about WHAT a fish is feeding on.
You are on a slow moving body of water and there are heads quietly poking through the surface film sipping insects. Most likely may flies. Duns or spinners will fall to the water and have no escape mechanism. Fish know this and will act accordingly. Spinner falls will trigger feeding hysteria with intervals between rise forms sometimes only seconds apart. Duns
spiraling in an eddy will also also have the same rise form, only the takes will be slower and longer between rises.
The sun is just peaking over the top of the ridge and trout are beginning to make loud splashy takes sometimes leaving the water. Most likely a caddis fly emergence, or Troutzilla looking for
breakfast. Many caddis swim to the surface during emergence. The trout will hit them quickly before they clear the surface film, hence the aggressive behavior.
The surface of the high desert lake is glassy. There are periodic splashy rises, but you do not see any winged insects except for a cloud of black midges above. Try a chironomid pupa. As the insect rises in the water
column they may be shedding their shuck before emergence. The trout glide along the bottom in the flats of the lake, eyes looking upward. They key on the movement the insect makes while removing itself from the shuck. The fish skyrockets upwards turning at the last moment after snatching up the helpless pupa. Small bugs, hard takes.
It is cloudy, dark and windy. You may be on any body of water. Nothing going on that you can see. Try a streamer pattern. A baitfish imitation. What color and size you ask? A good rule of thumb...Dark day, dark color. Bright day, bright color. Higher background contrast. Larger patterns will produce on these days. Big trout and wild fish are photo-sensitive to sunlight. It is well documented that big browns feed nocturnally. Dark days are great for big dark baitfish patterns. Bright sunny day, you may want to try something with crystal flash in the pattern. Drop a hook size or so for this situation. Silver or gold tinsel bodied flies work well on sunny bright days.
We can get very technical about this also. Examining the undersides of streambed rocks for nymphs, seeing what is holding in the
vegetation along the banks, using a specimen net to skim the water for exacting information. Pumping the
trout's stomach is the fun...You got to catch one first is the problem!
Hope this will help you out a little when you have a problem deciding what pattern to use.
Guide Tip: Fighting big
fish...
It happens a lot.
Holy, blankity, blank, blank, look at the size of that monster!!!
Seconds later it is all but a bitter memory.
The angler stares glassy eyed at the limp fly line that is more
times than not, wrapped several times around his or her body (or mine).
The flies long gone after a short interlude. When
playing a large fish it is very important to let the drag do its work. With
very few exceptions fly reels do not have an independent drag mechanism.
If you lock down on that reel handle, the spool will not turn,
hence...snap, crackle, pop, goes the tippet, or the fly gets torn by
excessive force from its hook set.
Pre-set your drag tension before the battle starts, there is very
little need to adjust this ever. Do
not touch the reel handle when the spool is turning.
Modern drag systems do not require palming of the reel spool.
Let the fish run!!! Keep
your rod tip as perpendicular to the water as possible.
The rod is nothing more than a spring (a very expensive spring I
admit), if you lower the tip parallel to the water surface it loses its
ability to absorb the energy the fish is putting against the line.
A little trick to keeping your
rod tip high during a long tug-o-war, is to place the butt of the fly
rod directly under and in line with your lower fore-arm.
This gives added leverage to the rear section of the rod allowing
you to rest your wrist. Dealing
with mended or slack line during the initial stages of the battle. The
education of your control finger can be costly.
The control finger is crucial to the initial stages of the
battle. The transition
period between the hook set and putting the fish entirely "on the
reel" is where I see most large fish "SPIT THE HOOK."
Keep that fly line between the cork or handle, and your index
finger at all times. Do not
lose control of the fish and tension on the rod by allowing the fly line
to slip off your control finger.
Spinning the spool.
If you have a lot of mended or slack line either at your feet, in
the water, or in a stripping basket you can rapidly recover this by
taking your stripping hand and palming the front of your reel spool and
spinning it with short chops in the proper direction.
Keep your control finger firmly on the line at all times.
Let the last 12" of slack slip out quickly.
Do not try and reel this last bit of line on, a sudden surge by
the fish could end the battle right here.
You can recover large amounts of line quickly using this method
and thus get the fish on the reel much more efficiently.
Use the reel folks, the reel drag system has no emotion.
Read the line direction.
Anticipation prior to reaction will land you more big fish.
Watch the line in the water, read its direction prior to the rod
loading or unloading. Apply
side strain by keeping tension in the opposite direction the fish is
headed. You can stay well
ahead of the fish this way. Big
fish in a river. Have a
fight plan. If you suspect a big fish lives in that deep hole under that
log, trust yourself, be ready for his take. Study the streamside and
snags in the pool before your cast.
Have a fight path worked out in the event you hook "TROUTZILLA."
Proper release. After a long battle, large fish build up tremendous amounts
of lactic acid in their muscle structure.
Keep them in the water, and spend extra time reviving them fully
before your release. If you
must take a picture do so quickly and by all means have the camera ready
before removing the fish. Hope
this will assist in preventing any L.D.R.'s
(Long Distance Releases).
Guide Tips : Best
Fishing Periods
I
am often asked when is the most favorable period of the month to go
fishing. Having spent 20
years on the Pacific, and Atlantic chasing pelagic species of fish
around, I have found the lunar phase starting at the first quarter and
ending around or before the full moon to be the optimum time to catch
fish.
We
often timed our trips by this lunar calendar and I must say there is
precedent here. However, on smaller bodies of water such as creeks and small
landlocked rivers and lakes I do not believe this lunar clock to be as
significant in playing a role as to how fish feed.
A
more important factor that can determine fish feeding cycles is the
weather and water conditions. Most wild trout are very photo-sensitive.
They are not comfortable in bright direct sunny conditions.
To a trout, anything that is above the surface of the water be
very bad and evil. Full sun
enhances visibility when at your back, and Troutzilla knows this and
will be less prone to coming out of his or her hiding spot under this
condition. The ideal day
for extended periods of feeding would be:
1-
Overcast high clouds
2-
Light, but steady wind direction (southerly or easterly in direction)
3-
Warmer than average a.m. temp. (this is a common occurrence when a front
is approaching)
4-
Stable and average flow or water levels in the river or lake you are
angling
5-
Federal "EVERYBODY MUST WORK EXCEPT YOU DAY". Obvious here ehh?
It is not possible to
ascertain when these conditions may or may not exist when planning a
trip. However, when you do
see these conditions start to develop, drop everything and head for your
honey hole and Troutzilla, cause there’s a good chance this will be
the day to get a picture of it.
Guide Tips:
Fishing Rising Water
Use
high visibility patterns such as streamers or large nymphs so the trout
can get a good look at your presentation.
With a lot of sediment in the river trout become less
opportunistic and will not move far to hit a pattern.
Rising water will make fish seek different holding areas.
Fish a section or piece of water redundantly and with patience.
Fish will be in transition and not be in areas you encountered
them previously. When
rigging up, try not to use loops or knotted leaders.
With the large amount of sediment, free floating weed and such,
the more streamlined you keep your leader and tippet the less chance you
have of picking up drifting material.
Fish
the backwaters and quiet sections of the river.
These areas will produce when water levels are rising. Fish tend to congregate in these areas during rising flows as
they do not have to expend large amounts of energy holding in the swift
current. Bring a variety of different sized strike indicators if you
intend to nymph fish. Do
not rely on one size, as you may have to change the amount of weight
needed frequently to get down to the fish.
Use
several small weights as opposed to a large single for weighting your
nymphs. Spread them out on
your tippet about a half-inch apart.
This will make casting easier and get you down more effectively.
I
use several types of sink tip lines for various flow rates when pulling
streamers. This can be
expensive and time consuming. Check
a local fly shop out for suggestions on what to have before you go. They will no doubt have the proper line for you.
There have been leaps and bounds made in improving sink tips.
They cast better, sink evenly and come in many sink rates and
lengths customized for your area and flow.
Guide Tips: Catch and Release:
I have witnessed the releasing of many fish with the angler having
good intentions for the well being of the fish. Time and time again I
watch as the fish is mishandled and its fate doomed by improper release
methods. Please do your best to moisten your hands if you must handle
the fish. Use a good quality soft, non-knotted net, and keep the fish
submerged as much as possible during the release process. Make sure your
barbless hooks, if used, are really barbless and try not to handle the
fish around its head or mid-section if at all possible. When taking a
photograph of a FAT ONE!!! please have your camera ready so to limit the
amount of time the fish is forced to pose. Hold your breath after
running 3 minutes without taking a gulp of air and see how it feels. Use
this as a meter when admiring a fish. If you are in fast
water, please release the fish in a quiet backwater or pool so it can
regain it's strength without having to fight the current also. In a lake
you can hold the fish gently by the tail, in an upright position, and
move it back and forth slowly until it gains strength enough to move
away.
Also, under no circumstances should you upgrade or allow this to
happen in your presence. It is not a crime or improper to keep fish in
legally designated areas, however it is wrong to catch a limit then
exchange smaller fish already creeled for a larger one. We as sportsman
must passionately adhere to this simple format to insure quality fishing
for future outings. Enough said.
More on Catch and Release:
Many
times anglers with good intentions release fish improperly and I witness
this frequently. Time
and time again I watch as the fish is mishandled and its fate doomed by
improper release methods. Please,
Please, keep the fish in the water as much as possible when practicing
catch and release. There
is a great tool out called a Ketchum Release, Orvis product, sold at
better shops, get one! These
babies work very well when removing small flies.
Avoid netting or handling the fish if at all possible.
If you must handle the fish please do your best to moisten your
hands first. Make sure
those barbs are filed or smashed totally.
This really insures a smooth release.
You can get them out of your ear, appendages, hat, etc. faster
and with far less associated pain as a bonus.
It
is understandable when you finally fool “Troutzilla” you want a
photo. Have your camera ready so as to limit the amount of time the
fish is forced to pose. Hold
your breath after running 3 minutes without taking a gulp of air and see
how you feel. Use this as a
meter when admiring a fish. Please
take time to revive the fish fully and release it in soft water so it
may regain strength. This
may take several minutes on larger fish.
Hold the fish upright and lightly near the tail section, work it
back and forth slowly, head into the current if present, until it kicks
away. Avoid holding the
fish near the mid-section or head/gill plate area.
Internal damage will kill the fish later.
Keep your hands moist and at all costs do not scrape the
protective slime off the fish, this prevents fungus and infections of
the fishes skin.
When
releasing from a tube or boat and it becomes necessary to net a fish,
please use soft material, nylon or rubber net bags really help.
Keep the fish submerged when removing the hook.
A great website to check out is http://sierranetco.com.
We use Joel’s nets at Sierra Drifters.
Throwing
a fish back does not mean it’s a contest to see if you can make the
Olympic shot put team. Fish
undergo severe trauma when caught, give them the chance to regain power
and stability when put back.
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