Stillwater Fly Fishing Lines (Options in Presentation)

Two Styles of Intermediate Clear lines. The Cortland Camo is my recommendation. ‘Clear’ lines have come a long ways in the last 15 years.

Rather than reinventing the wheel, I am pointing the way to a piece by Denny Rickards. It is actually his site promoting the sale of various fly lines. In the promotion of the varied lines is a lot of good information that will benefit the stillwater fly fisher that has not quite sorted out the presentation part yet and still only carries a floating line. You would be well served to primarily use a ‘clear’ Intermediate as your primary line and from there consider the floater and perhaps a faster sinking line (less used). I do not promote any sales on this blog. I just believe Rickards does present excellent information about presentation, which is often as important or more important than fly selection. Rickards also had several informative books out on the market that worth a read if you are learning the basics of stillwater fly fishing.

Casting the Fly: Bumcast Tutorials

BUMCAST TUTORIALS ON CASTING THE LINE & FLY

On The Fly Productions puts some nice visuals together on various slack line cast presentations. Check out all the clips.

Fly Fishing: Small Sticks on Cricks

Several times a year, I find myself up logging roads toward upper drainages/tributaries of big rivers. I string up the 9′ to 9’6″ rod and set forth weaving my way, this way and that way, through the trees toward the waters edge. Once on the water, I scout the canopy and other over hanging growth to not only avoid hanging up the fly + tippet, but also to avoid smacking the rod tip.

The confines of a small stream quickly reveal the tangled web we weave when at first we use too big a stick on a small stream. Recently, I was privileged to review some DVD’s by Ed Herbst and in those DVD’s I noticed he was wielding short rods on narrow streams. He moved with ease, in stealth mode, and waved the little wand to delicately present his flies.

Now, this initially contradicts my impulse toward bigger waters, longer rods and more power. I have those rods and love them. But, those small streams are another enviro that beg the small stick. So, I invested in a couple Loomis rods, both 3 weights and shorter (7′ and 8′). For the last few years, I have used a 3 wt. (9′ St. Croix Legend) more and have handled some substantial trout on the 3 wt. These shorter rods have a softer, medium action and will most probably meet few fish beyond 14″….more like 6″ to 10″. If I do connect to a larger fish, it will be an epic story.

These are not rods for big rivers and big fish, which to my thinking would be potentially irresponsible if I am seeking a humane catch and release. These are sticks for little streams, the intimate confines and small flies. I am excited to use these on those private little escapes. Some of my best life time memories while fly fishing were on small streams.

Stillwater Fly Fishing: Working the Drop

East Lake (Oregon) One of my all time favorite lakes. Carrying a lot of surface ice in this picture, but the memories and anticipation to work this lake again linger through the Winter.

Fly fishing has so many possibilities. One of my favorite is figuring out a lake, pond, reservoir. Your observation skills are required on a lake as much as they are standing knee deep in a stream. Presentation on a lake is as important as on a stream. 

I frequently see lake fly fishers in their pontoon, float tube, raft etc. moving along, line extended behind and rhythmically kicking, drifting or rowing with only the slightest consideration given to a retrieve or to their position. We all do this at times while searching/discovering a new body of water. But, I would suggest that if you are out over 50′ of water with no discernible hatch/feeding activity you would be better served to move in toward the shoreline and attempt to study the contours of the lake. This may show you the structure and feeding zones where fish congregate for safety and food.

The drop is that area that transitions from somewhat shallow waters of say 10′ downward to deeper water. This drop off is prime in searching for trout that move up on the shoal to feed and move back off the shoal for safety and food as well. At a minimum work parallel to this drop and present your fly up on the shoal if hatch/feeding activity is apparent or work the fly down into the drop off area and slightly deeper. 

Anchoring and fishing toward the drop (toward the shoreline) or up on the shoal can be productive. If you are not anchored, the wind or the torque of your casting can push you back out of the productive waters. This results in a lot of kicking or rowing to hold position and disturbances that may put the fish off the bite.

Sometimes the insect that is emerging, say Damsels or Gray Drakes, are actually moving toward shore to stage for their ‘hatch’. You would want to position yourself on the shore or in close to shore and cast out away from shore then slowly work your Damsel or swimming Mayfly pattern back toward shore to mimic the Damsels moving just below the surface toward the shoreline reeds, weeds and structure.

Here is a piece by Herman deGalat at HookFlyFishing that highlights several of these points on fishing the drop and the presentation.

East Lake after a successful day. SwittersB

Fly Tying: Do You Still Need Me?

Bead Head Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph by SwittersB. It was the go to nymph (well, coupled with the Pheasant Tail Nymph PTN) for a decade or more. There has been an explosion of creativity, innovation, experimentation at the vise the past decade. Has the Hare's Ear Nymph been lost from sight as a crawler/clinger nymph pattern? Whether the original tannish color or in green or black or brown, it is an excellent pattern.

Fly Fishing: Balloon Strike Indicator

Passing the afternoon watching bad TV. An episode of Fly Fishing the World (#110, 11/1/2011) shows the host fishing the Missouri during high waters in Montana. He is using an 11′ switch rod with a nymph presented beneath a toy balloon. At one point he is fighting a nice fish and is encouraged to strip the balloon up through the top guide to enable the fisher to strip the fish in toward the drift boat. The torque of the strip breaks the rod tip. It is the only long rod in the boat that day. Probably has its avid proponents. Probably those with rods to burn. 

Fly Fishing: Loop to Loop or Knots?

Much of your beginning time in fly fishing will be looking for ‘the best way’ to do some aspect of the sport. You will study and also, hopefully, meet other fly fishers in clubs, shops and on the water that share their ideas of ‘the best way’ to do something. As you will come to see, there are pro’s and con’s of those best ways. Little, if anything, is the best way. In the end, you will experiment, probably waste money and be a bit confused until you arrive at your best way. It can take a season or years depending upon how often you fish.

 One of those ‘best ways’ thing is how you connect the leader’s butt section to your fly line. For a good many years I used those braided, nylon loop attachments that fit over the tip of the fly line. From there the loop end of a leader’s butt section was connected loop to loop. I probably fished that way 20+ years and it worked fine for most of my river fishing. As I fished more and more on lakes, that connection method fell into disfavor for me. The loop rarely came off the end of the fly line in a straight lie; it curved. Consequently, the leader had this odd bend/curve to it.

Probably of no import, it bugged me and I changed to nail knotting a ‘permanent’ butt section of 35# mono, say about 24 inches (some shops will nail knot on an 8″ piece of butt section..that is not near enough). I then do not use a loop at the end of that butt section. I take the butt/thicker end of the leader (tapered or built) and use either a surgeon’s knot or blood knot to connect the two sections (no loops).

As I said, I nail knot a heavy piece of mono directly to the fly line. Some shops will make this piece about 4-8" long and with a loop. If you go loop to loop fine. I don't so my butt section is 18-24' long and I blood knot/surgeon's knot the butt of my leader to the heavy mono coming off my fly line. Just so you know your options in building a tapered, strong leader to present your fly. A little dab of a UV Wader Repair gel over the knot is a nice touch too...not too much though.

So, you have a couple options to try out: Loop to loop connections or nail knot/surgeon/blood knots. My suggestions: if you build leaders and repair purchased tapered leaders then learn your knots (you should know the basic knots to connect tippet to leader any way regardless of how you connect things farther up at the fly line/butt section) and use the nail knot (butt section to fly line). If you are the type that likes to throw down money on tapered leaders and do little to build leaders or repair leaders then go with the loop to loop. Undo the loops and throw on your knewly purchased tapered leader (I am not again using the occasional purchased tapered leader).

Just an example of ‘the best way to do something’ options that have differing tastes, opinions, perhaps results. This covers hundreds of decisions you will encounter. You could get your lawn chair, sit on your keister and decide what color of Power Bait’s working best this afternoon.

Little Winter Stones

I have written here before about having memorable Winter fishing in Central Oregon at Tetherow Crossing on the Deschutes R. one very cold day. I wasn’t prepared to identify or even have the right patterns to fish for the browns. There were smaller fluttering insects landing on the water followed by little wallops at the surface. I had no clue if the insects were coming off or landing and laying eggs. In those days I focused on the fish and were they visibly feeding. That was about it. I tied on the closest pattern I had, a black Elk Hair Caddis and caught fish.

Later, I described the where, when and what of it all and a Sisters, Oregon shop owner filled in the details. Little Winter Stoneflies. I have tied up some black Stimulators in the past, but frankly I am superstitiously fond of the all Black Elk Hair Caddis. You can explore other patterns, just be alert for the hatch. There does not have to be snow in the ground, although they be easier to see. Small (size 10-12, slender, Hare’s Ears or more exacting) black nymphs would round out your presentations. Remember how these Stoneflies emerge and how they return to lay eggs.

Black Elk Hair Caddis (SwittersB)

Fly Fishing & the Loop Knot

Loop Knot attached to spoon, but perfect for many fly patterns as well. SwittersB

Tie that basic overhand knot first, then run the tag end through the eye of the hook and then finish off like a regular clinch/cinch, Trilene knot,

Just a refresher for the beginning fly fisher to remember this simple loop knot for many of your fly fishing presentations where freedom of movement is desired for the fly pattern. I have seen fly fishers use the loop knot on dry fly patterns, although I haven’t tried it myself. I invariably use this simple knot for all nymphs and streamer/buggers. FlyFishLouisiana

Fly Fishing: Remember Floating Nymphs

For surface presentations, floating nymph patterns seem to fall below the fly fisher’s radar compared to the standard dry fly or the emerger patterns. When we tie and fish nymphs we often weight them and fish them deep along the bottom where we are told the majority of fish feed. The deep presentation is true. But, when we see the surface activity, we enjoy the ease of casting a floating line and observing the take at or near the surface.

An unweighted mayfly nymph may be just the right choice for fish feeding at the surface ~SwittersB~

 An unweighted nymph can be an interesting fly choice in the surface film. When fish are bulging or slashing  just below the surface, the dry fly may not be the answer just yet. Lately, this is when anglers have been presenting emerger patterns, the dry fly pattern with a trailing nymphal shuck. A good choice for sure. But, keep in mind using a nymph pattern that is of the same color as the adult mayfly you believe is coming off.

There are nymph patterns (floating nymphs) that incorporate visible material at the thorax area of the pattern that give the fly a degree of floatation and a point of reference near the surface.

Explore the option of an unweighted mayfly nymph pattern at the surface.