-
Tactics Question
Howdy All - (relative novice and first time poster here)
I'm looking for some "what I would do" advice. I was recently fishing the Green near its headwater in Wyoming. After days of later afternoon rains, there was a beautiful evening with bugs coming off in clouds. First, trico spinners covered the water, that was followed with what I believe was a BWO hatch and then a trico hatch. So, I kind of had an idea of what to present to match the hatch. BUT, although there were some very nice fish rising all over the place, the rises were all over the place and no fish were rising consistently. It was a complete crap shoot. It appeared that trying to present to a particular fish was futile (I sure as heck did try) and that in generally searching (which would be everywhere since fish were coming up everywhere) was equally futile in that my flies were simply one in thousands.
Frustrating.
Is there anything that I might try next time?
bbosomworth@smwb.com
-
Re: Tactics Question
You have a PM!
Welcome to the BB!
Doug
-
Re: Tactics Question
Welcome, Lets see what the guys come up with; this should be a great string. :D
-
Re: Tactics Question
I would have gone to the bank and seen what I could come up with for terrestrial insects. If that didn't work, I would have tried to imitate a smaller baitfish under the surface trying to get its fill of the hatch. A slow down stream swing right under the surface, and then a slow steady strip back up in a smooth run, or at the head or tail of a pool.
-
Re: Tactics Question
-
Re: Tactics Question
bbosomworth .....
Welcome to the board !!!
You didn?t mention what the water conditions were. If the stream at the headwaters is flowing slow enough, maybe the trout were not in holding positions but cruising around. If that was the case it is a crapshoot as to were to place your fly.
DickM. :wink:
-
Re: Tactics Question
Hi bbosomworth,
Tricky situation. The key obstical as I see it is that you need to give the trout a reason to take your fly when they have thousands to choose from. Since none of them were a constant riser, you can't present your fly to the fish, so you need the fish to come to your fly. To get them to do that, you need your fly to stand out as "the one to choose".
This can be accomplished in a couple ways. First, if you have a fly that is a good match, but perhaps has a bit of flash addd on (a few wraps of bright red thread or gold tinsel under the tail as a "hot spot" or tag, for example) then try that one. So, make your fly the belle of the ball, so to speak.
Or try a fly that is one size larger than the average hatching insect. There will be large and small bugs, so make yours one of the "bigger meals". The go smaller advice, which is usually correct, typically applies when the fish has seen, and refused your offering in a more "bug-sparse" situation. Here, smaller just makes yours less apt to be noticed, so bigger is better in a crowd.
Another way to make the fly "noticable" is make it look more vulnerable or crippled. Use a parachute version, or trim the hackles on the bottom, to make the fly sit lower in the film. This indicates to the trout that "I'm stuck! I won't run away", which makes it very tempting.
Finally, go sub-surface by tring an emerger pattern fished just below the surface. A soft hackle drifted through the rise presents food that, like the idea of the cripple, is easier for the fish to intercept as it's not going to fly off any second. Drifting a small winged wet fly version, representing a drowned adult, through the rise zone can trigger strikes as well.
Basically, the idea is not to "match the hatch" so exactly that you gain the safty of the numbers! You want to present something that the fish are looking for but that has that little extra that says "pick me"! Also, have fun doing it.
- Jeff
-
Re: Tactics Question
In slower waters with fish rising all around and a kajillion flies on the surface It can be frustrating as heck. I have sometimes been successful in this situation by putting on a small leech pattern and fishing it about a foot under the surface. This is sort of what Jeffhamm was saying, I am giveing them something else to choose that stands out.
-
Re: Tactics Question
Sometimes I just get frustrated with that situation and throw a prime rib...(BIG rabbit strip fly!!) That always does the trick for me and I end up catching the bigger fish from the group because they see the larger buffet meal and go for that.
Less energy for a bigger meal....GOOD in a fish's book! :shock: :D
-
Re: Tactics Question
Welcom to the finest web site going...
In your situation I would have tried the following and I am not telling you it will work, but, this is what I would have tired. I would tie on a #16 or 18 wet fly that comes close to matching the color of the hatch and cast up and across and do a series of short 3 inch strips back through the feeding fish. No long pauses between strips just a steady strip, strip, strip... This should get you some hits and I know there is probably another way to do better, but, I really would feel confident that this should produce a few hits.