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Stillwater Midge Fishing
Since I began FF I have always fished rivers. My experiance fishing stillwaters has always been to rising fish, so it was pretty easy. Recently I have been trying my hand at stillwater midge fishing with some success. To be honest I feel like I might as well have a red and white bobber on with a worm under it. I know a midge can be deadly on lakes but I just dont have a clue on how to fish it. Do you use an indicator, do you strip? Help!
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Born to fish forced to work.
Alan
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Here's a website you might want to check out:
[url=http://www.chironomid.com/:72c5a]http://www.chironomid.com/[/url:72c5a]
Also, do a Google search for "buzzer". That's the English name for chironomids, and they're very good at that style of fishing.
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Alan, chironomid fishing can definitely be daunting when first trying to figure out how to fish them effectively, but more often then not, they are the primary food source for stillwater fish and thus present a larger "window of opportunity" for the stillwater flyfisherman. As such, it pays off big to learn how to fish them.
There is a lot of information on this topic in the form of books, videos, internet, etc. (Brian Chan has a lot of good material out there as do others) that can be a big help and if you are serious, you should look into acquring these resources. Above all, commit yourself to fishing chironomids no matter how little success you may experience initially (there is no greater teacher than personal experience).
With that, the first thing to understand is the life cyle of a chironomid (egg, larva, pupa, adult) and the characteristics of each. Generally, most discussions involving chironomids and flyfishing is focused on the pupal stage, but I would first pay attention to the larval stage. In this stage, the chironomid resembles a worm, often called a "bloodworm" by fly fisherman because of the maroon or red coloration of the natural. Chironomid larva can be found in other colors, such as brown and olive. Generally sizes run from 8-16, but I have had great success fishing imitations in the 8-12 range.
Chironomid larva live in tubular homes on the bottom of the lake at various depths depending upon the time of the year. Spring and late fall are particularly good times to fish larval patterns because these times mark their seasonal migrations to shallow (spring) or deep (fall) water. During these periods, larva will leave the security of the tubes which encase them and migrate to shallower or deeper water. They are extremely poor swimmers, and at best wriggle and writhe their way near the bottom, completely at the mercy of the elements, but more importantly the trout as well.
Periods of low light are also effective times to fish chironomid larva because they will leave thier tubes under the security of such conditions to feed on the available detris and vegetation. When fishing larval imitations, it is best to fish them 1-2 feet from the bottom (although there have been a few instances when fishing them higher up in the water column has really been effective for me when I could not elicit strikes fishing the same pattern near the bottom; I am not really sure why though). Key to fishing larva imitations is giving them some slight movement (although this is often conditional depending upon the fish; they may want it dead still some days) every so often. I have had many fish immediately strike my imitation after giving it a quick, subtle twitch following a period of letting it remain motionless. One needs to experiment with retrieves when fishing this stage of the chironomid (something which is true of the pupal stage as well). This is also a good stage of the insect to fish when there is no noticeable hatch going on as larva are available year round to trout.
The most commonly fished stage of the chironomid is the pupal stage. It is from the pupa that the adult eventually emerges on the surface, although this process takes a long time because pupa ascend to the surface VERY slowly (something critical to flyfishers as we try to imitate the pupal ascension with a retrieve that mimics the natural). Initially, pupa will stage themselves near the bottom before beginning their ascent to the surface (this staging can last for a few weeks), and trout will feed on pupa near the bottom just as they would a larva. After the pupa begin their ascent, the trout will follow them upwards as they rise to the surface, meaning that trout can be feeding on pupa at any depth within the entire water column from top to bottom.
In light of this, it is my opinion that the most important general factor to consider when fishing pupal imitations is depth. As I mentioned, fish may be feeding on pupa at different depths within the water column depending upon the progression of the hatch. As such, to be successful, an angler needs to put his fly where the fish are feeding. As a general rule, I will start fishing the bottom of the water column by keeping my fly(or flies) 1-2 ft from the bottom. If that does not work, I will make depth adjustsments upwards in 2ft increments as necessary (it is important to note that fishing the bottom two feet in 10 feet of water for example may not produce fish while fishing the bottom two feet in 20 ft of water will produce fish; sometimes you need to change not the depth of the fly you are fishing, but the depth of the water you are fishing in). If you can, I'd fish a two fly rig with my top fly about 12-18 in from my bottom fly (use fluorcarbon if at all possible).
Two other important factors that fish will key selectively in on at times is size and color. Though this is not always the case, it is sometimes necessary to fish an imitation the same size as the natural the fish are selectively feeding upon (however, sometime during a very heavy hatch, it pays to fish a larger imitation to make your pattern stand out from all the naturals; this has often worked for me when fishing an exact sized imitation did not). To determine size and color, you can use a stomach pump or capture a natural pupa from the water with an acquarium net. You can also look for shucks floating in the water to get a read on size, or capture an adult (the pupa is often one size larger than the adult). The adult is usually a lighter shade than the pupa, so use a slightly darker pupa imitation. Important to note is that there often is more than one size and color of chironomid hatching and/or available to trout in many lakes, so one needs to be consistently observant and flexible in their approach, especially if fish are feeding selectively.
As I mentioned earlier, the pupa rise very slowly so the retrieve you employ must match the ascent of the natural. A figure 8 retrieve that can take upwards of five minutes to get to the surface, depending upon how deep the water is, is not uncommon. The type of retrieve employed is relative to the situation and conditions, specifically what the fish want on a particular day. Sometimes they want the fly with no movement, or quick, subtle movement, or steady slow movement, etc.. It pays again to be flexible and mix up your retrieves until you find one that the fish want. Do not be afraid to go against the book and fish the chironomid slightly more agressively than one would typically think to fish it in light of how slowly the natural ascends to the surface. Some days, for whatever reason, the fish respond to a more agressively retreived chironomid (not that you are fishing like a streamer mind you).
Another thing to consider to location. Do not keeping casting to the same areas, especially if they are not producing. Sometimes simply casting a few feet to the right or left of an unproducing location will bring about a strike. There are some days when I will only let my fly sit in an area for thirty seconds or so before picking up and casting to a new location. That alone has caught me fish when changing patterns, fishing depths, etc. has proved unsuccessful.
There is so much to this technique, but I have gone on too long already. It is somewhat of a passion of mine so I apologize if I bored you with too many details. If there are any questions you have, please feel free to email me at dkutt69@hotmail.com and I will help you in any way I can. Good luck.
Dave
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Dave.... That has got to be one of the best posts I have ever seen. Thank you very much. I am going to print that out and put it in my note book.
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Dave, great info on fishing the bottom 1-2 feet, but I have no idea how to get there. Do you just feed out line till it quits going out, or is there enough movement underwater that your line won't go straight down and might move along the bottom. Or will you feel it if you are on the bottom? Try to drag it a little to see if you can feel it? You can tell I'm a river fisher, too, but if I could catch fish in stillwater I might enjoy a "toon".
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Alan, I am glad that you found something of use in my post. I am not an expert, but would be glad to offer any further assistance so please do not hesitate to ask if you have additional questions. When I first started, having someone to answer my questions really helped lessen the learning curve for me and increase my success rate with chrinomids.
Herefishy, ensuring that your fly is in the bottom 2 ft of the water column can be accomplished in a number of ways. If you really want to be certain your fly is in that zone, clip hemostats to your fly (or alligator clips) and adjust your indicator so its about 12-24 inches under the water when the weight is on the bottom and you will know your fly is where you want it to be. This assumes of course that you are fishing in a constant depth of water. Often times, the best places to fish are drop offs, which you would need to account for if fishing along the edge of one of those as where you are anchored and where you would be casting your fly might not have the same depth.
I also use patterns with beads and if necessary, will add small shot above my top fly. In most instances, if I know the depth of the water I am fishing in (which is critical if you are fishing chironomids), then I know how far above my fly the indicator should be to get my fly in the proper zone. BH patterns and split help ensure that my fly is getting down and staying in the zone I want it to be in. Of course, one needs to account for the present conditions on the water as some days with lots of wind and chop can make it more difficult to get an accurate read on where your flies actually are at in the water column.
Another way in which you can get your flies in that zone is to use a full sink line (I use a type 6 because it sinks so quickly). I typically only use this line when fishing in water 20ft or deeper. In such instances, I will determine depth, cast only as much line as necessary to reach bottom, the slowly begin to retreive my fly vertically upwards through the water column.
Hope that helps some.
Dave
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I forgot to mention in my first post a technique I will employ from time to time, particularly when there is a bit of a breeze that creates a "current" in the water. In such situations, specifically if the fish have demonstrated they are keying on movement or motion (no matter how slight or subtle), I will cast my line "cross current" (like one who is fishing a stream or river would do) and allow a big belly to form in my line (the type of belly one would attempt to mend to avoid drag, unless you are fishing a streamer pattern). This belly in the line will "lead" the fly and manipulate its movement through the water column in a manner which simulates the ascent of the natural. Towards the end of the "drift", as that belly begins to straighten out, fish will often take my chironomid imitation when the would not strike if the fly was motionless or "dead drifting" in the current created by the wind.
I suspect that as the line belly begins to straighten, my fly begins to slowly ascend through the water column at an angle mirroring that of the natural (similar to a nymph fisherman utilizing the "Leisering lift" technique to imitate the ascent of the natural nymphs to the surface prior to hatching). Eventually, the fly is directly below me on a straight line (just like a steelhead fisherman who finished his "swing" and the line has straightened out directly below downstream) and I will pick up, cast across "current" (or up and across if I want the fly to have more time to sink) to begin the process all over.
This is simply one way in which an angler can manipulate the movement of the chironomid imitation when it is in the water. I cannot stress how important movement can be at times when fishing stillwaters with chironomids. Often a particular type of movement characteristic will be THE key to elicit a strike, so developing an arsenal of retrives and approaches to manipulate your fly in a particular way is crucial for the chironomid fisherman. There have been countless times when that single key alone, even more than size and color, has made the difference between a great day and an average day, or a few fish and no fish. I suggest paying close attention to how your fly is moving (or not moving as the case may be; some situations call for a perfectly still imitation)and more importantly, how the present conditions may impact the movement of the naturals in the water.
I am by no means the greatest chironomid fisherman in the world, but there have been a number of days when I was catching fish, and some other guys were not (all of us were fishing chironomids). All too often the question I am typically asked is "what fly/pattern are you using?",and I am more than glad to share that with them, but the specific type of pattern is not always the key to catching fish. In these instances, they should have asked me, "how are you fishing your chironomid (as it relates to movement and depth)?
What I try to do when someone is catching fish and I am not, is to watch their hands. I want to see how they are manipulating their fly (I also try to see how far apart their indicator is from their fly, assuming of course they are using that system). Only after I have gotten a good read on the particular retrieve method being employed by the one catching fish will I move on to other factors if I still am unable to find success.
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JC - Dave's post should end up in Fly Fishing 101.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/053906.gif
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Dan S
The poster formerly known as Outrider
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Wow. That was one of the most informative posts I have ever read - ANYWHERE. *Takes out pen and takes notes*
I do a lot of chironomid fishing myself, and you pretty much nailed it, there's nothing more I can add. If you use indicators use the SMALLEST size you can get away with so that the fish doesn't feel it when it picks up your fly, and set at the tiniest unnatural movements of the indictor. Some of my biggest fish of '05 came lake fishing and setting the hook almost with spidey senses as my indicator would just barely pick up speed or move the "wrong way" at a terribly slow pace, almost unnoticable. Any time you got a weird feeling, just set the hook http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif
Brian
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[url=http://bowcrow.tripod.com:ea7d3]Bowcrow Fishing Adventures[/url:ea7d3]
[This message has been edited by Bowcrow (edited 13 January 2006).]
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Brian, you make a great point about strike detection. Though not always the case, often times, even with an indicator, it requires one to have a "sixth sense" in order to detect a strike, as the take can be so soft, so subtle that the indicator fails to respond noticeably to it. In this regard, nymphing streams and rivers without using a strike indicator has really helped me to develop that sixth sense, which helps me tremendously when fishing chironomids. Using as small of an indicator as you can is very important (or do not use one at all, at least when you are fishing in deeper water).
Some people do not like "staring at a bobber" all day, but after a while, you can really begin to pick up the most subtle, almost imperceptible takes if you really are observant and pay attention to how the indicator responds under various conditions. As you said, "unnatural" movement or motion of the indicator always must be followed with a hook set.