As summer wears on the weather gets hotter and the water gets warmer.
Fish, like humans, use selective times of the day to feed and move around.
This of course, will be when the day is at its coolest, early morning and
late evening. During the heat of the day fish tend to head to the deeper
water where it is cooler. Both offer great fishing opportunities.
Popping bugs fished early in the morning or late in the evening will work
at this time of year as well. Fish are coming into the shallows to feed during
the coolest part of the day. You might not get to use your gubs too long
because when the sun starts beating down the fish will begin to move out
of the heat and into deeper water, where again, tactics will change.
Before we discuss the deep water tactics, let's stay with the topwater stuff
for a moment. Although I dearly love fishing popping bugs in the spring,
I prefer to switch over to trout fishing tactics in the summer.
We all know that bluegill love insects so fishing terrestrials will be to
your advantage. Ants, spiders, crickets, hoppers and mosquitoes all
work great. Again, these particular flies are best fished early in the
morning or late in the evening. Check your particular body of water
and see if fish are rising and sucking bugs off the surface. This, of
course, is your best indication that they are indeed in the shallows.
You might also find the fish are feeding off one particular insect,
so it pays to have an assortment of dry flies in your fly box. Dries
such as Adams, Black gnat, Blue dun, Blue-winged olive and the
Royal Coachman will cover most situations.
When the fish are in deeper water, your tactics will again change
because you must go to the fish, which, at times, can be
difficult. Your fly line can be to your advantage at this time.
When fishing the shallows a level or weight-forward floating
line works great, but when the fish move to the deeper stuff
you ,ust be able to get your fly to them. Once the fish move into
ten feet of water or deeper, you will have to go to a sinking tip
or full sinking line in order to reach them. You will have to slow
down your fishing at this time as well.
You can add weight to certain dry flies and terrestrials to get
them to the fish. Wet flies such as woolly worms, Adams,
Royal Coachman and Cahills work great. Deep water tactics
are best used during mid to early afternoon hours, again
when when the day is at its hottest.
A side note to deep water fishing is the opportunity of catching some big
redear. They are a lover of deep water and many of these tactics will
bring you a few redear if they inhabit your particular body of water.
Redear love bloodworms, so try using the San Juan worm which
is a nymph pattern that I think resembles a bloodworm; you'll catch
a few gills on it, too!
I prefer to use an eight-foot rod with a five-weight line. I also like
7 - 1/2 foot leaders with a 4x tippet. Now keep in mind that
the heavy cover will mean a stronger tippet and you might have to
go to a nine-foot leader if the water is crystal clear and the fish
are coming up a little short.
Always remember the tactics change with the seasons, so by
working with your surroundings and making the adjustments
your fly fishing success will improve! ~ Kevin Wright
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