I’ve been fishing subsurface flies (soft hackles) and the vegitation is getting really tall. It’s about 8 inches from the surface now. When I strip my fly slowly in after it sinks a bit I can see fish charging it, then follow it then it picks hooks on some grass and it turns into a 5 inch piece of grass floating throught the water. The fish turn away when the grass gets hooked. I pull it out clean the fly and repeat. Any tips? should I try start my retrieve quicker so it rides above the vegetation? Or switch to topwater?Kinda annoying to clean a fly after everycast.
Janus
Sometimes you can tie a piece of mono on as a weedguard, that will slow it down somewhat, but it’s not perfect. If that is still bugging you, try fishing up top.
Well I think it’s bugging the fish. They charge it and watch but I think dragging a strip of grass on a hook is turning them off. See you are from Sheffield how’s the fishing at French Creek worth a visit?
What line are you using, Janus? I would suggest an intermediate if you are not using one. Or another thought…floating line with a fluorocarbon leader…either furled or not …experiment.
unweighted #12 fly on a floating line mono leader 3x tippet . It falls slow through the water . I’ve been thinking about an intermediate but, in this situation wouldn’t that put the fly more into the grass?
Yes…I was just wondering if you happened to be using a faster sinking line.
There is a recommended way of fishing a dragon fly nymph that might work…normally they crawl alone the bottom…so the recommendation is to use a sinking line but tie on a buoyant dragon fly nymph so the line goes along the bottom but the fly rides a little higher out of the weeds and debris on the bottom…just another thought.
8" is a narrow band to try to keep your subsurface fly in during the retrieve.
I agree with the suggestion to switch to a surface fly.
Alternatively, maybe experiment with your retrieve speed…increase it enough to lift the fly higher, but slow enough the fish will still hit.
And a 3rd idea that occurred to me…tie the same fly pattern on a lighter wire-gauge hook?
I have no solution to your problem except to let you know that we have the underwater vegetation here and what I do is locate the “holes or open spots” in the vegetation and put my fly just above the hole and let it drift through the hole and then pick it up and recast. I get many strikes as the fly is drifting through the open space in the vegetation. I also have had very good luck with fishing the edges of the vegetation. Just some thoughts…
If the weeds are within 8" of the surface, I would fish the soft hackle just below the surface. If the fish are coming to investigate then turning away, I would use a quick, short strip retrieve to keep the fly moving. Often, they will attack something moving quickly and put it in their mouth to see if it’s food before spiting it out. You obviously can see the fish, so keep your rod tip pointed at the fly, and when you see the fish take it you can do a strip-strike (about a 12" quick pull on the fly line) to set the hook. If the fish misses it, you can still continue moving the fly towards you and maybe another fish will attack and give you a second chance.
Joe
Key word is “edges”…If I had to use ONE word to tell folks where to fish, it would be “edges”.
Brian…You never did say whether you were fishing moving or stillwater. That would make a difference too. Also, is your line clean & floating high? Another hint may be a thread furled leader treated with Mucilin & 2’ of mono tippet…NOT fluoro (it sinks too fast). You could also use a VERY light touch of Mucilin on the thread/floss body of that soft hackle…it may keep it higher in the water column. Who knows, I could be wrong as all get-out, but just some thoughts.
Mike
Mike it is a stillwater lagoon. The vegetation is getting out of hand compared to a week ago there…It’s pretty wild there. Lots of carp patroling the outer edges. Gills everywhere, Bass, Crappie…but it’s getting harder to get too below the surface because of the thickness of the grass underneath has taken over pretty much the whole body of water., except the edges of near the bank.
I am starting to wonder if the long, hot, dry summer last year has lead to greater weed growth this year.
Two of my little ponds I like to hit are nearly solid with weeds already…this generally doesn’t happen until about mid July.
Sorry no tips to offer, I’ve given up on both as it is too aggrivating to clear the fly every cast or so.
If you want to fish a Softhackle over the weeds, try and wrap some close cell foam on the bare hook, before you tie the fly and that will suspend the fly from sinking too deep (This has never been tested by me). If you don’t tie flies, then speed up your retrieve, with a floating or intermediate line. Also, try lifting your rod tip.
Doug
If you are determined to continue using the soft hackle fly, you might try coating your leader with floatant? Start the application at the thick loop end and stop the application at a point about 12 to 18-inches away from your fly (or closer maybe). This should make your leader lay on top of the surface tension; thus the leader functions as a “linear bobber” so to speak.
It sounds like you are deliberately fishing for panfish and not just bass, so I would think hard about switching from the soft hackle to a tiny popper (for bluegill) or a larger popper (for bass). With a popper there’s no worry about it sinking deep enough to get hung in the vegetation. Of course, any fish that grabs it will immediately take it down into that vegetation, but the popper on its own isn’t gonna go there.
I have fished vegetation-infested water like this a lot. I could be mistaken but I think the fish pretty much avoid that narrow open water surface zone during the brighter hours of the day, probably due to fears of being grabbed by predators from above (kingfishers, herons, osprey, eagles). But in that last hour before sundown they suddenly get real brave and start waylaying any careless insect they spot on the surface. Same thing in the early morning hours.
So whatever tactic you decide to use regarding the soft hackle (or whatever) I would also recommend that you focus on fishing that body of water early in the day and late in the day.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
My suggestion would be to tie a mono weedguard into the fly similar to what you do for bass bugs. Here’s an expamle:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/intermediate/part34.php
this method does not seem to interfere with the hook too much, but still stops the weeds.
Fish
I would retie the flys somehow to hide the hook if possible…I fish weedless flys without weedguards…sometimes you must rebend the hook…kinda like a waterwisp style…good luck