Maybe I’ve gone a little overboard, but now I’m researching the body of water I’m trying to crack. 2/3’ds of it is clay, and the rest is gravel. Question, what grows on clay, and what type of insects can I expect in this lake with a bottom such as this?
For my still water fishing I take my standbys and a few others. I don’t worry about what the fish are eating cause in a lake they seem to eat about anything. My standby’s are halloween leech, stayner ducktail, and mohair leeches in a varity of colors. have never had to change at any lake I have gone to. Always seem to catch fish. I think also it is a lot of structure fishing on a lake. I really feel that structure has more to do with it then anything else. Just my 2 cents.
DShock, Intermediate sink line (AKA lake line) KICKS B UTT in shallower lakes. Both the Scientific Anglers and the Cortland work great IMHO. It really got me going on lake fishing after I first tried it. Folks do the same thing with ultra long leaders and dry line, but my casting isn’t up to that. Cast out the intermediate sink, and adjust your count-down while it sinks to how deep the fish are, then start stripping. Both the SA and Cortland are clear; no idea if that makes a difference, but I’m never without intermediate sink line on stillwaters now. DAN
Thank you all again, here is a result of all the knowledge that was shared with me on this thread. In addition, the info led me to the discovery of Denny Rickards and his methods - that led to seeking more knowledge on leeches.
This rainbow was caught on one of the many lakes in Northern LP Michigan that’s stocked by our DNR. This time of year most of these lakes are void of fisherman since most are on the West side of the State chasing the salmon runs. Most of these lakes will be closed at the end of September, but a few remain open year round.
Setup
Rod: 6wt
Line: Clear Intermediate 1.5-2.0 fps
Leader: 12 ft 2x
Tippet: 3x
Fly: Olive Leech size 6x
I’ve caught trout in lakes before, but this is the first one I’ve caught with fly gear backed by info on how to use it in stillwaters. I only had 30 minutes to fish (from shore), and I caught the rainbow within the first 15 minutes - I attribute this to learning where to fish, what to fish, the presentation, and the depth. Wish I had more time, but I had to go home. 
Shot with [url=http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=PENTAX+Optio+WP&make=PENTAX+Corporation:d2f9a]PENTAX Optio WP[/url:d2f9a] at 2007-09-04
Very nice fish. got to love them leach’s.
Hey Jose - beautiful fish!
Glad you had some success there!
I was doing some digging on another topic and came across this story and immediately thought of this thread. It’s all about still water fishing and was very enlightening.
http://www.denverpost.com/outdoors/ci_6180655
enjoy and good luck!
Jim
Jim,
Thanks for the great Link!
Doug
You’re welcome!
Glad that I stumbled across it.
A couple of things from the article really jumped out at me:
“Fifty percent of throat pump analysis taken over 15 years were midges, another 20 percent scuds. That’s 70 percent. Good enough for me.”
“Trout eat midges because they’re there. The various midges are the most prolonged hatches of the stillwater season. You put a million peanuts on the table, you’ll eat peanuts.” (Exactly what JC has been saying all along with his “popcorn shrimp” analogy)
“The most important elements in fishing lakes are, in order, depth, retrieve, then fly pattern. The most common mistake is not fishing deep enough or slow enough.”
"Most takes occur a foot off the bottom. That’s where lunch is served most of the time. "
“When fish are fussy with lots of pressure, go smaller.”
“Use a loop knot to get more life in the fly.” (One of the things that FG swears by)
It was a good article to read because it pulled together a lot of the basics and a lot of things that we usually don’t think about into one short read.
“The MOST important elements in fishing lakes are, in order, Depth, Retrieve, Fly pattern. The MOST common mistake is NOT fishing deep enough or SLOW enough.” Do your homework about where you want to fish. Just because your close to the shore, doesn’t necessarily mean your SA Intermediate is going to get your fly down to the fish. Since it’s a FREE Country, you can be stubborn all you want (the fish won’t care!) and fish with any line you want, but if your try a SA fast sink in deeper water, then it could pay off! Personality also plays into stillwater fishing, because if your naturally impatient like me, then fishing slow is always a challenge. I believe I learned by the ‘Reward System’ (Dog Training?) If I’m a Good Boy and slow down, I will have a better chance to catch a Fish! It WORKED!!!
Doug
Nice fish! A good job has been done covering lines and bug imitations here and I think Doug mentioned woolly buggers. However, you may want to add a few muddler and clouser minnows to your arsenal. I also recommend giving these a try:
http://anglersupplyhouse.com/shop/item. … 169&catid=
You can buy the chenille separately if you wish. That will allow you to tie different colors and sizes.
Also try tying some of these:
http://flytyingworld.com/PagesF/pink_worm.htm
This pattern can be really hot when the bite is slow.