In the May issue of Fly Fishermen magazine they had an article about right angle leader set-ups used with beaded flies. I am wondering if this can be used in still water like lakes, pnds, etc…
Thanks in advance- David
I would say yes, but that you would be more successful using some sort of active retrieve in stillwater – something very slow if you are nymphing. Maybe that rig would work best under some very special stillwater conditions, but I’m hard pressed to think of what they might be.
What is a right angle leader set-up?
Donald/Scotland
One way to do this to tie a strike indicator to the end of a short leader (3-4 feet maybe), and then to attach tippet just in front of the indicator using a clinch knot.
With the typical strike indicator setup you might set the indicator depth to about 1 1/2 to 2 times the depth of the water. With this rig, the theory is for the tippet length to be maybe 6 six inches so or greater than the depth of the water.
Besides that article, the Right-Angle rig is discussed in Nymphing by Larry Tullis – where it is called the “California Rig”, I think.
There are quite a few ways to setup right angle rigs, just experiment around. As for stillwater applications, we do it all the time. I would say for western stillwater fishing it is one of the standard methods that everyone uses. The chop or waves on the surface will give the nymphs motion or you can just give the indicator a little pull every so often. If you are in a hatch situation though it can be important to make your rigging adjustable as to depth as the hatch progresses toward the surface. It can also be very valuable for hanging nymphs just above the bottom or the top of weed beds. Go for it, definitely a successful setup! SPB
How is this different to a short dropper ?
In stillwater it is used as a suspension rig, you are still fishing two or more flies.
Splatte,
I believe I will give that a try myself – as due to the NE flooding, it seems there is lake fishing in my immediate future.
Believe John Judy also discusses this at length in his book.
Check your local laws, it is illegal in some states to put weight after or below the fly. Some of the article looks like bobber fishing, not strike indicator fishing.
[This message has been edited by Ray (edited 10 April 2005).]
the right angle leader is illegal in some states?
Howzat work?
Seems to me that someone has given another name to a well established fly fishing technique. It sounds like one of the many variations of fishing with an indicator.
It reminds me of an article I saw a couple of years ago, where a fly was called a great new fly and had an extensive article about it and its ‘inventor’. It was using a Brown hen hackle and a peacock herl body.
I don’t know about anybody else but that sounds like a very close relative of several soft hackle (spider) patterns I know.
This was in a highly respected magazine for fly tyers which shall remain nameless.
Donald/Scotland
Okay,
So, after reading about this, it sounds just like suspending a fly, rather than, say, a worm, under a bobber (‘strike indicator’)?
Certainly not a new idea, and I’d guess it’s pretty effective. Folks been fishing this way for hundreds of years.
Funny how new terminology can make an old technique seem ‘new’.
Good Luck!
Buddy
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