Okay, maybe this doesn’t happen to others as often as it happens to me, but I gotta know. In the past two and a half weeks I have had the opportunity to experience two fantastic days of fishing big dries (size 10-14 stimulators) to fish that weren’t exactly easy pickins, but they weren’t overly difficult either. Both of these days resulted in many fish landed and released, and each day provided a large brownie that was the icing on the cake. Now for the little rain cloud in my sunny day story. I feel that I should have landed at least twice as many fish as I did each day because I had that many strikes. I know what happend on the first three fish, I jsut had to remind myself that these were trout and didn’t really require a monster hook set. Two fish I missed were quite large and they were on streamers. I think they were short striking but who knows. What really gets me are the numerous fish that hit my dries, and yet swam away before they bent my rod. Three of these fish are what really get under my skin as I estimate them to be in the 18-20 inch range. I don’t feel I did anything different than on the fish that I caught, but I just was unable to hook all these fish that rose to my offering. Does this happen to any of you, on a regular basis, or am I really doing something wrong? Any thoughts?
A week ago I was at a local stream. I wasn’t there to fish, but I had a rod in the car and I couldn’t help myself
It was mid-day, (my father and I were there to eat our lunches) the sun was bright, the water was low.
I could see close to 100 trout in this pool. Some were spread out but most were schooled up in two pods at what looked to be springs.
These fish were not feeding, but but a good drift often brought a look-see. Sometimes even a strike.
I was really more interested in playing with the fish than “fighting” them so I wasn’t trying too hard, but out of maybe 20 hits I hooked one fish and that was on a down stream drift.
I would think that more of those fish would have hooked themselves if they were on the feed but I believe they were just reacting to my fly and wacking it out of competition
That’s my excuse anyway and I’m sticking to it 8)
There’s not really a right answer here, not that you are looking for one or asking for my advise, so I’ll do my best to give my two cents worth on the subject.
In my time on the water I have had that same problem many, many times. I now try and count, “one-thousand-one” before I raise my rod tip up to set the hook, and when I do it seems to work best if it’s a gentle hook set. My theory is that the drag from the fly line as I raise the rod up causes the initial point contact with the flesh, and the gentle hook set buries the point deeply, whereas a voilent hook set probably rips the hook right out of the flesh, thus leading us to think we missed the fish, which we did/do.
My excitement still gets me occasionally and I jerk the rod up only to pull the fly away from the fish. I’ve tried using a strip-strike with pretty fair results, but it only works when the fly line is fairly straight.
Try slowing your hookset down, not that you have been trying to rip their lips off, and see if that makes a difference.
the reason may be that the flies were big for the water you were fishing and the fish were trying to drown the flies before returning and taking them properly, I know this happens if I am fishing daddy patterns. Thunderthumbs makes a good point too, I was always taught to say “thank you” to the trout before lifting into them, thus giving them time to turn down with the fly, the thought behind it is that if you lift/strike immediately you pull the fly out of its mouth.
Good points made. TT, I did notice that sometimes I get a bit jumpy with my hook sets. I am trying to remedy that. The “thank you” and “one-One thousand…” are good ideas. Garic, the drowning thing interests me. It’s something that I had never thought of and could explain a few things for me on a number of trips. So what you’re saying is that with a larger fly, the fish is actually trying to kill the bug before it’s eaten?
That same thing happens to me, as well. Definitely wait, before you set the hook, otherwise you’ll pull the fly right out. Were any of the strikes, snubs? A lot of times the fish will come up to take and then refuse it at the last moment.
Two were definate snubs. The rest the fly disappeared. In my experience this means they ate it. The fly I was using was well ginked and pretty bouyant to begin with. I don’t think the wake of a fishes change up would have sunk it. So I’m pretty much accepting blame now for getting trigger finger and jumping the gun. I guess I gotta get out and do this thing more often. I’m obviousl out of practice
Sometimes the hookup rate goes down if you switch between nymph, wet, and dry fly fishing as you have to adjust your mind set of when and how “hard” to strike. If you’ve been nymphing recently that could be part of it.
To go along with what others have mentioned, I’ve had a lot of people mention a short phrase to say before “lifting the rod” when setting with a dry. Things like “Big Brown Trout” or “God save the Queen” (perhaps the latter not to be said too loudly on a US river though! ha!).
I tied half a dozen Griffin Gnats and was having no luck on my hook sets. I went back to the truck and trimmed a small amount of the hackle away from the hook point. My hookup ratio went way up. I think the feathers were causing the hook point to bounce off the fish. Later in the day in the same spot the fish were attacking the same gnats more readily and actually gulping them down differently and I had almost no misses .
Ok! Here we go! This may get me run out of town on a rail covered with a lot of gooey stuff and soft hackle!!
Do not flick, lift, pull, etc. the rod away from the strike. This will put slack in the line as the dynamics of a fly rod will make it go “To The Fish”!! Instead go at the strike with the flick, lift, pull, etc., This will set the hook as it takes up the slack because the rod tip will move away from the fish! I have learned this from our own great leader, and mentor, J Castwell!! You argue with me you argue with “The Man”!
Another good tip is to make sure the hook is sharp!! :lol:
When I have kept track, I have noticed that I am fairly consistent. 40% of the fish that take my fly get hooked. 40% of the fish that get hooked (at least one pull or head shake), get to hand. That means for every fish I get to hand, five others didn’t make it that far. Discouraging sometimes, but it makes me smile to think how many fish I fooled enough to take my fly.
I honestly believe when using stimulators and others of this type the fish more than often simply nudge or test the fly. I just don’t think they automatically make a solid strike on these types of flies. I think your getting more false strike with the fish just testing to see what it is. I mean I have seen some days where the fish take my dry hard and simply stike it with power and then other days where they hit it 20 times but none even place it in the mouth to give me a shot at setting the hook.
DG, glad to hear you’ve moved up to that level, 'course you’ve prolly been there for a long time. I don’t mind one bit when I don’t have to land a fish and I always get a smile just from seeing it hit the fly or even come anywhere near it.
I’ve considered going to 0% hook up via making a little snip with the side cutters just at the bend. Maybe I could start a trend and Fin and Fur Departments across the land would issue special licenses. Hmmm…what to call them.
Have Fun. Jax