If you're like a lot of fishermen on western rivers who spent hours or days relentlessly flogging the water with little more to celebrate than the micro thrill of feeling a "strike" from some waterlogged cottonwood branch, you might have two thoughts about a guy who comes along, looking like he was just dredged out of a deep pool, only to watch him make a couple of casts and hook a trout. - First thought: Injure him.
- Second thought: How do I become a friend of his?
Obviously, the second alternative is preferable in every case since there are no great trout streams that I'm aware of that run through penitentiaries. That "haggard-looking" angler probably used several proven techniques developed by top western trout fishermen for every tough fishing situation they run across. By methodically using an intelligently thought out process of elimination, the trout bum swiftly ran through a menu of effective tactics known to work virtually every time...until he figured out what the fish wanted, and how they wanted to see it. Here's how most fly fishing masters get away with their own form of psychological intimidation on western trout streams. Master these techniques, and you're on your way to having someone else ask YOU to become a friend. THE RIGHT ROD Most novice anglers think any old rod will do - not so! Choosing the right rod when fishing western trout rivers is a tremendous help in maximizing chances for angling success. For western fly fishing a nine foot graphite fly rod is by far the choice of the majority of savvy western trout experts. With a 5 or 6 weight rod you can effectively nymph fish any western trout river with confidence. Shorter rods are fine for general dry fly fishing but even light graphite rods longer than 9 feet tend to feel heavy after a long day on the water. A good rule to remember is "short for small streams, long for large rivers". A well made 9 foot rod allows a longer, drag free drift on swift western streams, necessary because an angler needs to get a fly to the bottom quickly and keep it there as long as possible. The longer the fly is on the bottom the more likely it is to find a hungry trout. If the truth were known, choosing which nymph to use for high-line nymphing is less critical than choosing the right dry fly for any given presentation. Nymphs are in the water all the time while dry versions of the real thing are there only briefly. THE "DEAD" DRIFT - HIGH LINE NYMPHING No single method produces more fish on western streams when the going gets tough, than high-line (short line) nymphing. Usually, this technique for presenting nymphs is done with no more than a rod and a half's length of fly line extended from the tip; in most cases, just a few feet of fly line is needed. Casts are kept short to minimize having to control a lot of line. Experienced western trout fisherman cast a nymph upstream from a 45 degree angle to the flow to directly upstream, slowly raising the rod tip as the fly sinks to keep slack out of the line. By constantly balancing the amount lifted against the momentum of the approaching fly an adept nymph fisherman can detect and respond instantly to subtle strikes during any moment of presentation - even though he knows the majority of strikes will occur towards the end of the drift. When a drifting, sinking fly is directly in front of a nymph fisherman, the rod tip is raised to it's highest position during the entire presentation, (usually directly overhead) occasionally extending his arm straight out if working a relatively long line. As the fly moves past him he controls his rod tip's fall to keep pace with the water's flow, introducing just enough slack to avoid lifting the fly off the bottom. Frequently, if the water is particularly swift or deep, a small amount of weight is placed from 18 to 24 inches above the nymph. Controlling slack line when drifting a nymph, without imparting any action to make a fly look un-natural, is the single most deadly element of perfect nymphing technique known to western trout anglers - it is the key to consistent success. MEASURED CASTS FOR ACCURACY Accurate casts are something every angler strives to achieve, and the best western anglers have used "measured casts" for years. Western anglers never have given much thought to what they do as a defined technique - they didn't need to know any more than the fact that it worked. Following any cast, experienced fly fishers immediately transfer the fly line from their line hand to their rod hand, placing the line under their index finger to control all line manipulations while fishing out a cast. If short lengths of line need to be retrieved to adjust a presentation, expert fly fishers pull line from behind their rod hand while keeping the line firmly clamped against the cork handle, a practice which also helps to properly set hooks. When working visible fish, astute fly fishers judge how close their fly is really getting to trout simply by watching carefully. By adjusting how much more or less line is needed to drift a nymph or dry fly right down the center line of a fish's feeding lane, experienced anglers quickly make adjustments in line length. By holding the fly line fast under the index finger, and pulling off just enough line to make the proper adjustment. The angler's next cast will place the fly exactly where he wants it to land. BE INVISIBLE A deliberately slow, quiet approach to any trout water is as important as choosing the right fly. Advertising your presence is a sure way to put trout on guard or send them on to the nearest hiding place. Many western fly fishers wear clothing that is similarly colored as stream banks and vegetation - why they do shouldn't be a mystery to anyone but the practice of using available cover to good advantage is largely ignored except by the best of the best. The most successful fly fishers I've seen hide behind bushes or trees, stoop down low behind rocks, even sit in shallow water to keep out of sight, dropping their fly onto likely looking water only after having thoroughly checked every possible angle and judging where the best chances of success are. Your first cast is always most likely to hook a fish if you start with a plan, and then "move like a cloud". Being as quiet as possible helps enormously. Conversation doesn't bother fish, but careless wading sends them packing in a hurry. In areas where the water drops off quickly into deep runs or pools, avoiding detection is important because fish can see BETTER than when they're in shallow water - especially if it's ultra clear. STRIKE INDICATORS ARE NOT NEW Legions of recent converts to fly fishing use strike indicators when fishing nymphs to help detect a pick up - it's a real advantage. To seasoned anglers with failing eyesight, indicators are a blessing, however, there are plenty of others who prefer not to use indicators at all, relying on good, slack free high line nymphing technique instead. Fly fishers forced to fish a long line to get to promising water find using strike indicators when fishing nymphs an effective tactic, but, a rare few know of the old trick of using a bushy dry fly attractor pattern on a short dropper above a nymph instead of one of those patent fluorescent foam dots. The beautiful logic behind using this technique needs no further explanation. A sage old hand who caught big trout twenty years before I was born taught me about using dry flies as indicators; I've used his trick ever since, always fondly remembering him each time a gluttonous trout picks off the dry fly thinking it's a free dessert. SHOW THEM THE FLY FIRST Western anglers who rarely get skunked know the value of showing a trout the fly first by making sure tippet, leader and line follow behind the fly when drifting towards their quarry, accomplishing that is just a routine action good fly casters automatically do with each fly presentation. Most newcomers might think the person downstream is ripe for therapy because it looks like the impersonator is not really fishing but using a fly rod to perform some ancient form of Japanese ribbon dancing. However, there's cold logic and cunning purpose behind his apparent madness. To get the best possible presentation, fly casting masters always try to adjust their fly line on the water to float in the same line of drift as the fly. To do so, they "mend" their line, casting to an area they suspect holds fish, GENTLY lifting as much line off the water as possible and briskly moving it into the same flow the fly is traveling in by "tossing" the extra line upstream with the rod tip; kind of like a cast within a cast. Mending line is such a routine tactic among experienced fly fishers that the best of them perform it "in the air"...before the fly hits the water! After casting they fish out each presentation, mending line on the water if corrections need be made during each drift. If combining different casting skills sounds difficult, be assured it is relatively easily learned provided a few rules are observed. To mend line in mid-air, make a normal cast, stopping the rod on the forward stroke to propel the fly to the target area. Then, instantly move the rod tip upstream as the line falls to the water. Fly casting master, Doug Swisher, calls this cast a "reach cast" but it is simply mending line in the air. Knowing all these tricks are used each day on the west's best trout water prepares you for an entirely new level of fly fishing success - all it takes is practice and a desire to achieve streamcraft perfection. Ignore the stares you'll get from less informed types while practicing on the lawn at home. Proving your sanity is easier than explaining why a latent great fly fisherman can't catch western trout - at least among the company I keep. © Copyright, 1989 by Tony Oswald All rights reserved - This article or any images that accompany it may not be copied or distributed by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author. info@worldangler.com | |
