AUGUST 2010 NEWSLETTER

FotoArt by Ed Kirkland

Alaska 2004
Mike Hawkins

"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught." - Anonymous

Newsletter & Club Contact

QUOTE

"The great charm of fly-fishing is that we are always learning; no matter how long we have been at it, we are constantly making some fresh discovery, picking up some new wrinkle. If we become conceited through great success, some day the trout will take us down a peg."
~by Theodore Gordon -1907~

 

Flyrodding for Bluegills
By Dave Lengyel - Taken from the Long Island Flyrodders Newsletter

In my opinion, bluegills are one of the most challenging and fun fish to go for, especially when you catch them on a fly rod. They can be found in almost any lake, stream or pond on Long Island, and pound for pound, bluegill are probably one of the best fighting fish ever.

I tie my own flies, so naturally I have a big selection when it comes to bluegill. The only two flies I ever really use, however, is an ultra small popper or a gray hackle wet fly. The small popper is dynamite in the summer when bluegill feed off the top. When it is windy and the fish go a little deeper, a gray hackle sinks just enough to get them. You should also carry "special occasion" flies, such as an adams, black gnat, weighted nymph or a grass shrimp, so you can be prepared for anything.

I use a 5 weight rod with matching reel, weight forward floating line, 20 lb. braided Dacron backing and usually a tapered leader that starts at 10 lb. test line and ends in 2 lb. test line. If you want more of a challenge, consider using a lighter weight fly rod, such as a 1,2 or 3 weight. With these weight rods, do not overplay the fish if you are planning to release it.

There are several good places to fish for bluegill on Long Island. One of my favorites is the Peconic River. This place is ideal because it is not over- fished, most of it is shallow and weedy, and there are a good amount of predators to help control the bluegill population. Other good places to try are BIydenburg Lake, Lower Lake and Upper Twin Pond.

David Lengyel is a member of the Long Island Bassmasters and is a supporter of catch and release fishing.

 

Fish Facts – How do fish breathe?
Taken from the Long Island Flyrodders Newsletter

As people take a breath, they take in air through their bronchial tubes and into their lungs. Inside our lungs, oxygen is taken out of the air and transferred into our blood by little sacs called alveoli. By breathing out we re-move carbon dioxide from our blood in the reverse order. Because fish live under water, they get their oxygen in a different way. Most fish breathe by opening and closing their mouths, which fills their mouths with water. When the mouth is closed (and filled with water), a fish opens its opercula (gill covers) and forces the water over the gills and out the fish's body. As water passes over the gills, they exchange carbon dioxide for fresh oxygen. As with the human lung, there are many different parts to a fish's gill. The part that takes oxygen in and removes carbon dioxide is called the lamellae. The gills of a fish are very delicate, so you never want to touch the gills of a fish you plan to release.

The above mechanism describes the way MOST fish breathe. There are, however, several types of fish that can breathe air. Walking catfishes, European eel, electric eel, tropical catfishes and the African and South American lungfishes all have adaptations that allow them to breathe air. These fish use their ability to breathe air to make short over land travels. If the pond they live in dries up. No problem! They just walk or (slither/slide) to the next pond they find. This is just one example of the many special adaptations fish have made to help them survive.

One last thing to think about. The minimum amount of oxygen needed by different kinds of fish varies. Carp, for instance, can survive in water with almost no oxygen while trout need water with a lot of oxygen in order to survive.

 

Fly Rod Shad Fishing
By Joe Bruce - taken from the Free State Fly Fishers Newsletter

My favorite setup for fishing Hickory Shad is a 3 or 4 weight rod with a five-foot sink-tip. Add about 36 inches of 4x tippet and tie the fly on with a non-slip loop.

Now I'm going to let you in on a secret to consistently catch these fish. I hope I'm not shot for this. The most effective fishing technique is the exact opposite of what trout fishermen usually do when fishing across stream. Most of the time shad respond to speed, as a fast-moving fly seems to trigger the strike. When I cast, I do so across stream and throw a downstream mend in the line. The usual upstream mend used to keep a fly from dragging is not what you want. By causing the fly to deliberately drag, you will get the most speed in the shortest amount of time. The dragging action will cause the fly to speed up and move faster than the slower water near the shoreline.

The Hickories tend to hold at certain points in the current. I use a specific technique to find them. I cover the water by making my first cast as far as I can across stream. I do this several times and after the fly has swum down stream of my position, I will reach my hand to the first stripping guide and cast and cast the remaining amount of line across creek. This shortens the swing two and a half to three feet each time you do it. I keep this up until the fly is only a few yards below me and then repeat the whole casting sequence. Of course when you've found a hot spot, keep using the correct amount of line to swing through it.

The fly is usually taken when it presents itself in a side profile to the fish and the current. This is why they seem to take it right at the end of the drift, since this is where the fly has the most speed and is also perpendicular to the stream flow.

 

The Predator
By Leslie Wrixon – Taken from the FFF Northeastern Council Newsletter

What makes a fly appealing to a fish? What features of a fly trigger the predatory instinct in a fish? What makes a fish decide to eat something that comes across its field of vision? For purposes of this article I will mainly focus on the sense of sight. There has been a great deal written about this, but let's take a look at this issue again.

Fish are first, and foremost, predators. They live stacked up in the hierarchical predatory dance system that is the natural world. The average fish spends most of its time either looking for prey or trying not to be detected and become prey. So, what does the piscatorial predator look for when shopping for a meal?

First, a fly should look like a prey item. After all, we eat things that look appealingly like food to us. A fish is not going to behave any differently. As a consumer, the fish wants to eat something that is familiar to its senses. Fish usually eat insects in some stage of aquatic development or other, often smaller, fish. I tip my hat to other food items, but for purposes of this discussion I will not focus specifically on these other dietary supplements such as small mammals, birds, fruit, etc., but some of what I say holds true for these items as well.

A fly should have the approximate shape, size and color of the prey. In the underwater world of shifting water currents and lighting, silhouette is part of this equation. The use of different furs, feathers and synthetics impart different outlines on the flies. Texture also comes into play here. Using materials wisely is important.

Second, a fly should behave like a prey item. This is deeply connected to the motion which we impart upon the fly. The fly should flow and wiggle in the water in ways that mimic the prey. Again, using materials wisely is important. There is not space here to go into depth about this, but in a future issue of Backcasts I will explore this in more detail.

Third, fish key in on eyes. When any animal encounters another, it is the eyes that meet for the final reality check. It should be noted that, relative to the size of a fish's body, the eyes are very large. This makes the issue of the eyes on our flies very important. Eyes are organs that interact with light. Given this, the eyes we attach to our bait fish imitation flies should also interact with light. To this end, it is good to use eyes made of a reflective or holographic material. I prefer the three-dimensional eyes that are domed in shape. Or I may add a dab of epoxy or Tuffleye over the flat-style eyes.

So, in my humble opinion, if it looks like food, acts like food and looks back at the fish like food, it must be food.

 

Glues and Solvents
By Craig Smothers – Taken from the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club Newsletter

I got a phone call the other day (no, I’m not picking on you). This person had been misinformed as to which solvent to use to thin their glue. It was a loss after the addition of the wrong solvent. Although I’ve written about this before, I felt it might need to be revisited. I have a few changes in what I use and what I use it for. Keep this around for a good reference.

Tying Cement:
Tying cement and “head” cement is not the same animal. Tying cement is used to keep the thread and materials glued to the hook. Head cement is to top coat the thread wraps AFTER you’ve finished. There are a myriad of different types of tying cements. Mine is Dave’s Fleximent. Or rather, I make my own Dave’s Fleximent. If this stuff is kept water-thin and used throughout the tying process, you don’t even need to whip finish. Fleximent is simply Household Goop (in the toothpaste tube) thinned with either Toluene or Xylene. By the way, if you’ve used Softex, It’s just a thick version of Fleximent. Go to Ace Hardware and get a quart of either solvent and a tube of Goop and you’re set for a lifetime. Enough said…

Head Cement:
This class of cements includes everything you put on top of the thread to Finish The Fly. This includes both water and solvent based cements. Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine nail polish (chrome bottle) is all most of you need. If it gets too thick, thin it with Acetone. Loon Hard Head water based fly finish is also really great stuff. As odd as it sounds, thin this with Denatured Alcohol or Vodka. Epoxy’s also are included in this class. I use a great deal of Flexcoat Rod Wrap epoxy. This takes two hours to set and requires the use of a fly turner (modified BBQ rotisserie) to get a smooth, professional finish. On tarpon flies, two hour epoxy is too thin. I use Flexcoat Rod Building epoxy. This still requires a turner, however it sets in twenty minutes. If this seems too thick, a drop of Acetone or Alcohol will thin it slightly but increase the cure time. Five-minute epoxy has its place on everyone’s fly bench. I don’t like it much as it yellows quickly. Remember that the longer cure times equate to clearer finishes and reduced or no yellowing.

Other Glues:
There are other glues to attach 3-D eyes, but the best I’ve found is Fletch Tite (for fletching arrows). It is easy to use with the thin spout, and can be fished in twenty minutes. Great Stuff! Cyanoacrylate (Crazy) glue is another one everyone should have on the bench. Fixing lead eyes to the hook comes to mind; there are many more uses. I like Zap A Gap. I’ve also recently seen a Super Glue with a brush top; this sets slightly slower and doesn’t dry out in the bottle like many do. (NOTE: you will also need Super Glue Remover - Don't Ask!)

Bench Solvents:
Go to the pharmacy and get several dropper bottles. Get one for each solvent and label them. Solvents you should have are: Xylene or Toluene, Denatured Alcohol or Vodka, Acetone, and Lacquer Thinner (non fluorescent solvent based paints). Using a dropper in any case is a smart tip with any of these solvents. The fumes from these are dangerous and flammable. Use some common sense.

Bench Glues:
Household Goop, Sally Hansen’s Mega Shine, Softex (or equivalent), Dave’s Fleximent (or equivalent), five-minute epoxy, Loon Hard Head fly finish, Zap A Gap (or equivalent), and Fletch Tite.

 

Fishing Alone
Submitted by Daryl Crowley – West Michigan Hacklers

I like fishing alone but it seems I work hard at trying to avoid it. I call all my fishing buddies and make considerable effort at trying to locate a fishing partner for the day’s outing. Having a fishing companion certainly has advantages, like conversation in the car to and from the river or sharing coffee on the bank, while relaying the hard won information on “what the fish are biting on today” are certainly hallmarks of trout fishing pleasures. There is safety in numbers too and as we get older that begins to take on a real importance. And who can deny that it’s always cool to hold up a nice trout for someone to see. But occasionally you find that everyone else is either busy or lacking in the political capital department with their spouse, and despite all your phone calls and pleading, its apparent that today you fish alone, or not all. No problem, fishing alone has its advantages too.

We seem more prone to engage in research and development when we are alone. Maybe we’re more comfortable then because no one can see us fail. You can try that latest outrageous fly pattern before you put your reputation on the line in front of a witness. Sometimes you are willing to try new places and you are assured that if they turn out to be major flops, you can cover up the fact that you were stupid enough to go there, and if they turn out to be really good spots, you can cover up the fact that you were ever there at all, at least for awhile.

When you fish alone you can arrive at the river or leave whenever you want. You can take a break when you want. You can go upstream or down or start one way and change your mind; nobody cares. You can fish slower and more methodically when you are alone. After all you’re not engaged in any real or perceived competition. You can spend more time studying a run without the danger of your partner saying; “to heck with this” and making a gravy cast into the middle of the run and pulling out a 20-inch trout right from under your over-scrutinizing nose. No, when you are alone you can savor the anticipation of each and every cast.

You can fish however you want; meticulously or sloppily, no one will comment. You can take the time to tie on a new tippet every few minutes, or fish with the same ratty one all day. If you loose a fish by being careless, you can just say you caught it and let it go, who’s going to know? Stretching the truth to enhance the fishing alone experience may be acceptable, but outright lies never are, and you will be discovered eventually. Fishing alone is not a license to compromise basic fly fishing principals. But you can also be selective in what you tell; you may freely convey every nuance of the large trout you caught, but you can completely forget to mention that you fell in the river or broke your rod. That’s not lying, that’s editing.

Once many years ago while fishing alone I caught an exceptional brown trout. Not a record fish, but real dandy, one of my best at that time. As I let the fish slid back into the water I resolved at that moment to never tell anyone about that fish. This would be my personal and secret trophy, one that would be made even greater by not telling anyone about it; or so I thought. And for a while it was special. I took more than a little pleasure and self-importance in being able to keep such a nice fish a secret. But I wanted to share it with someone it the worst way. For all the esoteric magic of my secret trophy it paled by comparison to the pleasure I would have had from telling all my friends about it.

And now I find, many years later, that I can’t remember much about catching that fish except that he was a dandy; the memory lost for lack of use. Now it wouldn’t matter who I told as it is no longer important and it happened so far in the past that no one would give it a second thought or would just assume it was the deranged ranting of old man about “the good old days”. In retrospect: I’m not sure that it’s wise to keep the catching of good fish to yourself. You should share the memories of those big fish you catch. It makes them immortal, at least in your own mind.

Fishing alone can be a lot fun and the prospect of fishing alone is certainly not something that should not put you off from enjoying a day on the river. And while I enjoy fishing alone, I must confess that I would rather fish with one of my friends. I enjoy their companionship, which is why we are friends in the first place. I like not having to make all the decisions and when something goes wrong, you have someone to share the blame with. But mostly, fly-fishing is a sport that begs to be shared, and it’s more fun to hold up a nice fish for someone else to admire or to admire someone else’s fish, than it is to release it to total obscurity. There is a magic in the sharing that goes beyond what can be delivered by a single pair of eyes. And besides, it keeps us honest.

 

Searching for California Gold!
Submitted by Phil Erickson of the Diablo Valley Fly Fishers

On July 9th, eleven DVFF members set on horseback to travel deep into the Sierra Nevada Mountains in hopes of catching California’s state fish, the Golden Trout.

Leaving the Frontier Pack Train pack station at Silver Lake on the June Lake Loop, shortly after breakfast, our intrepid group, some of which had never ridden before, hit the trail. These High Sierra outfitters do a very good job of matching riders and horse’s abilities. We proceeded to immediately begin climbing steep granite paths up and over Agnew Pass, our first destination was to be Alger Lakes, home of the Golden’s, some 4 ½ hours away. The ride was broken up with a lunch and fishing stops at Gem Lake and Crest Creek where many caught Rainbow’s and hybrids.

We arrived at Alger #2 in mid afternoon and started fishing at once in both the lake and its outlet. Fishing was tough, but a number of Golden’s were caught before lights out. The next day most hiked up to Alger#1 where we found some large (14-16”) Golden’s and a few in the 12-14” range were caught. The author was fortunate enough to catch the big one!

After spending another night at Algers, the next morning we packed up and headed for the Clark Lakes, which were about another 3 hour ride distant. This ride like all we entailed encompassed magnificent views of the very highest Sierras; it was one grand vista after another! The highest point we reached on this day was Gem Pass at 11,000 feet. These rides included much up and down, some of it on very narrow ledges with drop offs of hundreds of feet. The comforting thought is that the horses want to stay on the trails just as much as we did.

At Clark Lakes, we set up our camp and headed off for the upper lake, we found it to be almost surrounded by brush with only limited access to the shoreline, however we caught a number of Brookies running from 10 to 14”.

On the 4th day we headed off (on horseback) for Thousand Island Lake and then eventually the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River. The Thousand Island Lake outlet is the beginning of the San Joaquin, which eventually merges with the Sacramento River and ends in S.F. bay.

The San Joaquin was by far the best fishing of the entire trip, all who fished it caught many nice Rainbows, Brookies and Goldens. Just as we conclude the days fishing, we were caught in a rain storm that continued all the way back to camp, highlighted by thunder and lightening, some quite close by.

All in all it was a very enjoyable adventure, made special by this wonderful group of DVFF members: George Carter, Mike Johnson, Bob & Kristina Keller, Dan Maher, Jim McCombs, Dale Patterson, Greg Reimers, Max (Gabby) Tong, Joe Wagda and yours truly.

Best of all, everyone on the trip caught at least one California Golden Trout!

 

$ave Yourself $ome Money….
By Gil Padovani – Taken from the Long Island Flyrodders Newsletter

Whenever I browse through the pages of fly fishing catalogs, I cannot help thinking how gullible fly fishers are. Let's face it: We can't wait for the Somerset Fly Fishing Show to open its doors so we can spend money on something that we really need like a hole in the head.

Since most of us already have everything we need, manufacturers must constantly come up with new or updated products. Some of these may have merit but many others do absolutely nothing for us, except for relieving our wallets of hard earned cash.

Just look at any catalog and see how many varieties of the same type of fly fishing lines a single manufacturer produces. When at one time, it may have manufactured only one floating line type, it soon expanded its line (pardon the pun) to the next generation, meaning a line that supposedly performed better and that carried a higher price tag. Now, repeat the process several more times with floating, sinking and sinking-tip lines and I'm sure you get my drift (again, pardon the pun).

The fact of the matter is that (except for the price), I can't tell the difference between a second generation line and a fourth generation one. I cast equally bad with either, so, I might as well save myself some money.

Of course, the line evolution does not end with allegedly improving the same type of line. Heck no! Let's create specialty lines, so we now have trout lines, nymph lines, tarpon lines, saltwater line, steelhead and salmon lines, striped bass lines, bonefish lines, freshwater bass lines, etc. Do you honestly believe a $53 freshwater bass floating 7 weight line catches more largemouths than a $40 all purpose 7 weight second generation floating line? Not a chance.

The biggest rip off, insofar as I am concerned, concerns leaders and tippet material. Without a doubt, we have seen improvements in this area, especially with the advent of fluorocarbon material but have you checked the prices lately? I just went through several catalogs and can tell you that the price of a nine-foot fluorocarbon leader varies from $6.50 to $7.99. Thirty yard tippet spools go from $10 to $14. While this in my opinion borders on price gouging, what irks me even more is that now we also have " specialty" leaders and tippet material specifically designed for different species of fish.

It's true, when trout fishing with dries it is important that we use a tapered leader that properly turns over the fly but let's not carry this concept to other type of fish in different situations. For several years now, I've been fishing for bonefish in the Bahamas and Atlantic salmon on Canada's Miramichi. I also spend some time fishing for stripers at the Jersey Shore and for smallmouth bass in a Maine pond. For the most part, these fishes have never seen a fisherman, let alone a leader. They are not leader-shy and when you strip a streamer or cast it three quarters downstream, especially in fast moving water, the tapering of the leader or a not-so-well presented cast means nothing to the fish.

When I fish for Atlantic salmon, steelhead, bonefish, stripers or smallmouth bass, I use a straight piece of 10 lb or 12lb fluorocarbon line for a leader. I buy a 400 yard spool of fluorocarbon line for $15 which is the equivalent of 133 nine foot leaders, each costing 11 cents. At an average cost of $7.00 for each manufactured fluorocarbon leader, that's a saving of over $900.

Happy Fishing and save yourself some money!

 

For The Gear Bag
By Renee Menard - Taken from the Idaho Fly Casters Club, Inc. Newsletter

Although the human body is good at replacing some damaged cells, the cells in the lens of the eye are never replaced. Damage from ultraviolet rays can build up over a lifetime and lead to cloudy areas on the lens of your eye called cataracts. It's hard to see through cataracts, and they often must be removed surgically. Macular degeneration, an eye condition resulting from damage to the retina, also may be accelerated by too much unfiltered sun blasting the retinas.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation consists of invisible rays from the sun. The three bands of UV light are: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC rays are of little concern as they are absorbed by the upper atmosphere and do not reach the earth's surface.

UVB rays are the ones that burn the skin and can damage the eyes. Combined with cold wind and snow, UVB has the potential to cause snow blindness (photokeratitis), a temporary (lasting 12 to 48 hours) but painful problem in the cornea of the eye.

Sunglass standards for lenses place limits solely on UVB and UVA rays, but both the standards and labeling are voluntary, not mandatory. According to these standards, sunglasses must block at least 70% of UVB and at least 60% of UVA.

To best protect your eyes, look for sunglasses that provide at least 98% protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Some of the higher-priced products with polycarbonate, glass or plastic (CR-39) lenses can claim to block 100% of the UV rays. Most sunglasses, coated with UV blockers, block the ultraviolet B rays, but the cheaper ones may cheat a little on ultraviolet A. Examine the label.

For years, boaters and fishermen have used polarized sunglasses to reduce glare from the water that they spend so much time on. The light particles called photons travel in a wave form. Light reflected from surfaces like a flat road or smooth water is generally horizontally polarized. Polarized sunglasses, which have a protective layer bonded on much like the tinted film put on car windshields, admit only vertical waves. Since most of the reflected waves are coming in horizontally, the horizontally polarized light is blocked by the vertically oriented polarizers in the lenses. The result is a reduction in annoying and sometimes dangerous glare.

These sunglasses can be used for driving and in fact can reduce the glare that comes off a long, flat surface such as the hood of the car or the surface of a road. Polarized sunglasses can also be used indoors by light-sensitive people such as post-cataract surgery patients or by those exposed to bright light through windows.

Polarized lenses may also react adversely with liquid crystal displays (LCDs) found on the dashboards of some cars or in other places such as the digital screens on automatic teller (bank) machines. The problem with LCDs is that when viewed through polarized lenses from a certain angle, they can be invisible.

Polarized sunglasses can be found at fly shops, sporting goods stores, the Internet and shops that carry prescription eyeglasses.

 

Hoppers in the Rain
Submitted by John Berry – FFF Life member

We have had a good deal of generation lately and I have been guiding from the boat. My clients have been catching plenty of fish but I was ready for a little low water. I called the dam and the Bull Shoals powerhouse was shut down. Lori and I had a day off and we decided to fish at Rim Shoals. There were about ten anglers fishing when we got there but they were all bunched up at the top riffle. We carried our rain jackets in our vests because the weather forecast called for rain.

We waded down stream until we could not see the other anglers. I tried a couple of nymphs before I put on a worm brown San Juan worm. They are usually effective after a rain and we have had quite a bit lately. I was rewarded on the first cast with a twenty inch rainbow. I hooked him in heavy current and had to carefully work him into calmer water in order to land him. He was magnificent. The trout was so fat I could not get my hand around him. I took a minute to photograph and carefully release him. I fished the worm until it literally came apart. I was able to catch several really nice fish in the process. That was my last San Juan worm of that color. I tried a red one but there were no takers. About this time, it started raining.

I waded down to where Lori was fishing. She was whacking them on a copper john. I decided to fish a Y2K but did not have one with me. They were in a fly box in my boat. I borrowed one from Lori and quickly rigged it up and starting fishing close by. On the second cast, a sixteen inch rainbow decided he couldn’t live without it. I continued fishing the spot and caught several nice fish. I returned to the area I had originally been fishing and caught several there. I subsequently broke off a monster and lost the fly. The rain was unrelenting. We were in no hurry to leave because the fishing was so good. The fish were fat and healthy. The smallest trout we caught was fourteen inches long and had attitude.

We knew that higher water would get to rim eventually. We decided to move back upstream to the top of the shoals so that we could make a speedy exit when the water came up. The rain had cleared out the access and we had the entire place to our selves. Nothing thins the herd like a good rain.

I had caught enough fish to satisfy my lust. I decided to play around with dry flies. With the rain beating down and low light due to the heavy cloud cover, I needed a big easily seen fly that would float like a cork and easily shed the rain. I searched my fly boxes and came up with a size six western foam hopper with a bright red quick sight patch on the back of it. I stripped off the fly, lead and strike indicator I had been fishing and quickly tied a fresh eighteen inch 4X tippet to my seven and a half foot 4X leader. I tied on the hopper and surveyed the water.

Lori had moved into the middle of the riffle and was tagging one fish after another on the copper john. I began working the island side of the riffle. The sky was so dark; it was hard to see the fly so I had to fish it very close. I had about ten feet of fly line out and I was high sticking the fly into the top of the riffle and getting a perfect drag free drift. I watched the fly carefully.

As it was floating down stream, I saw a dark form approach it. I held my breath as I set the hook when the fly disappeared. I felt the heavy weight of a good fish. The big bow took off like a scalded dog. After a long struggle, I finally netted the fat seventeen inch trout. I stayed in the same spot and landed three other big fish. By now, it was about time for the water to rise and after a bit of cajoling I was finally able to convince Lori that it was time to leave.

We did not let the down pour ruin our day and we discovered that trout will hit hoppers in the rain.

 

High Water Hoppers
Submitted by John Berry – FFF Life Member

By far, one of the most rewarding ways to fish high water is by fishing dry flies. There is something exciting about observing a big brown emerging from the depths to nail your fly as it drifts naturally down stream. You may not catch as many fish as you would fishing nymphs or worms on the bottom but you will love the heart stopping action of fishing terrestrials on high water.

Now, is the time of year (summer), when the terrestrials have begun to appear in abundance along banks of the streams in our area. When a strong wind blows across the river, insects are blown into the water. Since they are terrestrial and not aquatic insects, they are helpless in the current and are easy prey for trout. In addition, the larger insects, like grass hoppers, are very large bites and make a very tempting meal that can cause a large trout to move a significant distance to take it. In these instances, the take can be vicious.

I generally prefer a nine foot six weight rod coupled with a matching weight forward floating line. Use a reliable reel with a smooth disc drag and plenty of backing. These are pretty big flies and the heavier rod does a better job of casting them. I use a seven and one half foot 4X leader with an eighteen inch 4X tippet. This gives me a nine foot leader/tippet combination. This is substantially shorter than I use for most of my dry fly fishing but necessary to turn over the large flies. If you have trouble turning over your hopper, shorten your tippet. I do not use fluorocarbon tippet or leaders because the fluorocarbon has a higher specific gravity than water and will sink. This could make mending a bit more difficult.

My favorite terrestrials are grasshoppers. My go to patterns are the Rainey’s hoppers and Dave’s hoppers. The Rainey’s hoppers are foam therefore they do not require dressing and they float like corks. The Dave’s hoppers are made of natural materials and must be dressed. I prefer them in situations where the trout are a bit more selective as they are very realistic looking. They also come in a greater variety of sizes. In the beginning of summer the hoppers are small and they get progressively larger over the summer. Traditionally hopper season begins in June and goes on to the first frost. I will fish them much longer because I know for a fact that trout do not have the weather channel.

I have also had a lot of success with ants. Yesterday, I took my big fish, a nineteen inch brown with a Chernobyl ant. I have a bit of problem seeing the Chernobyl ants in certain light conditions even with a quick sight spot on the back. I prefer to use an Amy’s ant or 747 ant. Both are western patterns introduced to me by Jack Dennis several years ago when I was guiding him during the Hooked On A Cure fishing tournament. Both have a white parachute wing (the 747 has two) and are easy to see in heavy water.

Another fly that I keep in my fly box is the stimulator. This fly was designed to imitate stoneflies. Yes we have stoneflies and they should be hatching now. The stimulator is also a pretty good imitation of the hopper. I have had great success with clients fishing them, particularly on the White River.

You can also use a dropper fly if you are not fishing Catch and Release water. Tie a two foot tippet to the bend of the hook on the dry fly and suspend a small nymph like a pheasant tail below it. Set the hook when your dry goes down.

The basic tactic for fishing terrestrials is to cast them to the bank and have them drift drag free in the current. When the water comes up the fish generally move from the main channel to the bank. They can be as close as two feet from the bank. The real trick is that the current near the bank tends to be a bit slower than the current further out. There fore you will generally need to mend your line up stream in order to get the best drag free drift. The key to success is line control. You must have enough slack for the fly to achieve a perfect drag free float yet you must be able to set the hook. Be ready as soon as the fly hits the water. Remember, the take can happen at any time during the drift.

The other problem that I encounter is that when the trout hits the fly there is a tendency to set the hook too soon. The adrenalin is pumping and the sight of the take is too much. Some of these takes will be particularly vicious. You need to wait a second for the trout to close its mouth before you set the hook. I call this the longest second in fly fishing.

If you want to add a new level of excitement to your high water fishing, consider hoppers.

Hopper Links

• Tying Hoppers
• Dave's Hopper and Whit Hopper
• Using grasshopper imitation for flyfishing in hot windy days.

 

FLY TYING TIP: RUBBER LEGS
(by Dick Eppinger of the South Jersey Fly Fishers)

Rubber legs on a bass popper will add movement and increase its attractability to the fish. One method of adding rubber legs to poppers is by threading a needle with the rubber hackle and pushing the needle through the cork using pliers. Cut the rubber loop to release the needle.

Vlola, . . . two palr of "legs". This does take a little effort and be careful not to ram the needle into your other hand.

Random Thoughts From The Tying Bench

• The Simplest Fly
• Domestic Fly
• Shark's Wasp
• Big Hole Demon
• Polar Perch
• Green Machine
• Tabou Daddy
• Fly Tying 101 - The Wooly Bugger
• Micro Woolheads for Warmwater Fanatics
• Attaching Thread - Visual Reference
• The Half Hitch Knot - Visual Reference
• HPU Patterns

Fly Fishing Internet Radio Educates Fly Fishers Worldwide

 

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