Fishing Downstream

“Fishing Downstream”

Report submitted by Landon Williams

Here’s a report from Sunday (12/29) that can maybe help some of you find some unpressured water and easier to fool fish on some of our year round streams. I fished a stretch of river lying about a mile below one of our Delayed Harvest streams and had very good results. The fishing was very good with the mild air temperatures and the water temperature hovered in the upper 40’s all day! The water was fairly high from the rain overnight but was gin clear and made seeing where you’re going easy.  

There was not a particular fly pattern or technique that worked any better or worse than the others but having a fly with high visibility through brightness or high contrast caught me more fish.  I mainly fished a mohair leech with a pink tail for contrast and a Walt’s worm fly with an orange thread collar behind it for the majority of the day. Fish were hugging the banks in faster pockets or the tailouts of larger pools. Subtle jigging movements through the drift produced a few extra fish in the slower pools that I believe may not have eaten otherwise.  I think the highlight of the day was finding a pod of rising fish eating a size 20 blue winged olive mayfly and tricking 3 out of the pod before they shut down!

The fishing was fun but there’s one thing I think folks can take away from this report.  Many of our DH streams have miles of water downstream that can also be fished through the winter time. Trout can’t read our static boundary lines and many end up finding themselves upstream or downstream of these points through heavy rains or hunting for new habitat.  I like two things about these stretches just out of the reaches of our DH streams. First and foremost is the solitude they provide. Sure these stretches have fewer fish but they also have far fewer people fishing them. On Sunday, I fished roughly a mile and a half of water and never saw another angler while I was enjoying all the water to myself.  My second favorite aspect of these downstream stretches is the ability to harvest fish when most of our stocked trout streams are closed for the season. It really is a handy thing to have if you are hungry for a trout supper! 

Have fun fishing this winter and see y’all on the river!

Landon

BEST FLY EVER?

I've long contended that the best all around fly for trout fishing is the traditional wet fly. It almost can't be fished incorrectly. You don't have to worry about a drag free drift because drag is one of the attractive components of a wet fly. If you cast it upstream where it may briefly float on the surface like a dry fly, that's okay as it looks very much like a crippled insect caught in the film. As it drifts downstream, it may begin to sink, much like a nymph. That's okay also. As it reaches the end of your drift and the current begins to tighten your line, the fly rises to the surface imitating an emerging insect. At any point your fly can be attractive to a fish and drag won't necessarily be a negative. I just found this video trailer on YouTube that does an excellent job of explaining how to fish wet flies. I'll give you fair warning that this is not your typical head banger, loud music, screaming angler fly fishing video so popular nowadays. It's British, that's all I've got to say. But if you'll watch it, you'll discover an extremely effective way to fish. If you're new to flyfishing, wet flies are the best way to get into it because you can't mess them up. Enjoy!

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!

The folks out at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone just mentioned in their latest newsletter that they are taking a stand on the spread of invasive species - they now have a cleaning station outside their front door to help do their part to pass along the idea of "Clean, Inspect, Dry", and noted the great website devoted to the cause of helping prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species at CleanInspectDry.com. While primarily aimed at the Greater Yellowstone Area, the site has some great general information on the problem and how to prevent the spread of these pests. For example, the site lists over 30 species of concern for the Greater Yellowstone Area alone.

With the summer, a lot of us take trips out west to enjoy some of the awesome trout fishing out there. It's good to remember that we should promote "safe wading" and properly clean our equipment when moving from one watershed to another - and also to make sure that we don't add to the problem by bringing home invasive species after our vacations are over.

Advice from the Guides - Fly Fishing with Nymphs & Strike Indicators in Mountain Streams from Ian Rutter on Vimeo.

Beautiful Rainbow Trout on the Toccoa DH

Becky and I headed to the Toccoa DH to do some much needed fishing this past weekend. The river was running around 513cfs, but we were able to bear it by wading where we could see the bottom and following the gravel areas. The water temp read 40 degrees F. So we knew the fish were in deep pools with small strike zones. We had to put a minimum of two split shot on our lines to get the flies down to the fish. I used a Y2K with a Fergus trout bug and Beck used a Olive Wooly Bugger with Shell Pink San Juan worm trailer. Both dropper rigs were successful.

We caught several beautifully colored rainbows. Check out the red streak!

A significant Black Caddis hatch occurred while we were on the river. I laughed so hard when Beck inhaled one when she turned to yell downstream at me to let me know she another fish on.

We also noted an occasional black stone fluttering around too. However, most of our fish were mostly interested in streamers and nymphs. We had a great time on the river.

Dredging Tips From Jeremy Hunt

Dredging with Jeremy Hunt

Guide Tips for March
Making Sense of Split Shots and Droppers

A common mistake that many fly fishermen make is that they do not use enough weight to get their fly near the bottom. Heavy flows on the White River, Norfork Tailwater and Lake Taneycomo are deceivingly slow, and often it will appear that a big split shot or heavy "point" fly (the fly above a dropper) is not necessary. Anglers who are learning how to fish a new piece of water should err on the side of using too much weight when starting out. If they are hitting bottom on every drift, it is time to go shallower with the indicator or lighter with respect to weight.

I have always found it helpful to really simplify my approach when it comes to determining how much weight I will use. Over the years, I have developed a system that helps keep me sane. Keep in mind that the only objective of nymph fishing is to dead-drift a fly near the bottom, and adjustments are almost always necessary in order to stay on the fish all day long. The strategies I utilize work for me, but I encourage others to get creative and try new things.

Heavy water on the White, Norfork and Lake Taneycomo

One of the most challenging fly fishing situations on the White River Basin is when flows are heavy. During periods when lake levels are above normal levels, the dams will usually release copious amounts of water. At these times, it is not only important to use enough weight to keep a fly down; anglers must also find shallow and slow areas where the fish are accessible.

When flows exceed the two unit level on Taneycomo, I will almost always use a 3/0 split-shot. A big indicator is needed to hold up the weight of this size shot. On the White, I will use a 3/0 shot once there are three or more units in operation. I can find places on Norfork to use this size of split-shot on levels that exceed a half a generator of water. As the water gets increasingly higher, the fish will tend to gravitate towards banks, structure and submerged gravel bars. A boat is necessary to fish these rivers when the water is rolling.

Moderate water on the White, Norfork and Lake Taneycomo
Drifting in a boat during moderate flows can be a blast. During these conditions, the trout on our rivers are free to move around in order to find food, and the fish are often aggressive. By moderate flows, I am referring to times when there is only one or two generators running on the White and Taneycomo. On the Norfork, moderate flows are anything less than a half a unit.

Even though the water may appear slow and shallow during moderate water releases, it is still critical to use an appropriate amount of weight. In general, I will use either a #4 shot in really shallow water, and I will use a BB or AB in deep or fast zones. Before I switch to a different size shot, I will first adjust my indicator to see if that makes a difference. The trick to catching a lot of trout on moderate flows is to find the deeper slots where the fish are concentrated.

Low water on the White, Norfork and Lake Taneycomo

I primarily use weighted flies when the water is shut down, but there are still situations where I like to fish with a non-weighted pattern below a dropper or an indicator. Non-weighted micro San Juan Worms, midge pupas and tiny emergers will produce nice fish when dead drifted through riffles and runs during low water. If I decide to use a split-shot, I will go with a #6 normally, but I've even gone as small as a #8 in the skinny water of the catch and release areas on the upper White and Norfork.

Thoughts on droppers

Now that multi-fly rigs are allowed in the catch and release areas, there are many opportunities to use droppers and point flies to fool the "refined" fish that reside in our trophy zones. If you are just learning the sport, or if you have trouble with casting at all, it is recommended that only one fly be used at a time. A single fly works very well on the White, Norfork and Lake Taneycomo. Dropper setups are prone to time-sucking tangles, but they do have a place. Two-fly rigs are perfect for really heavy water when an attractor fly above the dropper will help garner more attention, and they are also helpful in really clear water where the trout are wary of split-shots. Seldom will two-fly rigs catch significantly more fish than one-fly rigs, but it does happen, so it is important to be prepared.

Tackle and tips

There are scores of split-shot brands on the market, and almost all of them are different from each other in one way or another. I prefer the fly fishing shots that are green or black, as these colors seem to be ignored by spooky fish. It is critical to only use round split-shots - the reusable ones with 'ears' will hang up in spots where a perfectly round shot will simply roll along. Round split-shots are the only way to go, no matter where you fish.

Round split-shots are sold by Wal-Mart and other retailers - I did use the big-name brands they sell for many years. There are several issues with these products, but these problems are easy to solve. First off, many split shots are way too silver and bright. If I'm in a hurry, I will simply soak shiny shots in vinegar, which will dull their appearance significantly. I've also been known to paint split shots orange, peach or yellow. This can work really well during high water, and the messes associated with a point fly/dropper are never an issue with a painted split shot.

Another frustrating aspect of fishing with a split shot is how they like to slide around. I solve this dilemma by simply tying my lower tippet into two pieces, and I then place the split shot above the knot. This will eliminate the shot sliding down to the fly, but it is still important to make sure that any type of split-shot is firmly attached to the line so that it will not move around.

Using split-shots and droppers is just part of being a complete fly angler, even though such attachments to a leader make tangles more likely. The White, Norfork and Lake Taneycomo can be fly fished quite effectively using weighted flies during low water periods, but when the water gets high, added weight is absolutely necessary. Those who consistently get their fly down near the bottom are going to experience the most success.