Good Advice
The friendly folks at Game and Fish Magazine have a little advice for the lucky (and mashochistic) few who will be heading out to their favorite waters this weekend.
It's not easy to entice a trout to strike a fly early in the season, but to a few dedicated fly-fishing enthusiasts, wetting a line on a favorite stream on opening day is an annual ritual.
The occasional trout can be caught on a fly under most stream conditions, but trout seldom strike flies consistently until the stream thermometer registers in the mid 40s. If you arrive at your favorite river and find the water temperature around 40 degrees or lower, head upstream to the river's headwaters. You may discover that the water temperature in the small headwater streams registers 45 to 50 degrees, and you may be able to creel an enjoyable catch of trout.
Don't be too anxious to arrive on the stream at daybreak in the early season, when the water temperature may be too cold for most trout activity. By late afternoon on a warm, sunny spring day, the temperature may rise five degrees. As a rule, the highest water temperature and best spring trout fishing will occur between 3 and 5 p.m.
There may be a few mayflies coming off the water around opening day, but there won't be any major hatches. However, the swollen streams of spring will carry copious populations of nymphs, insect larvae and minnows. Once the water temperature rises to 45 degrees and above, trout will be on the lookout for this wealth of nutritious forage. The flyfisher should offer fur and feather imitations of these on a fine leader tippet. You won't need a vest full of flies to catch trout at this time of the year. Five or six favorite nymphs, wet flies and streamer patterns should do it.
Fish the dead flies by casting across and slightly upstream. Let the fly settle briefly to get it deep, then strip in all slack line, and continue to keep up with the fly as it drifts downstream. It is essential to keep a tight line between the fingers of your rod hand all the way to the fly throughout the drift in order to detect strikes. Otherwise, a trout may inhale your fly, detect it as a fake, and reject it without you ever being aware of the take. When using a nymph or wet fly, a take may occur anywhere in the drift. The majority of the strikes on a streamer occur at the end of the drift when the fly rises and swings across the current.
Short casts in the 15- to 25-foot range, are a better choice than longer casts early in the season. It is easier to control the drift, detect strikes, and to set the hook with short casts. If you wade upstream an extra step or two as you go, you will be in perfect position to cover all of the likely trout lairs with short casts.
And don't forget... C&R and barbless hooks, only!
It's not easy to entice a trout to strike a fly early in the season, but to a few dedicated fly-fishing enthusiasts, wetting a line on a favorite stream on opening day is an annual ritual.
The occasional trout can be caught on a fly under most stream conditions, but trout seldom strike flies consistently until the stream thermometer registers in the mid 40s. If you arrive at your favorite river and find the water temperature around 40 degrees or lower, head upstream to the river's headwaters. You may discover that the water temperature in the small headwater streams registers 45 to 50 degrees, and you may be able to creel an enjoyable catch of trout.
Don't be too anxious to arrive on the stream at daybreak in the early season, when the water temperature may be too cold for most trout activity. By late afternoon on a warm, sunny spring day, the temperature may rise five degrees. As a rule, the highest water temperature and best spring trout fishing will occur between 3 and 5 p.m.
There may be a few mayflies coming off the water around opening day, but there won't be any major hatches. However, the swollen streams of spring will carry copious populations of nymphs, insect larvae and minnows. Once the water temperature rises to 45 degrees and above, trout will be on the lookout for this wealth of nutritious forage. The flyfisher should offer fur and feather imitations of these on a fine leader tippet. You won't need a vest full of flies to catch trout at this time of the year. Five or six favorite nymphs, wet flies and streamer patterns should do it.
Fish the dead flies by casting across and slightly upstream. Let the fly settle briefly to get it deep, then strip in all slack line, and continue to keep up with the fly as it drifts downstream. It is essential to keep a tight line between the fingers of your rod hand all the way to the fly throughout the drift in order to detect strikes. Otherwise, a trout may inhale your fly, detect it as a fake, and reject it without you ever being aware of the take. When using a nymph or wet fly, a take may occur anywhere in the drift. The majority of the strikes on a streamer occur at the end of the drift when the fly rises and swings across the current.
Short casts in the 15- to 25-foot range, are a better choice than longer casts early in the season. It is easier to control the drift, detect strikes, and to set the hook with short casts. If you wade upstream an extra step or two as you go, you will be in perfect position to cover all of the likely trout lairs with short casts.
And don't forget... C&R and barbless hooks, only!
posted by JoeFriday at 2:49 PM
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