Mumbles, Last summer I was fishing up in the interior of b.c. and as it was a cold spring/summer the fish were all hunkered down at 32' depth.. I did well with a really long leader and indicator but found I needed to stand and keep the line pretty tight or it was easy to miss fish.. What I found that worked like a hot damn was something my buddies were doing..Full sink line, 5' or so of leader...I put the forceps on to check the depth like you would normally..When I found the bottom I held that spot on the line and put on a small piece of electrical tape, (colored helps allot and I had orange for some reason) I then took off the forceps and tossed out and let settle my line next to me...I would move it up and down a bit at the tape mark... HOLD ON TO YOUR ROD TIGHT!!! The hits I got were mostly so hard if I hadn't been holding on tight my rod would have been gone...Way cool..and that's pretty much how I fish anything over 20' now!!!
You know, Golfman, I've never done the full sink thing but you have me inspired. I suppose with two weighted chironies, my type 3 intermediate should work pretty much the same way. That hardcore strike is cool though. Best part of fishing imo. Next to playing a good size fish.
I have been following all the discussions on the subject of C & R with interest. It seems to me that there are legitament situations where C&R are not only indicated but highly desired. However when dealing with fish which are stocked in local lakes for the purpose of being taken it is a little over the top to push a personal agenda. If you want to release all your fish have at it. When a persons espouses secrecy as a virtue it would seem that he would keep his opinions to himself. Mike
I have to agree that the strike on the chrono without the indicator is awsome. And yes hold on .this past trip I had set my rod down on just as I looked up my rod got yanked right out . For once I had quick reflexes and grab before I lost the rod.
That sounds more appealing than having an indicator/bobber. I'll have to give it a whirl in the deeper places I've fished.
I believe in C&R and respect the law. This helps preserve the sport for the next generations. There are certain instances that a fisherman can catch and keep fish according to the regs. If this is not in accordance with your beliefs(C&R only), I'm wondering what you think C&R is, only for public viewing. Do you release fish that are bleeding and watch them die or maybe this doesn't happen to C&R purists. What actually happens in those secret spots that we don't tell about or those secret trials some have and don't tell about until the trial is over. Maybe by then , all the fish are gone, then nobody would know the truth about the trail. Do not answer this, it's a secret, isn't IT.
I've watched guys slay that way and it is just so much more fly fishing (IMHO) with the direct connection to the fish. I haven't invested in the line to do it, but I also don't like stillwater fishing midges until they hit emerger stage. I know I know, lots of fish to be had, maybe with a full sink I'd enjoy it. Okay, I'll admit, I enjoyed taking a nap tied to the reeds with my indicator/midge out being blown away from me by the wind with my rod cradled thru my arm... woke up to a brute on there!
You can try using a yarn indicator, it will go right through the guides and is easy to cast because you don't need very much. I mark the depth I want to fish using hemos to find bottom, then tie a slip knot in my leader 6" - 1' from bottom, insert about 1" of cut yarn and smother in floatant. Method is best used on shoals that do not have quick changes in depth. Here in VT we have some very deep lakes where the full sinking lines work best. The midges will hatch over deep water and the fish will be suspended. It's best to get the fastest sinker you can cast on the rod your using. Short leader, cast out and let the line sink untl it is vertical, then slowly hand twist. The strikes will be heavy because the fish turn on the fly and take it on their way down. Soft tips are a must.
I don't cast 30 feet of leader, I have enough trouble keeping 9 feet of leader untangled. I just plop it down right in front of me,..... or I will go to shallower water. Sam
I tye a indicator out of polypro yarn and loop it anywhere on the leader for depth and it will reel in and out of the guides without problem. Also casts very easily. Russell
Here's my experience with deep water fly fishing.... Many years ago I was fishing at Lundbom Lk in BC, trolling leeches along the shore line and not catching anything. Just before noon a beat up pick up with an old aluminum pram in the back pulled up to the launch. Old guy, obviously local, drops his boat in, rows directly to the middle of the lake, and anchors bow and stern. I knew the depth in that area was over 30 feet so I was curious and decided to keep an eye on him. There wasnt much to watch. It looked like he was just sitting there with his line over the side of the boat enjoying the day. I couldn't see his hands but every so often he would cast so I knew he was using some sort of very slow retrieve. He started hooking fish. One after the other which is rare for Lundbom (at least for me). Finally I couldn't take it anymore and started to move slowly in his direction. I anchored a polite distance away and watched him cast a full sink line, let it hang down, and then slowly retrieve it. He was hooking up at various points in the retrieve and the takes were hard and straight down. At the end of the day at the launch I helped him load his boat and he was nice enough to explain the "hang down" technique for deep water to me. He was using a small bright green caddis pupae pattern (great fly that I still use to this day) with a very slow retrieve off the bottom. The next day I rowed to same spot, anchored up, put a #10 chironomid pattern on, and cast it out in over 30 feet of water. I started a very slow retrieve and almost had the rod yanked out of my hand (the rainbows in that lake are hot). I soon experienced the "why is that fish jumping over there - oh sh#t! it's the fish I'm hooked up to" scenario that everyone who's hooked hot fish in stillwater has experienced. I ended up having a great day of fishing and in the years since I have refined both my equipment and my technique so that this is my go-to technique for stillwater. I hate fishing with indicators! I always try to find the deeper depths of a lake and fish them "hang down". It works with many fly patterns, but I use chironomids a lot. I've found that often the big fish in the lake are deep (Pass Lake is a good example). I've had days on Pass where all I've caught are large browns in over 25 feet of water. I now use a line that I've spliced up that seems to work really well. It's basically the running line from a cheap fast sinking fly line. I cut off the head and splice 10 ft of T14 to the running line. The T14 drops the fly directly to the bottom and you can fish patterns that are unweighted very effectively. To the T14 I splice 2 ft of Rio shock tippet to cushion the leader. I then use about 4 ft of fluoro for a leader. I like to use a longer, slow action rod for cushion as casting and presentation isn't important with this technique. I use an old spark plug for weight to measure where the bottom is. I lost to many hemostats when I used to use hemostats.... The takes are hard and straight down. You don't miss a lot of fish on the hook set. I see guys fishing indicators in 20 ft of water and missing lots of fish on the hook set. You can also get your fly back in the zone faster than when using an indicator and waiting for everything to settle back to the bottom. One last thing, generally fish are not boat shy. I've used this technique in 8 ft. of water. The T14 isn't even through the top eye of the rod, and the fish are still taking the fly directly under the boat. I've attached a couple pics of fish that I've caught with this technique. Good luck.
Use the type of indictor with the peg in the center that releases and slides freely down the leader when you set the hook. They sell them at most fly shops and they will show you how they work. I got a bunch at Creekside in Issaquah.:thumb:
Those quick release indicators work great. But back to Mumbles point, it is a real pain to cast all that leader/tippet material. I am increasingly interested in the the sinking line/slow retrieve method for deeper water. Fishing 15 or less feet, not an issue.
What knot should you use to tie a chironomid on your line? Or does it even matter what knot you use? rlight
its definitely deeper than 20 feet. i dont have a depth finder. but ive done the hemo trick to 30 feet
pf, I'm crappy and not versitile with many knot types. Is that loop a sliding or fixed one and how do you tie it?
