Hey there are many times I rig up, get both flies on there, drop it in the water and realize I never put the float on. Probably just because I got used to putting on a thingamabobber on whenever. Since you have a pontoon and right in woodinville let me know if you get down to renton and we can sit around and stare at some bobbers. KC
man it is the most boring thing in the world, but there are some days where you gotta do what you gotta do to get a fish. Believe me if chucking streamers or casting dries to rising fish is working im all over it. But there are some days where the only answer is a bobber and a zebra nymph.
i tried with the indicator again today because i'm determined to catch a fish that way since i've never done it before but no luck yet..
Keep at it man! Keep reading as much as you can, ask questions, and most of all just keep spending that time on the water. I know for a fact there are more than a few skilled vertical presentation fishers around these parts who have been known to be bribed into time on the water with certain beverages and such. It'll come, and in spite of the naysayers, you may discover it is one hell of a lot of fun to watch that bobber plunge.
I find that the bobber adds to the suspense but I have never used one with a chironomid, er buzzer. I must try that this year. Next question will be about leaders, length, composition, and taper. But that is for another day.
oh don't get me wrong the suspense of thinking that bobber will drop kills me and i can't wait to nail one that way.... Last time i tried the fish were holding around 15 feet or so so that's how long my leader was (2x) still a little confused about how to retrieve it (if at all) so i just did a quick little 2" strip and waited a bit for a bite and continued like that with the occasional odd strip.... can't wait to get one that way though
well you dont really retrieve it until the end, so cast "upwind" of where you are anchored, let it drift, then hand twist retrieve it back. At least thats what I do, not that it works really well. I am an impatient bastard when watching a bobber.
I'd suggest casting downwind so your line stays straight and you get the full effect of the "chironomid chop". Keeping your line as straight as possible without slack will increase your hook-up ratio when the bobber goes down. Keeping the wind at your back and having a good stable anchor set-up will help keep a lot of the slop out of your line.
Don't be afraid to experiment with retrieves. Seen many times where fish would only hit something under a bobber, even the notoriously slow moving chironomids, unless it was moving. Sometimes at a pretty good clip too! Other times the fish will want it dead still. You just have to play around and find whats working at the time. That's the beauty of this method, there is always something to tinker with to get dialed in.
Don't you just love fishing. Everything changes all the time. Some cold libations while learning the technique seems to be in order. Or at least around the campfire at the end of a glorious day.
Troutsniffer, I don't want to hijack your thread, but I too have a question about chironomid fishing. I guess you are never too old to learn something new. What about leaders and their length. Is a tapered leader necessary? I am making some assumptions here. I would imagine that I am fishing with a floating line, a long leader, say 12 feet or so, a bobber of some sort, a fly and perhaps a dropper. An slow sinker might be in order or even perhaps a full sinking line? But I digress. Cast out downwind, let the line sink for some minutes until it hits the sweet spot. Do I have a good picture here?
No worries from all the other reading I've done it looks like a 3x straight leader 8 or 9 feet then tippet....
