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chironomid techniques

5K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  aarenlainey 
Hi Wayne,

Just a few thoughts on your questions.

re: no indicator

Fishing "naked" as it is often called is a regular technique to use fishing chironomids. It is often employed in two situations. The first is comprised mainly by those who simply don't like "bobbers." You can call them traditionalists or just stubborn (!) but they enjoy the challenge of not relying on indicators. The usual technique is to figure out what depth you want to fish and then adjust your leader accordingly. Say the fish are taking chironomids above the weed bed in 14' of water. You might figure you want the fly roughly 11' down, so you add an additional 25% of leader (formula varies) and cast out. You then watch where the leader enters the water and look for any dip, twitch or hesitation that indicates a fish. This is a very effective technique as you are simply replacing the indicator with your constant attention to the end of the line.

The second situation is on pressured lakes or where fishing are feeding in shallow water. It doesn't take long for the fish to become accustom to bobbers and steer clear. In this case greasing your leader to adjust the depth allows for a much more natural presentation and when you get it right you can significantly outfish someone who only knows how to fish with an indicator. If you watch feeding fish in the right conditions you can clearly see when this is happening... the fish will swim right around setups like they are mine fields.

There are always going to be times when wind and/or glare can make fishing w/o an indicator tough. Other times the fish want the fly hanging motionless at an exact depth which is harder to do w/o the indicator. Even the most ardent supporters generally carry bobbers and are prepared for whatever the fish want.

re: three flies

It is legal in most lakes to fish three flies and I do it all the time (check the regs of course). I have a slightly different take on judging multiple fly effectiveness so see if you buy what I'm about to say... :)

Let's say the fish are taking size 18 chiro's in fifteen feet of water, a very common occurrence here in the NW. Now if I fished that chiro by itself it would take forever to get down that deep. Some would add a split shot or swivel but I want my weight to have a hook in it so I simply use a bigger fly. Every fish I land on that 18 I give some of the credit to the larger fly. I also of course pick up bonus fish here and there on the top fly.

But there's another reason to use multiple flies. I often choose top flies that stand out- larger size, brighter color, darker... something that gets the fishes attention. I am convinced I have many hookups on the smaller trailing fly because the larger fly first gets the attention.

What proof do I have that any of this is true? I notice I catch significantly more fish when fishing multiple flies instead of one.

One reason you don't hear more about fishing multiple flies is because the expert chironomiders (BC) can only fish one fly in BC. Talk to Phil Rowley or Brian Chan and they will tell you they always fish multiple fly rigs when in Alberta or the states.

More flies equals more fish, even if it seems the bottom fly gets all the love!

Tom
 
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