How To Catch Trophy Trout
6. Problem: Matching the fly to the line and matching both to prevailing conditions.
Solution: Trout feed in certain areas of a lake and at specific depths depending on external factors such as wind, sunlight, water temperature, water quality, and the availability of food. When fish feed on top, the fly of choice is usually an adult or emerger pattern. Why fish deep with a Woolly Bugger or scud pattern? If there is no surface activity, trout are obviously holding in deeper water. This is a perfect opportunity to probe the lower and middle zones with a leech, bugger, or midge pattern, especially when cold air or water temperatures restrict surface activity. Trout often eat any available food source because of their opportunistic feeding nature, so match your pattern with the zone where the insect is found and provide trout with more opportunities to say yes.
7. Problem: Blocking or crowding the lanes trout cruise when wading.
Solution: In the early morning and late evening, trout often cruise the shallow shorelines searching for food. They plot a course parallel to shore, always on the alert for predators. Wading anglers often take up residency in the same paths trout cruise, forcing them to scatter into deeper water. A simple observation will often disclose their whereabouts. To keep from spooking cruising fish, cast from a shoreline position before wading. Stalk trout cautiously before casting or shuffling your feet when wading shallow shoreline zones. Fish are vulnerable and always on alert when feeding in shallow water.
8. Problem: Fishing barren or unproductive water.
Solution: Water temperature, amount of oxygen, food, safety, and a fish’s need to spawn determine the locations and depths in which trout hold. When trout feed, finding them becomes more predictable by eliminating location options. Time spent on the water helps solve this problem. Trout spend the majority of their time feeding in shallow water either close to shoreline cover or subsurface where insects emerge. A lack of surface activity means trout are holding in a deeper zone or feeding on or near the bottom. Concentrate your efforts around aquatic vegetation, inlets, springs, old streambed channels, drop-offs, or structure above and below the water. Remember, a large percent of the water in all lakes is void of trout.
9. Problem: Unbalanced leader and tippets.
Solution: A balanced leader and tippet section is critical to a sound presentation of the fly. An unbalanced leader fails to turn over properly, is difficult to cast, and puts slack into the cast. A 12-foot tapered leader with a 3X to 5X, 3-foot tippet section is all that is necessary for most stillwater fishing. Balance your leader and tippet section to the size and weight of the fly you are casting. Wind can hinder a good presentation. It’s better to get closer than pile up a cast intended for a good fish.
10. Problem: Drifting into the cast when fishing from a floating craft.
Solution: Wind is always a factor on lakes. When fishing from a float tube or pontoon boat under windy conditions, never allow yourself to drift downwind or into the direction of your cast. This creates slack in the line that interferes with retrieve speed and allows the fly to sink below the zone you intend to fish. Consider anchoring to eliminate drifting altogether, but this restricts your ability to move. Second, you can kick enough to keep the line tight, which is always a must when fishing stillwater. Check your drift by raising the rod tip a few inches above the water. If the line curls to the right or left, you are drifting downwind and into your cast. Kick a little harder to bring the line tight, but not enough to drag the fly unnaturally fast.
These problems and their importance (not necessarily in the order presented) are common among most stillwater anglers. Only a handful of fly fishermen spend enough time unraveling the secrets of fishing lakes with flies. Consistency is born out of new knowledge and improved skills. Improved skills are the result of time spent fishing. It is all a matter of priorities, wouldn’t you say?
Denny Rickards is the author of Fly-Fishing Stillwaters for Trophy Trout. He lives in Fort Klamath, Oregon, and owns and operates Crystal Creek Anglers.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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