Playing the Stillwater Game from Scratch Pt 4: Adding it All Up...

Playing the Stillwater Game from Scratch Pt 4: Adding it All Up WHEN + WHERE + HOW + WHAT​

Lakes for the rest of us...


(@Scott Salzer enjoys a picture perfect fall day in the "Okanogan Playground." Scotty tends to find himself in these settings often and, much of the time, I have the good fortune of sharing the water with him.)

Now that you know enough to be dangerous, let’s revisit those main food sources and have some fun. Below is certainly not an all-in list of options. They’re simply the ones most familiar to me and enough to have you catching fish, perhaps even a lot of them. As you put in the time and gain experience, you’ll develop your own preferences, using methods, gear and flies the work best for you. I’ll start with midges (chironomids) since we’re already on the subject.

Chironomids – Most easily done from an anchored position. The more serious fishers use standard boats or small prams, but a float tube or pontoon works in a pinch. Vertical can be deadly at times if placement is spot on. The more trout are concentrated, especially near the lake floor, the better your odds since the fly stays put in the middle of the action. Let the strikes tell you how long to stay in one place and when to move on. As you can imagine, a big part of the chironomid game is trial and error or hide and seek when you’re trying to stay on top of them. Consider both location and depth when attempting to follow the bite around.

As an alternative, chironomid activity, when widely spread out, can also be worked with a combination of trolling and Cast/Count/Strip using a sinking line and your leech. At times, this can be more productive than vertical, at other times not so much. If you’re skilled at both and willing to switch up, you’ll most likely end up with bragging rights.

Adult Midges – Options include dry flies, casting and stripping, and simply trolling, all using a floating line. Having done plenty of the first two while attempting to follow the rises, I’ve had better success just trolling with a small nymph (GRHE). I’d attribute that to more time with the fly in the zone and available. Also, having the fly in constant motion just beneath the surface tends to draw the most strikes given the relative movement of fish and food.

Mayflies – Again, I’m using a Callibaetis hatch as our example. Time is of the essence for this one compared to other food sources. If you get more than an hour, consider yourself lucky, as these can come on rather quickly, often in reaction to conditions, and with high concentration and intensity. Most of the time, when it’s over, it’s over. That said, be there ahead of time if you can. Next tip, if you’ve been coming out and are familiar with the general occurrence of a hatch, you can start working the area underwater with your sinking line and either the leech or GRHE, using Cast/Count/Strip (in the shallows over vegetation and near shore). It’s usually not fast and furious, but good for a few hits. Moreover, you have a good indicator for the impending party about to happen in front of you on the surface.

Watch closely for signs of bugs and fish on top while you work the depths. You’ll see one or two, then more, then the trout won’t be far behind as they follow the action to the surface. Try as best you can to place yourself where most of the action is. That can be right along shore or outward. If you’ve been working underwater with your sinking line, it’s time to re-rig for the floater and those emergers. Here is where dry fly fishing gets fun. Remember to check your fly often, use plenty of floatant, keep your eyes focused without wandering, and on any strike let the fish take it under before setting the hook. Overall, given the short duration and high intensity of a mayfly hatch, the game is one of managing time and keeping your fly in the zone as much as possible. Lastly, if you happen to show up while the hatch is already underway, all is not lost. Just spring into action and get to work.

Damsels – Compared to a mayfly hatch, damsels are generally closer to shore with most of the opportunity beneath the surface. They can be fished with a floating line if you like, but I prefer my sinker as it allows a slightly better range of depths, even in shallow terrain. Obviously, your damsel nymph pattern is the choice, but the leech or GRHE would work in its place. I’ve also had limited success fishing on the surface but not often and the action has to be rather lively. If you run across that situation, you’ll know.

Since damsel nymphs tend to swim up from the bottom vegetation toward shore, conventional wisdom would suggest placing oneself very close to the bank while casting outward at an angle, counting down and retrieving back. That certainly works and may very well be your best option. I tend stay out and away from shore while casting more inward for two reasons. One, it works for me and, two, it’s simply easier and more convenient. And if I haven’t mentioned it by now, I’m not really one to follow conventional wisdom or try to imitate everything that lives in the water. I find that understanding trout and catching them easily is a lot more fun and interesting.

Minnows – Think larger trout and lots of them. Look for concentrations of this food source in the shallows and along shore at any part of the day. With minnows, there can be too much of a good thing, meaning back up and work the immediate surroundings to the visible activity if you’re just not getting hit. Given their size and behavior, minnows will often cause quite a stir among feeding trout. In that situation, your fly might just get ignored among all that competition.

Here you can also use either a floating or sinking line, as many prefer to keep minnow patterns higher up as they retrieve, letting trout attack from beneath. I’d say six-of-one and let you make the choice for yourself. I use my sinker for the most part since, in most cases, it’s what I already have on. Besides your minnow pattern, you can also use the leech just as effectively.


(On average, three patterns are all I need to cover trout in lakes for a year. The leech handles most of the work, representing everything in the depths, while the GRHE and emerger manage all activity at or near the surface.)

Philosophy of Flies – By now you’ve observed that more than one fly works in any circumstance. You have a seemingly infinite choice of profiles, colors, and sizes, not to mention how they move through the water or sit on top. Ultimately, trout will tell you what works and what does not, and sometimes it’s not the fly at all, but rather how you present it. In this article alone, you’ve seen several situations where one or two alternatives, even in a small group of six flies, will work equally well. And truth be known, for trout I’ll use three of them all year without the need for anything more.

Currently, for trout I’m using the leech, GRHE and emerger to handle everything we’ve talked about. From there, the leech covers just about everything, with the other two occasionally necessary at the surface. Beyond those three, I’m not changing my results at all by using something else. That’s not a ploy for minimalism. The important part here is to understand the trout as best you can, and to keep our four priorities, when-where-how-what, in the correct order. Therefore, use all the flies you like, just know that the fly by itself is extremely limiting as means of luring and catching fish. But when selecting a fly, look to get the general sizing right and you’ll have a lot of wiggle room from there.

Worth knowing, beyond showing up when the bite is off and assuming the lake has poor fishing, the most common mistake I see out there is showing up and trying to catch fish based on fly selection alone. As in continuously changing the fly out until the fish finally react, like they were sitting just beneath you the whole time, waiting for you to get the fly right. Maybe someone even told you what worked last Sunday, and off you went thinking that was all there was to it. I see that a lot. If nothing else, again, keep fly choice lower down on your list, at least behind finding fish (when and where), and which method of presentation is best (how). I know that takes more thought and effort but, if you enjoy catching fish, you’ll thank me for it.

FINAL TIPS​

Top Tip: Focus on Field of Vision – From now on with lakes, always contemplate what a fish can see vs. its mere location. That opens more options up and will change the way you present. You don’t need a lot of expertise here, it’s more of a mentality, but with high impact, and it becomes more intuitive with experience. For now, just assume they can see a lot, and from a good distance.

New Lakes – They’ll seem overwhelming at first but keep it simple. Remember your research, and now you can apply everything learned on your home waters. Beyond that, simply set lower expectations in that first outing, then look to a handful of trips to get up to speed if those opportunities present themselves. Visit enough new lakes and that first day will become easier and more successful.

New Species – Apply what you’ve learned from chasing trout and you’ll be surprised by the similarities to other game fish. You’ll also catch plenty by accident but, if you decide to target bass, bluegill or even catfish, you can expect a somewhat shorter learning curve. In many cases, I’ll start pursuing other fish after crossing paths unexpectedly. If I find them fun, I’ll keep going after them.



(A rainy-day surprise, this bass had me beating the bushes for more.)

Overabundance of Food – I touched on it previously with minnows. If you’re finding that feeding frenzy to be unproductive for your fly, don’t stick around and waste your precious time. You won’t need to go far, but find water with less food and fewer fish, maybe a midway point between the craziness and the dead zone, where you and your fly will enjoy less competition and more strikes. This is another common mistake you’ll see others making…don’t get sucked in.

Overabundance of Fish – State stocking reports may tip you off, or a trip to the lake might provide all the info you need if they’re running somewhat less than large. In Washington, many lakes are unfortunately over stocked, and you’ll often learn that the hard way. Part of the issue could stem from accommodating the seasonal lake opener. With other lakes, there is simply a lack of management capability, or the priority is catering to less experienced anglers. Managing a something-for-everyone fishery on a statewide basis can be tricky to say the least. I always recommend lower stocking counts per acre along with lakes that have year-round seasons to help balance that out.

The Opener – Recommended for any new lake fisher, the season opener in April is a perfect opportunity to surround oneself with good numbers of willing trout. Go out in that first two to three weeks before the action settles down. Any time of day works, simply venture out into the open and start fishing. You won’t need to look very hard or fish very deep, they’ll be out. The benefit is a good head start on hooking and catching fish without really having to find them first. A crowded affair for sure but you’ll get a lot out of the experience.

Fish On! – It’s going to happen. In practical terms, you can play your fish either on or off the reel. On the reel means the traditional way of reeling in, and then letting the trout run against the drag. Off the reel involves stripping in while the line gathers slack, while a run would pull the fly line back outward through your thumb and finger. The traditional (on the reel) way might accommodate a very large fish more effectively, while off the reel allows a skilled angler better retrieve speed and more accurate drag against a runner since you can instantly adjust the amount of tension with your fingers as the line pulls through.

Either way, keep your rod tip high and don’t allow any slack, otherwise your fish can easily throw the hook. Instead, keep a medium amount of constant pressure on it without forcing anything. If it wants to turn and run, let it. If it wants to leap from the surface, let it. Just keep the pressure even and remain patient. You’re generally better off waiting a little longer vs. trying to force a misbehaving trout into the net. Beyond that, enjoy the victory each time while remaining mindful of a safe and timely release.


(Steve Mooney plays a whopper. Steve is one of the most talented, not to mention tenacious, fly fishers I know. Here, “whopper” is an understatement, and Steve doesn’t lose many when it matters.)

SAFETY​

Put this above all else, especially when taking another angler with you as a guest. Having rescued someone on the water, and having been rescued myself, I can say no one is exempt from risk out there and bad situations happen shockingly fast.

For stillwater fly fishing, make a PFD your next purchase and wear it every time out. The person I pulled from nearly drowning in hypothermic conditions had a PFD but was not wearing the device. When his pram flipped, the vest was the only item that didn’t immediately go to the bottom and, in that instance, was rendered useless. That day it ended well but don’t count on it for yourself if you decide to go without.

Also, make sure to have the extra wherewithal in wind and/or cold weather. Beyond 12 or 13 mph sustained winds I start thinking twice before venturing out onto the water. 15 mph is generally my limit. And in any conditions, there is really no reason to find yourself afloat far from shore. If you somehow need to travel an unsafe distance from shore, avoid doing it alone.


(John Sabo enjoys his first stillwater fly fishing lesson. As a seasoned kayaker and angler, John came prepared with his own PFD and plenty of water safety experience.)

ETIQUETTE​

A little respect goes a long way. Always be aware of spacing around others and pay attention to the direction they’re going if in motion. Along shore, if another angler is making their way down, avoid working the area ahead of them before they get there. If you really need to work the same section along the bank, line up behind them and keep your distance. Better still, find another section of shoreline in a different area. Likewise, if someone does it to you, be polite if you decide to call it out.

In general, a bit of self-awareness also goes a long way, especially where noise is concerned. Boat launch behavior is another one since we all converge there, and parking, putting in, and taking out can be stressful enough on their own. Finally, if you observe someone operating outside regulations, be respectful in any confrontation, whether the mistake seems honest or not. And if the situation appears unsafe in the least, mixing words is never worth it.

FROM HERE​

From here, it’s a matter of putting this road map into play on the water. Hopefully you have enough tools to draw from, along with a few ideas for further research. Know that your results will really be a function of practice, or hands-on experience searching, observing, and executing with rod and reel. Along the way, you can define success for yourself and even choose between conventional and unconventional wisdom since they both work. If it’s fun and interesting to you, you’re doing it right.