| McKenzie River fishing guide and Rogue River steelhead fishing guides specialist, fly fishing Oregon McKenzie River trout and Rogue River steelhead |
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Michael Gorman, Oregon Fishing Guide |
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Successful Strategies for
Fishing a Lake or Pond Rising, feeding fish provide me with important information as I prepare to fish: where on the lake feeding fish may be concentrated; a floating fly line is probably my best first choice; and, dry flies and emergers in the surface will be the first type of flies I will use. Once I launch my pontoon or float tube, I will move to a stationary position and cast, not troll, to the risers.
Should I spy no rising fish, or any evidence of activity near the
lake’s, or pond’s, surface, I know I will start with a sinking line. Unless I
observe particular aquatic insects flying, sitting in or on the surface, or
resting on the shoreline vegetation, I start by trolling my Bead Head Midnight
Bugger in tandem with a standard Prince or a bead-head model. My tendency
is to troll parallel to the shoreline at a distance from the bank that has
proved productive in the past. On all of the lakes with which I am
familiar, I have a good feel for the depths and contours of the bottom, having
used my electronic depth finder / fis I don’t leave the details of my trolling to chance; I am very aware of my trolling speed, my trolling path, and my line length. To start, I strip off thirteen (my lucky number) lengths of fly line. For me, a “length” is the distance from my fly reel to the first guide on my rod. So, as I begin my fishing, I drop my leader and a tiny bit of fly line into the water in front of me, grab the fly line where it comes off my reel, and pull the line from the reel until reach the first guide on my rod. The tip of my rod is within a few inches of the water so that as I start to kick my fins to move my pontoon or float tube, the line is pulled through the guides and into the water. If the line is a bit sticky in the guides, I shake the rod tip gently side to side, coaxing the fly line through the guides and into the water. Once thirteen strips (or your favorite number) of fly line have put the fly about forty feet (includes the rod length and nine or ten feet of leader) from me, I begin a slow troll. When I say “slow”, I mean I am barely moving. With the exception of small fish, most aquatic organisms move slowly. Something that is less than an inch long is not moving very quickly. In addition, swimming creatures usually don’t swim an extended period without stopping for a bit. Therefore, I troll for ten to twenty feet, then slow down or stop. As I do so, the fly line sinks, and the flies descend in the water column. As I resume the troll, the line tightens and the flies ascend a bit. The drop of the flies as I slow or stop, and the rise of the flies as I resume trolling, can be triggers for a following fish. I pay close attention to such clues, and then repeat those movements and manipulations of the flies that prompt the fish to bite them. Part of the successful puzzle-solving while fishing is noting the areas of the lake that produce strikes as I troll. I make references about exactly where I am on the lake, such as what I am near or across from on the lakeshore, and how far I am from the bank. Inevitably, I will find a certain area where I consistently get strikes. Once out of the area, the Red Zone, I no longer get any more strikes. So, I turn my float tube or boat around to troll back through the Red Zone, or stop to cast and retrieve until the action stops. At all times, I am paying attention to my trolling speed, how much line I pull from my reel to begin trolling, and what my flies are doing, or not doing, as I troll.
Since I will feel the strike of a fish while trolling, watching my
line as I fish this method is not necessary. I am free to survey other portions
of the lake. Rising fish or other anglers catching fish in a particular
location may tip me off to move to a new location. The Man in the Baby Blue Pontoon Boat Some fishing friends and I were fishing Clark Canyon Reservoir in southwest Montana on a July morning. The three of us had had fabulous fishing the day before trolling and casting damselfly nymphs on a slow sinking fly line. The large maniac rainbows had struck our flies viciously the previous morning, and we landed more than our share until a tremendous west wind turned the lake into high waves and whitecaps that seriously threatened our safety. Trolling through familiar areas that had produced so many fun memories yesterday, did not yield any strikes for my friends or I. Nor were any of the other dozen fly anglers in our immediate area whom we watched as we trolled in all different directions, varying our speed, line lengths, and fly patterns. Everyone in my group changed flies multiple times, to no avail. We searched for bent rods, and saw one very occasionally. It seemed the fish were not in a biting mood. I decided to separate myself from my comrades a bit, kicking my float tube toward a bay just off the mouth of a small inlet stream. We had caught some fish in this zone the day before, but had not fished it because it was so crowded today. Because discouraged anglers had begun to leave, there was now more room to freely fish in the bay without encroaching on some angler’s personal fishing space. Shortly, I spied a fisherman in a baby blue pontoon boat near the edge of the bay. His rod was bent hard against a hooked trout. Was he lucky, or was he on to something? I continued to slowly troll my damselfly nymph on my clear, slow-sinking line. When the subject soon hooked a second fish, he had my complete attention. Since he was stationary, casting repeatedly in one direction, I moved to a position behind him to observe. Baby Blue was being watched. Since successful anglers can also be secretive, I preferred that he not be concerned with the fact that I was “going to school” on him. Unlike everyone else on the lake who was trolling, Baby Blue was in a fixed position and casting. I quickly perceived he was casting parallel to the edge of a bare-submerged weed bed, so I positioned myself to do the same. Then, I mirrored everything he did. He would cast; I would cast. He allowed his line and fly to sink and sit for a very long time; I did the same. When he made a single slow strip retrieve of the fly, I mimicked his move. Then, he would patiently pause before making another slow strip of the line. I did the same. He’d stop. I’d stop. He’d strip; I’d strip. Bam! Fish on! Now, there were two anglers on Clark Canyon Reservoir that had the combination to the safe. The fish did not want a trolled fly that day, at least not when I fished it. The natural tendency while trolling a fly is to swim it too quickly, and move it consistently without significant pauses. Additionally, trollers tend to patrol open water, away from weed beds that may catch their lines and flies. Baby Blue and I were in a maze of elodea beds separated by narrow channels of open water. It was in these channels that the trout roamed in search of swimming damselfly nymphs, safe from the scores of fly anglers pulling flies behind themselves futilely in search of a biter. Even on familiar lakes there are lessons to be learned. Observation of successful anglers who are catching fish when others are not can offer you clues about how to do the same. This strategy has paid big dividends for me many times. Poor Man’s Global Positioning System Back to trolling . . . As I move around a larger lake, I may discover an area far from the shoreline where biting fish are concentrated. If I am several hundred feet or more from the lake’s edge, I need to triangulate my position in order stay in it, or relocate this same area on a future trip. Once I have zeroed in on the specific area, I stop in the middle of this Red Zone and pick three reference points in the direction I am facing as I troll. Examples would be two treetops and a distant mountain peak. When the mountaintop is between tree #1 and tree #2, I know I am in alignment with the zone. As I troll toward or away from the mountaintop and it stays between my two trees, like situating the front post on a rifle barrel between the two sides of V-shaped rear notch near your eye while aiming at a target, I am aligned with the Red Zone fishing area. However, I could be too far, one way or the other, from the Red Zone; I can be too close or too far from the mountaintop, which would take me out of the Red Zone. So when I am --- as best as I can determine while I am catching fish --- in the middle of the Red Zone, I must also select three reference points on my right or left when the mountaintop is between tree #1 and tree #2. For instance, when the mountaintop is situated perfectly, I look to my left and spy a camper’s tent that sits well behind and between two large rocks. If I move too far left or right out of the Red Zone, I notice that I can no longer see the tent because it is now hidden behind one of the rocks. As I troll in and around the Red Zone, once I am not catching fish, I return to my original location on the lake where I can see both the mountaintop and the tent in their centered positions. I may decide to stay relatively stationary, even anchor my floating craft, and cast in all directions to retrieve my flies instead of troll them. Insects as Clues Knowing that food preferences and feeding locations typically change throughout the fishing day on stillwaters, I am always vigilant for clues that a change is coming. The presence of swimming or flying insects is such a clue. Because my lake fishing here in Western Oregon begins in earnest in March, I will use midges as one example of an insect that I look for and often discover to be active at some point in the day. In fact, I can expect to see midges throughout the year on stillwaters. In spite of their small size, because of their abundance and year-round availability, they are a staple fish food in virtually all lakes and ponds. Readers may find the terms midge and chironomid used interchangeably. (For taxonomy details check http://bugguide.net/node/view/55/tree/all )
If I see midge pupae at water’s surface when I did not discover any earlier in the day, I know the midges are active, and a hatch is beginning. I make note of the color and size of the pupae. If the fish are not rising, I am going to fish a larva pattern with a pupa just off the bottom in those parts of the lake that have produced fish for me in the past. I will suspend them underneath a small indicator. An alternative would to be to retrieve the flies as slow as I can stand it with a sinking fly line. If the water is less than 15 feet deep, my choice will be a slow-sinking or intermediate fly line; deeper than this, I employ a Type III density-compensated sinker that descends and fishes in a straight line configuration. If the line is not density-compensated, it tends to sink in a “U” shape, whereby I am out of touch with my flies if the fish take is gentle. I may never know a fish has intercepted my fly before it discerns it as a fake, and releases it. If I land several fish, and they measure between 10” and 18”, I will use my stomach pump on them to discover what they are eating. If they have recently eaten chironomid larvae or pupae, I will get a good gauge on the exact sizes and colors. The other food items in the contents can offer clues for effective flies to use when the midges are not hatching. For instance, if I should find water boatmen (boatmans?) and scuds in the stomach, these will good patterns to try when the fish are not selective for something else. Once the chironomid hatches fades, and the fish stop striking my chironomid flies, you can bet I will pair a scud and water boatman to troll or cast in likely areas. Invite a Research Team
When
the fishing is moody, and answers to solving the bite puzzle are hard to come
by, if you fish with a capable companion or two, you have two more heads trying
to crack the code. Multiple parties trying different flies, fishing different
methods, and patrolling different areas make for quicker solutions when the
fishing is tough. When the information is shared by the successful angler,
make sure you get the entire solution: exact fly patterns, leader length,
tippet diameter, line length trolled or cast, sink rate if a sinking line is
used, distance between the indicator and flies if a floating line and indicator
are the ticket, and the exact retrieve or trolling details. Success is
made up of ALL these details. Think of a completed puzzle assembled on a card
table. For the picture to be complete, all pieces must be in place. Same way
with successful fishing.
Another big plus of fishing with friends is photo opportunities. I have had some great fish-catching experiences by myself on lakes. However, it is difficult to play a worthy fish and get photos of the action and a “hero shot” without help. I remind my companions to bring their cameras for our trip. Inevitably, someone’s camera will have dead batteries, or it will be raining and the camera owner is concerned about damaging it. For these reasons, I bring two waterproof point-and-shoot cameras, one of which I give to one of my friends for the fishing day. It does not take long to realize the benefits of a camera strap, even if you have to fashion one with a piece of fishing line. Though my cameras are waterproof, it does not matter if they sink to bottom in twenty feet of water. Companions may have the flies, equipment, float tube patch, or spare rain jacket you forgot or never had. You may have the knowledge and experience on the water you are fishing today, but an oversight or omission can be compensated for with the addition of a companion on your trip. Companions might very well split the cost of your trip. If it is a distant fishing trip, fuel and accommodation expenses can be shared. Additionally, it’s great to have a spare driver or two when distance and driving fatigue take their toll. As for the music venue, it seems that I always forget to remind my younger friends to bring their CD’s and IPods. Hip Hop and Rap are not my things. Rock & Roll lives in my truck. Besides, I know all the words. If things get rowdy on the drive, I promise to sing. Lastly, there is the safety issue. Accidents happen. I will not belabor safety issues which are obvious whenever being around water. Companions can watch after each other. Even though they may not be required, a floating device or inflatable fishing vest on you or your watercraft is smart. The Natural Evolution of Events If I put in a full eight- to twelve-hour fishing day on a lake, I usually witness many changes in the necessary successful angling strategies. It is uncommon for most lakes, especially public, heavily-fished lakes for any one combination of flies, retrieve, depth, and location to work the entire day. Something is going to change. Therefore, when the bite fades and the catching slows or stops, a change is necessary. My first inclination is to move elsewhere on the lake. There’s a chance that fisherman activity --- casting, splashy movement, reeling in thrashing fish, etc. --- has forced the fish to move elsewhere. They may still be interested in taking the same proven flies, fished in the same manner, but they have relocated in a quieter location. Or, the willing fish in the immediate area of my fishing reach have been hooked and/or landed, and are not willing to bite again. Either way, it’s time to move. If it is a short distance to my next location, I will kick (with fins) or row there without fishing on the way. If it is a long distance, I may troll flies as I go, assuming the flies I am trolling are not ones I normally fish without much movement, such as chironomids under an indicator and dry flies. I am not saying that fish cannot be enticed trolling these, but I would rather troll flies that imitate naturally swimming fare, like damselflies, dragonflies, leeches, mayfly nymphs, scuds, and small fish. If there is any doubt, I will troll my Prince and Midnight Bugger. If I am fishing chironomids under an indicator, and the fishing has slowed, I may choose to cast to likely areas not too far from the shore or off the edges of lily pads or beds of elodea, likely cruising areas for fish looking for a snack. Once in position to reach likely water, I fan five or six casts at different angles from a fixed position. If nothing happens, I move twenty or thirty feet farther along my course, and repeat my casting routine. If I should get a few strikes, I linger and make more casts until the action dies. Then, move again. When I halt my casting to move a short ways to cast again, I scan my surroundings, always searching for rising fish, hatching insects, or an angler with a fish on. If this strategy does not produce enough action to keep me satisfied, it is time for me to move to very specific locations where I have caught fish when most areas on the lake fail to produce. On familiar waters, experience has shown me where fish tend to linger even if they are not actively feeding. If the area --- often a little bay --- is small, like on a pond, I will station myself to cast, rather than troll. If I have not fished this location earlier, or I fished it with flies that were not my last effective flies that the fish grabbed the last couple of hours, I will use the flies that served me so well recently. I know fish are in this particular spot because past fishing has told me so, or, more likely, my fish locator / depth finder electronics reads “Fish!” If these flies fail to produce as I cover the area, and utilize a variety of retrieves, if appropriate, then change flies. I am assuming, of course, that lake fish can be tempted to eat if I discover the right flies enticingly retrieved at the correct depth. Just like us at the all-you-can-eat buffet, even when we are stuffed, there is always room for dessert. Hmmmm. I have heard of spitting on a fly to make it work. Perhaps, if I smeared just a dab of chocolate on it . . .
If I don’t unravel the mystery at one location, I check with my
companions. Even if I have not seen them land a fish, someone may be getting
strikes on a consistent basis. If so, I want to know about asap. I have
discovered it is not safe to assume that your fishing companions are always
willing to immediately share their successful formula with his or her
buddies. Competitive sorts may rack up some good fish-catching numbers ---
you know, build a commanding statistical lead --- before sharing with their
compatriots. It is not a good strategy to make any kind of $bet$ with your
companions about who can catch the
A good psychological strategy to pursue when the fishing is tough is to take a shore break. Head off frustration before it saps the joy out of your day. It can happen. Taking a break will recharge your emotions positively, enable you to relax, discuss victories with your friends, maybe talk to anglers not in circle who are willing to give you some cheap advice, and gather yourself for the next round of fishing. Since I love taking photos on my fishing trips, if I stay on the lake instead of taking a shore break, I will look for things to photograph. I may take pics of the fly I am fishing, an insect that has landed on my boat, an angler casting, a water lily, or a beautiful still life shot of a beautiful lake scene. I can get so absorbed in photography I forget about fishing. That is, until someone hooks a fish. Even then, I may move near them to photograph the action. The ultimate photo for me is to catch a fish airborne during the fight. This particular photo type will be my Holy Grail this coming season as I write this in the heart of winter 2011. Take Heart Even lakes and ponds that I may fish three or four consecutive days, can treat me cruelly the day after an outstanding fish-catching one. I have to remind myself, just as you need to remind yourself, that it is on challenging days I have the best chance to learn something of value. When the fishing action is nonstop stupid, there is little to be learned. On days when the fish-catching is relentless, I usually quit early to look for interesting photography opportunities, and may not care to fish the balance of my day. If I am by myself, I often choose to go to another lake or pond within easy walking or driving distance. Sometimes, I just go home. Even a hungry person can eat dessert for so long before it is no longer appealing. So, take heart when lake fishing frustrates you. If you calm yourself, let the frustration pass, and start formulating a game plan for the rest of the day’s fishing, or for your next trip. A true Puzzle Solver welcomes the opportunity to discover the riddle’s answer that others cannot or will not find. It is through “defeat” on lake fishing days that creative strategies are born, strategies that --- when successful --- magnify the enjoyment of your angling victories when you can consistently trick lake fish into biting your fly. Copyright © 2010 Michael Gorman Reproduction of the text or photos are allowed only by the expressed permission of the author.
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locator. It’s in the channels, transition zones, and edges of drop-offs
where I focus my efforts.
The midges have four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
While the egg stage is of no importance to a fly tier who would create artificials to imitate the chironomid, larva, pupa and adult patterns are
important additions to have in every stillwater angler’s fly box. 
biggest
or most fish today. You will find this will cut the bloody dripping heart
out of any incentive to share information about where, how, and with what.
A better wager would be “high rod buys dinner.”