On The Current River Today

[wormwalker]

The good news at Baptist. At 8 AM I was in clouds of tricos - right at the canoe launch. Using a #26 I caught 2 on the first 2 casts, lost one and that was it. Added one more later in the day on an ant, lost a few on copper johns and had a few runs at a mohair leech....... No people. Now the question ---

Saw tons of trout. Some sipping something----- I don't know what, I saw nothing coming off the water. Most were stacked like logs, a few inches to maybe 12"-18" below the surface. Seemingly doing nothing. I gave them everything I had in the box ----- sometimes one would move on it, then back off. Very frustrating. I just couldn't figure them out. Anybody out there care to educate me. All in all, even this frustration was better than being in the office.

[anieman]

What size of tippet were you using? That could have been your problem.

Austin

[flyfishmaster]

The fish were keying in on Midges and/or spent Tricos. Yo ugot to remember a lot of the Tricos are size 30 or smaller.

As Anieman also indicated. Tippet 7x or 8x is needed.

A great midge pattern in sze 24 or 26 is the Yong Special. They are so simple to make.

Later,

FFM

[wormwalker]

What size of tippet were you using? That could have been your problem.

Austin

Both of your answers helped. I used 6x tippet, but I got to tell you the 8x is so flimsy it is hard to tie on............. that along with how does anybody see where the size 26 midge is in the water ..... do you just guess or fish straight downstream letting out line?

[flyfishmaster]

worm,

I 97% of the time fish with some type of indicator will all my nymphs/midge pattern. I mainly use a yarn indicator because of the sensitivity.

This is how I would rig a midging setup. IF the water is 2'+ deep, from the indictor down to the first fly 1', tie in a 2' section of tippet at the first fly's hook bend. Tie a second midge (1 size bigger then the top midge.) Add a weight or soft lead between the 1st and 2nd midge. And if you feel adventurous, add a second peice of tippet 1' long to the second fly and tie on a beadhead nymph.

With this setup you will be covering 3 different strike zones.

Here are the bad parts:

- Watch your back cast, because you can cause a lot of tangles if you are too fast with your forward cast..

- Also if you break off the 1st fly you loss all three.

- Watch how you land the fish. If you land them by hand, make sure you "pinch" the barns down first so the hook is easier to remove from your our fingers/hand (done this too many time to count). Landing the m by net, you will break a fly off once in a while when the fish is moving around in the webbing.

Give it a shot, I bet you will see more takes and hook up

later,

FFM

[anieman]

- Watch how you land the fish. If you land them by hand, make sure you "pinch" the barns down first so the hook is easier to remove from your our fingers/hand (done this too many time to count). Landing the m by net, you will break a fly off once in a while when the fish is moving around in the webbing.

That is a great tip, I don't know how many times I've tried to land a fish and been hooked by the dropper fly.

Usually when I fish a small dry fly I watch the area that I think it is in and if I see a rise I set the hook.

Austin

[brittsnbirds]

Oh great FFM-

Do you use the Coats & Clark sewing thread as listed in the Yong Special recipe? Can I get away with regular embroidery thread?

Pat

[flyfishmaster]

britt,

I do use the C&C thread. It cost about $1.85 w/ tax at Wal-mart for 300 yards. I think I use just over 2" per fly. So the spool will make about ..... 5400 flies at a cost of $ 0.00034359 per fly . That might be enough for a week end trip. :)

Here is the Yong Special recipe

PS: don't forget to spin the bobbin.

Later,

FFM

[bikehikefish]

FFM - thanks for the tip on the Yong's Special. What color thread to use on the Current this time of year?

I was debating weather to drive down there this Saturday, this report may have made up my mind.

[joeD]

Or, you could go with a spinning or baitcasting outfit, throw some big "baits" - Rapalas, Pointers, Rogues, - and catch fish, generally bigger fish. And not worry about your backcast. Or the color of your thread. The length and diameter of your tippet, size of your fly, etc. etc., ad nauseum.

Sorry, I had to throw it in there.

P.S. I fly-fish too. The Current is just an awsome river to fish. Regardless of the method.