midge, scud and other fly questions

[tjm]

5 minutes ago, Firefish said:

Drifting in a boat with a unit or more running, I usually use an egg pattern with some sort of dropper about 18 inches below it. Various color scuds and midge patterns in size 16 to 12 work well depending on conditions. Try different patterns and colors until you find what they like. Sometimes it changes by the hour. Use a strike indicator and enough split shot to keep you ticking the bottom. Also, try to get a good drag free drift without dragging your strike indicator. We also did pretty well on white or peach micro jigs last week.

How deep is the water where you do this? How far up is the indicator set ?

[Phil Lilley]

2 hours ago, Travis Swift said:

so what would a guy throw on a fly rod in a boat with say 2 or 3 units running?  I see guides and people doing that in the trophy area around ramp using fly rods as they drift along.  a lot of times it seems with an indicator.  What is good in that scenario for a fly rod? 

Depending on how much water, most of those guides are running lots of line between their float and fly, plus split shots.  Up to 12+ feet which is crazy but works.  Hard to bring the fish in once the float hits the rod tip.  Otherwise, you're stripping streamers along the banks.

You can fish the eddies if it's only 2 units with a bigger midge under a float - or a miracle fly (egg on a jig head).  Or a dry too.  Hopper, beatle, stimulator or something.  But that bite hasn't happened for me yet at least this summer.

[Firefish]

Depth depends on the flow and the line you take on your drift. In the trophy area it might be 10 to 15 out in the middle, or just 3 or 4 feet going along the edges of the islands or over gravel bars. I usually have one rigged up about 10 feet between the indicator and bottom fly, but as Phil said, sometimes it's more if they are flowing a bunch of water. I also like keep one about 6-8 feet for shallower areas.

[tjm]

I could not cast that.