Back to Basics

Be well-prepared; keep low; sneak up close; select sensible flies. These were some of the suggestions in my Fly Fishing Foundations article back in FlyLife #62. Skills that we can all use, regardless of experience, natural co-ordination, or time on the water.

I’ve since kept an eye out for more little tips that can make a difference on any given day. For great anglers, they are almost subconscious habits. For new anglers, they are basic building blocks that will bring more enjoyment and more fish.

GOOD TIMING

Time of day is extremely important, and we can control it! Most days on the water will see a peak and a trough of insect and fish activity. It’s a chicken and egg relationship: you can’t have one without the other, and insect activity (both aquatic and streamside) is the single biggest driving force behind good fishing. Plan to be on the water as the activity starts to build, peaks, and then tapers back to nothing.

Often I see anglers arriving at Brumbys Creek in late afternoon after work. This is the absolute worst time. The stiff sea-breeze has just kicked in, the red spinner mayfly are getting blown off the water, and the summer water temperatures are peaking. It’s all bad!

If time is scarce, then a smart alternative would be to arrive early in the morning and catch the caenid mayfly hatch. If mornings are out, then sure, fish the afternoon, but wait until after 7.30 p.m. when the sea-breeze drops out and the evening rise starts to build.

I repeat: fish when the bugs are most active.

AVOID GLARE

Do you ever find yourself wading up the open middle of the river, staring upstream into glare? Hell, it’s annoying! I see it all the time, but it’s easy to fix.

Simply wade back towards the edge of the river, and the area of glare will shift off the water. For a right-hander, simply wade to the left-hand edge of the river, and vice versa for a left-hander. It’s a simple tip that makes a big difference.

KEEP THE ROD TIP LOW

The simplest casting tip is to begin each cast with your rod tip positioned on the water. Not above the water a metre, not at eye level. It’s a simple fix for a myriad casting faults.

Where is your rod tip when you start your cast?

MANAGE YOUR LEADER

Leaders are a tool that you should actively use and manage. By this I mean that the leader can and should be manipulated to make the fly land and present as you would like.

For example, add a longer tippet for more subtle, and supple, presentations. Add two lengths of progressively thinner tippet to add even more length and suppleness to the leader. Use a leader with a thicker butt section in the wind, or with big flies, or a thinner butt section for short leaders and soft turnovers in creeks. Grease the butt end of leaders to improve drag free drifts. De-grease the tippet to decrease shine and drag.

These tweaks become habitual with a bit of practice and experimentation, and you’ll catch more fish.

WORK THE ROCKS

All the books tell you to fish in the v-shaped currents behind boulders and rocks, but trout don’t just sit behind them! More often than not in Australia’s shallow rivers, large in-stream rocks are half-in half-out of the water, or just below the surface. In these situations trout actually sit in front of the rock (in the pressure wave), which is where you should be fishing.

DRY YOUR DRIES

Gel is for proofing flies, and powder is for drying.

There are now so many floatants on the market that it can lead to confusion. My rule of thumb is to use a gel floatant (e.g. Gink) to waterproof the fly before use, but use a mixed powder and desiccant (e.g. Top Ride) for drying and reviving the fly whilst fishing, or after landing a fish.

MAKE HASTE SLOWLY

Hurry up slowly, with a sense of urgency. This is a favourite concept of mine, and a tip that I always think of whether I’m searching the water for feeding fish, or casting at a cruising trout. To put it another way, act with a sense of urgency, but ‘hurry up’ with caution and common sense.

If you’re blind fishing, don’t get stuck in the one run or pool if nothing is happening: cover kilometres not metres. If a fish is polaroided cruising away at distance, then run after it, but compose yourself before a quick cast.

Often when I’m guiding, customers will see a rise, question themselves, then question me, then cast. By then the fish is often out of range, or out of sight. My suggestion is to cast straight away, and then question whether or not it was a fish.

SEARCH THOROUGHLY

How quickly should you fish a par- ticular stretch of river or lake? Structure and current should determine your approach.

More structure (for habitation) and more current (for food delivery) means there are more fish-holding areas available, so search the water more thoroughly. Even lakes have currents, in the form of wind-lanes, slicks and wave action. Conversely, the less structure, and the less current there is, the less time you should spend covering the water. There will be more dead spots, and fewer fish, so you don’t want to over-invest in this type of water without good reason.

LEARN WITH A DRY FLY

Dry flies are great fun. You can see dry flies on the water, and it tends to be obvious when they are eaten, or not eaten, as the case may be. The drift and nuances of presentation are visible, and there is nothing more exciting than watching a well-preened dry fly bobbing along towards a hungry trout. These are just a few reasons why I like to use a dry fly when I’m teaching beginners.

CAST SHORT ON LAKES

Searching a lake for trout can at first be a daunting task, but there are a couple of basics that can help you on your way. Firstly, always blind-fish at a shorter distance than you are scanning the surface for movement.

If you are polaroiding at 30 feet, for example, then keep 20 feet of line and leader on the water. When a fish is found, you can then lengthen the cast to suit, which is a whole lot easier and more effective than trying to shorten your line, then making a clumsy presentation. Keep it short!

Similarly, when sight-fishing a lake, glare and wind mean it is normally easier to see in one direction or the other. In this situation I prefer to blind-fish the side where I can see less effectively, whilst polaroiding the water where I can see more clearly. Greg French teaches an additional trick in this situation, which is to tilt your head on a slant towards the sun. This will enhance your field of polarised vision.

DON’T STRIP OFF TOO MUCH LINE

It’s human nature to strip a heap of line off your reel, and try to cast as far as you can. But it rarely helps! My advice is to only have the amount of line you need off the reel. If you’re fishing 30 feet, then only 30 feet should be off the reel. This avoids line twists and tangles. Any line you strip in, between casts, should be kept in large loops on your stripping hand. Otherwise any current will drag on the line, or it will wrap around your boots or nearby obstacles, making casting a lot harder.

Similarly, when you move between making casts, keep all of the loose line looped over your stripping hand (or even better, back on the reel) and hold the leader with your other hand. This avoids tangles, and stops your dry fly from getting caught up or water-logged.

TAKE CARE WHEN WADING

If you’re a beginner, there are two simple rules for wading: always wade with your toes facing upstream, and always wade upstream (diagonally upstream in harder currents). These rules relate to keeping your centre of balance upstream, and weight into the current. Studs make a huge difference to your wading boot grips, and I use them everywhere.

Foot placement is another consideration. As with all good ideas, it’s just common sense. When placing your foot in the stream, always slide into a low-point among the rocks and boulders. Your foot can’t slip if it’s already in the low point.

Finally, if the wading is getting really tough, just link elbows with your partner. You might look like an old couple at the theatre, but it’s an awesome way to cross heavy currents. You’ll have the combined mass of two people, and the balance of four legs!

HOLD THE TIPPET,

NOT THE FLY

A great fly has been carefully designed and made, and is a critical part of the fly fishing puzzle. Handle it with care!

I prefer to hold the tippet a few inches above the fly, rather than holding the actual fly and potentially crushing it. It’s horrible to see a perfect three-dimensional dry fly crushed into a two-dimensional blob of hackle, or squished into a waterlogged mess.

As in my previous article (FL#62), these tips are just common sense building-blocks. But eleven seasons of guiding tells me that these small elements really do make a difference, so keep them in mind, tie on a fly and have some fun!