A Great Leader........

It was right during the beginning of the summer on the marvelous South Holston. I was with John Hardy and his wife Christy and I had just handed John my Sage rod that just happened to be rigged with a hand tied tapered leader. John had noticed how the leader gently collapsed on the surface, delivering the fly to its target with barely a ripple on the water's surface. His next cast was to a mid river ledge. John presented the sulphur dry I'd given him to the edge of the ledge and seconds later a nice brown of about 16-17" slowly rose and sucked in the CDC dry fly. It was game on.

Such has been the case all summer long on the South Holston, Watauga, and Smith Rivers and other waters where the leader makes a huge difference....and can be THE difference between catching fish and not catching fish. I often use both personally and with clients the Classic Leader in the 9ft length and then add a 12-18" tippet of 7X. That puts the leader at about 10ft and still makes it easy to cast in wind- - - which is a certain condition you'll encounter on big water. Technical tailwater fishing, at least successful tailwater fishing, hinges upon having a leader that turns over but doesn't straighten (straight leader = drag= no fish). A nice cast with the leader stretching out over the water nice and straight right to the fly is the last thing you want (contrary to what it might seem). Its the sloppy, pile the leader up throws that usually catch fish. The trick is learning to cast like that on purpose, and to use a leader that dumps tons of slack so the fly drifts naturally. This leader does just that.

Rio's Hand Tied Classic Leader is a great product, and over the past several months I have fallen in love with them. While I prefer to tie my own, with my guiding schedule I value fly tying time more than tying leaders, as I can buy these leaders and they are the closest I have found to what I custom tie for myself. Try one and see for yourself....its a great product.

A Different Medium....

There he was, hanging out in a side eddy just waiting for a snack or meal to drift by. I could see him as the wormlike markings on his back became visible and then less so as he floated up and down in the water column, riding the gentle upwellings of current like a master of his element should. This brookie, who had already taken three swipes at my streamer without being hooked, sat poised to take another shot if the opportunity presented itself.

And this fish did give me another shot, and I finally netted the fish as I let the fly go deep and then ripped the streamer quickly to the surface, stopping just short of the surface and letting it sink as though it was dying.

It worked.......the brookie inhaled the fly and after enjoying the pleasures of a nice fight and a bent rod I released the fish so it could give someone else the same enjoyment that was for a moment mine.

This whole episode I have seen replayed in my own fishing and on trips with clients over and over again. So why so many near misses? Why did the fish take several shots at the fly? And why didn't I get the fish on the first go around?

I believe there are several things at work at the surface that contribute to such a situation like I have just described.

One, the surface is an area where three elements---water, air, and sunlight come together. The perception of movement, size, color, among others---all of these things are different at the surface than they are at the bottom.

Most trout streams we fish in the Southeast are quite shallow. In fact, I am convinced that given a choice trout much prefer feeding in six inches of water as opposed to six feet. Why? The reason is simple....they have to move less to feed up and down and side to side.....and they get more calories for the energy expended.

The surface is a sure place to feed if the food is on top. But from the underside, its a little different......if the food item is subsurface. This is true because the underside of the surface is basically a mirror for whatever is under the water....rocks on the bottom, vegetation, other fish, nymphs, .......my streamer being ripped just under the surface.

Don't believe this? Take a picture in a foot of water while standing in your favorite trout stream....there are many inexpensive waterproof cameras that can do this nowadays.
Or, if you have no camera, go diving in a swimming pool in shallow water and you will notice the same effect. Or, you can go to a pet store and take a look at an aquarium and notice the underside of the water's surface. The effect is all the same.

So what does this mean from a fishing standpoint? Well, that is a good question, and certainly one we won't do justice fully in a few paragraphs here. But I do believe it shows why that crazed (determined....!!!!) brookie took three shots at the fly before a different presentation on the fourth try resulted in a hookup. What happened? Right at the surface the fish sees the fast traveling fly and also sees a mirror image of it too on the underside of the surface. So when I have had a fish flash at the fly right at the surface and I don't hook up, I cast again, rip the fly through the same spot, then stop abruptly letting the fly sink as though it just died.........trust me it kills them.

But that you will have to see to believe..


Jeff

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing
"Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion"
336.644.7775
336.944.3628
www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless HTC Windows Mobile Smartphone

Satisfying an Itch....

To a lot of people that tension that builds and builds all week and especially after a stressful one serves no good purpose but to make us crave some time away. And for most of us that translates to time on the water. But if you are like me heading to the hills for some stream time just isnt an option every time....and I have always found sometimes that is quite alright. It means I have to look at other opportunities---and those are often much closer and easier than I sometimes think. Such is the case with pond fishing. And there are times that I am glad I had to stay close to home.

We are fortunate in the Piedmont of NC to live near a myriad of ponds. Ponds are common if for no other reason than that our area has a rich agricultural heritage and along with it a beautiful landscape dotted with warmwater fly fishing haunts.

I have always been shocked at how few people do any warmwater flyfishing at all. Some folks think that its only for trout, and in so doing miss some great opportunities in their own backyards. Not me.

I love bass, bream, crappie, catfish ----yes catfish will hit a fly and its not at all uncommon, unusual, or surprising. All I need is a willing participant on the business end of my leader.....and I will have plenty of fun.

So find a pond or two to fish, you won't regret it. So what are you waiting for?.

Jeff

Jeff Wilkins Fly Fishing
"Where Fly Fishing is a Professional Passion"
336.644.7775
336.944.3628
www.jeffwilkinsflyfishing.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Windows Mobile Smartphone

Summertime Smallies.....

Check out this great smallmouth video with Guide Duane Hada, this is like our fishing opportunities in the Appalachians:

FOX 8 WGHP & Fly Tying with Roy's Folks

Fly Fishing with WGHP FOX8 and Shannon Smith...

Yes, That Time is Here Again........Smallies

This will whet your appetite for some incredible smallie action this summer on area rivers. This is a clip shot in Minnesota on the St. Louis River, enjoy...!

Fly Fishing Smallmouth Minnesota from Arrowhead Fly Angler on Vimeo.