Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => Fly Fishing Cafe => Topic started by: KLX on September 30, 2009, 10:30:19 AM
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Can i realistically land a 30lb spring with my 9 wt? I was thinking of dead drifting egg patterns on the vedder...any INTELLIGENT suggestions on technique, effectiveness?
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I landed a huge one pushing 40lbs a few years ago. this was on an 8wt and it took a bit of time to say the least. Im planning on taking out the spey rod to play with a few (9/10wt) I can tell you there is alot of bruisers in there this year. smallest i saw yesterday was in the mid 20's range. If you feel you cant handle the fish just point and break.
I would try and use a split shot and strike indicator for your glo bugs to help prevent snagged fish, even springs while swinging unless you make damn sure your above the fish entirely.
Have fun out there. think i will bring the spey out on the weekend and get a spot early and i mean early to have casting room LOL
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I have caught a few getting close to that size on a 9 weight in the past in the Vedder. Egg patterns, or just wool worked fine. I felt, though, that in most cases I had over stressed the fish.
Prince Rupert, B.C.
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i was thinking about bring my 7wt out there to try, hahah, i guess i'm breaking off more flies than i think. I was hoping to target cohos with it and not really the large springs but something you just don't know what will take it.
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is the vedder busy even on weekday mornings?? i rarely if ever fish the LMD so not sure.
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is the vedder busy even on weekday mornings?? i rarely if ever fish the LMD so not sure.
This time of year yes, just not as busy as weekends. I too would like to try my 8wt for springs this season.
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You're not going to make any friends on the Vedder trying to land Springs on a single hander in fast water.
With enough time and distance you can land it but no one else will be able to fish for that time and distance.
If you can get away from the crowds or fish an area with like minded people it might be okay.
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A 9wt with good backbone is all you need. I have landed both a 35 & 36 lb with my 9wt.
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i got a 15ft 10wt spey so i should be able to handle the springs no problem right? also is it better to swing big intruders in black and blue and black and chatruse. will they take the flies on the swing or do u have to dead drift it or swing and strip? any suggestions will help im used to spey fishing for steelies so big springs is a whole new ball game. also what type of water? fast and chopper or deep and slow?
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Remember to use strong enough hooks- a buddy lost a good spring recently after 20 minutes because the hook straightened on him.
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Yes I did :'(
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Abbott - you be surprised at how small flies will work alot better then big ones on the Vedder whiteys. dont get me wrong there is days they are all over huge flies but not very often. I have gotten almost all of mine on rolled muddlers while fishing for coho. I would tie some bigger ones of those for them specifically like a size 4 instead of the 8's i use for coho. I would also take some black wooly buggers or something dark and small because that will be good also. Oh and try adding a green butt to your buggers as well ;) like a chartruese tail on a black fly
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I have been having success on sparse mickey finns in size 6. No luck so far on black or olive rolled muddlers, but I think they will work well too. The takes have been exciting to say the least.
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A 9wt with good backbone is all you need. I have landed both a 35 & 36 lb with my 9wt.
I agree. I have landed a few over 30lbs on my 9/10wt and it was fine.
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Agree with Hook that some days Springs won't take anything bigger than a size 10 fly or a pea size clipping of wool. Water conditions will generally dictate what kind of bait will be needed.
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any water condition reports from today?
btw thanks for all helpful posts
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so would u swing the size 8 wollybuggers,muddlers etc or cast and strip in
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When I fly fish the Vedder, it is almost always moving water. I cast across and swing the fly. I may cast a little bit more up river and mend in fast or deep water to give it enough time to sink and a little bit down river in slow or shallow water to keep it from hanging up on the bottom. I never yank when I feel fish bumping against the line or fly and I even try to delay in setting the hook until the fish actually takes the fly to keep the number of snagged fish down. At the end of the drift, you can let it dangle for sec (I caught one last week while I was on the cell phone with the fly dangling down river). If the current is slow, I will strip retrieve in after the drift; sometimes a salmon will chase and bite. In faster current, the fly will rise to the top so I just pull it up quickly and re-cast.
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Funpig hit the nail in the head there. ;D
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Thanks to the help of Mr. HOOK and some of the other fine people on this site i successfully hooked and landed my first Spring(maybe 15-20lbs i think),Jack Spring and one Chum Shocked on the fly today!!! all released. Everything but a coho Sad
Very exciting on the 8wt to say the least!
Thank you all again. today was one bad *** day for this newbie fly fisher! Grin
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I'm liking this topic heh was out yesterday on the Vedder ,man there was a lot of people ,packed from crossing to the highway.Seen a few springs caught.I was out fishing for Coho damn pinks getting in the way.Seeing the springs being caught got me thinking could I catch springs on my rod? I have a Sage 9wt. Thought I'd come check on here,and look! the topic is already started lol.I love catching salmon on my rod arm gets sore but fun.What LBS test you guys running for a leader to catch springs?
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i had 10lbs maxima but the chum and spring i got were not huge. it seemed to o the trick for me
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If you targetting springs specifically i wouldnt go any heavier then 12lb test. this is plenty to land big fish. I usually use 10lb when targetting them or if there is loads in the run im fishing. If im targetting coho then i fish 8lb as the norm.
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So Springs will hit coho flies like the muddler?
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you would be shocked at what some fish will hit ;D I have caught fish on flies not designed for their species lots of times. Like fishing for cutties i like to start off with a coho fly actually LOL then move on to cutty flies but i dont fish for them much so... and YES to your question. springs will hit rolled muddlers no problem, in all actuality springs will normally hit anything thats in their face ;D there really isnt much skill to catching them besides getting and keeping your fly down in the zone, the tricky part is landing them :o
MikeH - go to a look in the coho fly fishing thread, i posted a picture of my beadhead rolled muddler. this is the fly i have nailed loads of springs on (mostly jacks). you can tie them like they are and just cut the deer hair off more on the river or you can trim it back lots at home. I trim them at home now but fully dressed ones will work really well sometimes as well ;D
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do u guys think that size matters whne targetting springs or does it vary from water conditions?? heres a black and blue and black and orange intruder i tied for springs what do u think??
(http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt12/Kris08_20009/IMG_1661.jpg)
(http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt12/Kris08_20009/IMG_1663.jpg)
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So Springs will hit coho flies like the muddler?
Last 2 jack springs I got were on Mickey Fins.
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Abbott if you can find some water to yourself you can actually cast those things then have at er ;D however make sure you have some small stuff with you also especially when there is so much being thrown at them now. I would have tried intruders when the springs were alot fresher near the beginning of September because they would be more aggressive. I think i may skip this year for spey springs because of all the pinks around and give it a go next year when the crowds will be WAY LESS
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Abbott if you can find some water to yourself you can actually cast those things then have at er ;D however make sure you have some small stuff with you also especially when there is so much being thrown at them now. I would have tried intruders when the springs were alot fresher near the beginning of September because they would be more aggressive. I think i may skip this year for spey springs because of all the pinks around and give it a go next year when the crowds will be WAY LESS
and more water. These fish are all so spooked with the low water. Think of what these springs have to go through to get up river. Some of the water they have to go across is only a couple inches deep. Imagine the energy they use up going through that. We need rain!!