Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Fly Fishing for Mountain Whitefish & Trout, An Earlier Winter's Day on the River  (Read 15004 times)

Todd Oishi

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 150
  • Maple Ridge, BC
    • Innovative Fly Fisher

Do you have a rule of thumb for how you handle the length of line beneath the coiled sighter? What I mean is, are you constantly trimming or adding lengths of fluorocarbon as you move through different runs? Or would you keep it a pre-determined length (within reason), and just, say, adjust your arm height / allow the sighter to be fished on the surface with some floatant?

I adjust the coil wihtin my leader system so it'll remain a foot or two above the surface of the water when I'm nymphing with heavily-weighted Czech nymphs. The depth of the pattern/presentation is adjusted by simply raising or lowering the tip of the fly rod as the fly is led through the water that I'm targeting. The occasional ticking of my fly, as it makes contact with the river bottom, indicates to me that my fly is at the right depth (for winter nymphing especially). I'll raise the tip of my fly rod (which will lift the fly a little higher off the bottom) if I'm not experiencing any takes in water that I suspect fish are holding.

I only apply floatant if I'm swinging or French Nymphing (an upstream, long-ling nymphing technique) with small nymphs and soft-hackles in slower-flowing stretches of water...
Logged
.
>>>http://innovativeflyfisher.com/forum<<<


For me, the quality of a trout is not measured in pounds and inches, but rather by the journey and circumstances that allowed our paths to cross...
.

Preliator

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 188

Thank you, Tyson. I'm really excited to get out and try this technique. I've been juggling between different styles of indicator fishing, and have been trying to dissect my nymphing techniques to determine how I can improve my ratio. I think this is potentially a great system to have in ones repertoire, I just need to pick up a suitable (and affordable!) style of rod to put it all together. Cheers!
Logged

wyper

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20

Great read, and some beautiful fish! what river is this if you don't mind me asking?
Logged

TyCrane

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 37

great story... nice fish!
Logged

Todd Oishi

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 150
  • Maple Ridge, BC
    • Innovative Fly Fisher

Thanks guys!  :)

Wyper, it's a Lower Mainland that I prefer not to name, as is a standard practice for most of my fishing reports. It's nothing personal, but I think that you could appreciate just how crowded it could potentially be, especially with the large number of viewers that frequent this forum.

That being said; whitefish are present in most river systems that drain into the Fraser River, so it's not that difficult to identify and locate them - rainbows of this size are however a little more difficult to find, but I sincerely believe that's what makes trout fishing in our region so challenging and rewarding at times.

Cheers,
Todd
Logged
.
>>>http://innovativeflyfisher.com/forum<<<


For me, the quality of a trout is not measured in pounds and inches, but rather by the journey and circumstances that allowed our paths to cross...
.

Bassonator

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 659

While we are on the topic of coiled indicators, how long do you keep them in simmering water?
Logged
Take the T out of Morton.

Todd Oishi

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 150
  • Maple Ridge, BC
    • Innovative Fly Fisher

I'll boil them for at least 15 minutes and then place them imnmediately into a ziplock baggie that's full of ice-cold water. I'll then throw the coils and baggie into the freezer, and leave them there overnight....
Logged
.
>>>http://innovativeflyfisher.com/forum<<<


For me, the quality of a trout is not measured in pounds and inches, but rather by the journey and circumstances that allowed our paths to cross...
.

wyper

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20

Tyson. I completely understand, I have been fishing a few rivers in the lower main land that are close to home. but have yet to find any rainbow.. they are a hard fish to come by it seams if it is not in a stocked lake... any suggestions? maybe things  should be looking for, are there any tell tale signs of trout? should I be fishing higher up the run or lower?? I am fairly new to the hole river fishing thing.

Thanks! 
Logged

living_blind

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 110
    • My Band - Kilmore Place

The part that Tyson talks about seeing a slight depression in the middle of the run is a great tip for rainbow hunting in streams. In the lower mainland streams the number of rainbows is relatively low, and they often only occupy the best little holding spots.
Logged

wyper

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20

When you are talking about these "depressions" in the water would that be say like a large rock or bolder or obstruction under the surface that is a shelter from the current? I have noticed they leave "depressions"... is this what I am looking for? I have been fishing mostly along bends where there is shelter on the side, also at the ends of riffles in pools... 
Logged

living_blind

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 110
    • My Band - Kilmore Place

Definitely rocks and boulders are good spots. The way Tyson describes this run though it sounds like to me there was just a slight depression in an otherwise ordinary looking run. Polarized glasses definitely help in spotting subtle decreases in depth. I find that rainbows often hold in much shallower water than many realize and when they do they often sit in slight dips that are barely noticeable without close inspection.

Tyson is an unbelievable fly fisherman and I've never used 'coiled' sighters and have only novice abilities, but drifting nymphs/egg patterns over this kind of water will work no matter what technique you use (indicator, czech nymph). It sounds like you're fishing the right water, maybe just not hitting a system with a lot of trout. With coastal systems, the biggest trick is to go where the food is (ie creek mouths, behind spawning salmon, insect hatches when available) because the systems don't have high enough nutrient levels to feed fish everywhere in high densities.

If you message me you're location, I would gladly point you in the right direction if it's a system I've spent time on.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2012, 01:10:20 PM by living_blind »
Logged

wyper

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 20

Thanks "living_blind" huge help! Sounds like i will be needing to pick up some polarized glasses... I have heard this a few times...

Edit: Living_blind I am not able to send privat messegs... my e mail is justinwyper@gmail.com
« Last Edit: February 09, 2012, 02:15:34 PM by wyper »
Logged