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[Jamison Jay]

Nothing wrong with searching waters, I've always found spratleys to be my go to trolling fly.

[mastercaster]

I used to always check out new waters by trolling a leach or a special carrie type of fly we tied up but since I've switched back to fishing out of a boat as opposed to a float tube and when fish finders became available I tend to buzz all over the lake as quickily as I can checking out structure, depth, and but mostly to find where the fish are.  Then I just anchor up.

But don't get me wrong when all I did was fish from a tube back in the eighties and nineties my buds and I  often had our best fishing moving about the lake.  We'd fish two lines and alternate retrieving them in.  Sometimes you'd hook up on the line you were retrieving while other times it was on the rod you weren't holding.  Either way it was exciting!

Some of the best August fishing I've ever had during the summer doldrums was fishing lakes like Vinson or Jimmy (two of my favourite lakes back then) by trolling, doing the alternate retrieve thing, with 20 or 30' sink tip lines using a gomphus, a great late summer fly BTW.  This trolling technique could only be done with a float tube because there was no way you could go slow enough in a rowed boat....and trust me, dead slow was the only way you could pick up fish using the gomphus.  If you wanted to you could use a floating line with a chronie or a pheasant tail tied to it as your other rod because the speed was that slow.  This technique saved our late summer fishing!

[parbuster]

Alas, "fly trolling" is hardly flyfishing but we all do it because it's pretty darn effective especially during these warm months.

Chironomid fishing under a float is hardly flyfishing eiher it's really just float fishing without a worm.

[Rodbender]

Well having read all three pages on this subject I am somewhat confused. First I'm a die-hard fly-fisher, meaning I cast as well as troll a fly, I am of the opinion that a fly fisher is one who uses a fly rod and a fly. the casting is the art and trolling is the reward as far as I'm concerned. Sitting in a boat trolling willow leaves and big hard lures is only pissing the fish off enough to attack it, rather than a delicate presentation of a fly that looks like something they would eat instead.  I use trolling a fly to locate the fish and then cast out to them from my float tube using a different set up. always works wonders. I know this debate will go on forever but keep the lines tight and flies wet!

[PistolPete]

I was at Sheridan the last couple of falls and am going this fall last year was the first time me and my buddy (on a hot tip) used floating line with a leach pattern trolling of course,in any where from 5-20 feet of water and we did fairly well.The biggest fish was in about 5 feet of water and about 8lbs .As far as the movement was we more less let my boat drift just using the oars to keep us straight. Can't wait to get back up there (the week before Thanksgiving). I am just like a kid waiting to go to Disneyland.

PS I agree that Flyfishing is being anchored and casting to the fish.......

[trout80]

When I go fly fishing I troll 98%of the time.And when I'm on a lake the majority of fly fishers in tubes, pontoons or boats are also trolling. ps great post floon

[e36blue]

I would like to add in response to an above poster (IMHO) that if one is using a fly rod, fly line, and a fly, whether trolling or anchored down or with an indicator or without that I feel this should be considered 'fly fishing'. Whether it's trolling, or with an indicator, or casting... these are methods of utilzing fly fishing specific equipment - as opposed to gear and other forms of bait and casting rods and reels.

Unless I'm mistaken, Brian Chan's dvd's have some pretty articulate explainations as to how and why one would choose to use an indicator for instance. And I believe we would all agree that he's certainly an expert fly fisherman and one of the best.