On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 20:46:15 -0800, JR
wrote:

Peter Charles wrote:

The other thing I didn't mention is that I used an Atlantic salmon
swing on these fish offering a broadside presentation that's running
faster than the current. Not supposed to work for steelhead but
somebody forgot to tell these fish. I won't be reminding them.

Interesting. Someone the other day told me that the best steelhead
fisherman he knows just casts and lets the fly swing --no mending, no
adjusting the rod tip--and catches as many on fast swings as on slow in
all but the coldest water. Almost heresy here in the PNW, but who knows?
I consciously speed up the fly (by allowing a downstream belly to form or
by leading the fly with the rod tip) only in the very slowest currents,
but it may be wiser to regularly vary the speed of the swing--rather than
always trying to slow it down--just as one varies the speed of the strip
when lake or streamer fishing.

Do you use a riffling hitch help get the broadside presentation?


Nope, just tracking the path of the leader and fly line. The fly
actual goes in the path of a shallow "U" as at first, it's heading
downstream. Across or slightly upstream, toss in a small downstream
mend. Downstream mend pulls the fly mostly downstream, then it turns
the corner to a broadside presentation as the belly is being pulled
straight by the tightening line. Most hits occur at the corner, in
fact pretty well all were at the corner.

All
of the hits came on the turn as the line tightened up and the fly went
from traveling down and across to up and across.

You guys can drift flies UPSTREAM?


Stripping back to the running line joint on the spey shooting head.



Peter

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