What to do with my retrieve?

Hi All,

I "finally" got a chance to get out on my river
for an hour after work yesterday. (There is
a trout somewhere in that river bragging to his
friends over my fly he is now sporting in
his lip.)

The spot of water I was targeting was a stretch of
moderate rapids with lots of rocks, vortexes,
hydraulic cushions that trout could practice
their Kármán gaiting.

The one hit I did get was about three feet away
from me on my retrieve. Got to see his head
for a second or so while he threw water over
me and took off with my fly. (Moral of the
story: retie your flies every so often.)

Anyway, the experience got me to thinking about
what to do with my retrieve. I really never
thought much about it before. Usually I am intent
on executing the perfect drift. I know I
got it right when my line moves slower than the top
water and I can feel my split shot occasionally
thumping the rocks on the bottom. Tons of fun!

I fish the drift, not the hatch. This means I
nymph with a lure selection of whatever invertebrate
is currently living in the water and is "clumsy".
I really do not care what is going through a
"metamorphosis" (also known as "the hatch")
I target trout that are Kármán gaiting, as that
is where they are when they are harvesting the
drift.

Anyway, I will typically drift about 40 to 80 feet
at a time, depending on the water. So I really
can not just pick up my line and recast it
when it hits the bottom of my drift (about 20
to 40 feet below me). I like to position
myself in the middle (and side) of my drift.

Question: what do I do with my retrieve?
Steady or bursts? Fast or slow? What does
the group advise?

Many thanks,
-T

On 3/26/2010 7:42 PM, Todd wrote:
Hi All,

I "finally" got a chance to get out on my river
for an hour after work yesterday. (There is
a trout somewhere in that river bragging to his
friends over my fly he is now sporting in
his lip.)

The spot of water I was targeting was a stretch of
moderate rapids with lots of rocks, vortexes,
hydraulic cushions that trout could practice
their Kármán gaiting.

The one hit I did get was about three feet away
from me on my retrieve. Got to see his head
for a second or so while he threw water over
me and took off with my fly. (Moral of the
story: retie your flies every so often.)

Anyway, the experience got me to thinking about
what to do with my retrieve. I really never
thought much about it before. Usually I am intent
on executing the perfect drift. I know I
got it right when my line moves slower than the top
water and I can feel my split shot occasionally
thumping the rocks on the bottom. Tons of fun!

I fish the drift, not the hatch. This means I
nymph with a lure selection of whatever invertebrate
is currently living in the water and is "clumsy".
I really do not care what is going through a
"metamorphosis" (also known as "the hatch")
I target trout that are Kármán gaiting, as that
is where they are when they are harvesting the
drift.

Anyway, I will typically drift about 40 to 80 feet
at a time, depending on the water. So I really
can not just pick up my line and recast it
when it hits the bottom of my drift (about 20
to 40 feet below me). I like to position
myself in the middle (and side) of my drift.

Question: what do I do with my retrieve?
Steady or bursts? Fast or slow? What does
the group advise?

Many thanks,
-T

Yes, whatever works. And if it's not working, do it differently.......
If it IS working, TRY it differently once and a while anyway.


(obligatory fishing story follows)

A buddy of mine and I were fishing Rocky Ford Creek this past February
which is one of the few places in Washington state that has
semi-reliable dry fly fishing in the dead of winter. There wasn't much
of a hatch so the fish were being totally non-cooperative in taking our
midges and assorted what-not offerings.

After a few hours of fruitless casting various drys, I switched to a
'bugger and a full sink line out of boredom. I fished that for about 15
minutes with no action whatsoever as more or less expected. I'd been
using my usual technique of casting, counting down for depth and
stripping in with a slow pulsing strip right along the bottom. That's
how you fish 'buggers, right?

Hah!

Anyway, one miscast was almost right into an outfall screen at the
diversion dam and I hastily stripped line in right on the surface to get
my 'bugger out of danger. A huge bow (nose?) wake came up behind the
fly, a huge mouth appeared, and I almost lost my rod before my 4X leader
snapped. The fish looked to be in the 6 to 8 pound range, which is a
nice trout even at Rocky Ford.

Now, that fish has probably been caught dozens of times, but he'd taken
a 'bugger being stripped in so fast it was almost leaving a v-wake. A
totally wrong technique.

Oh. Hmmm......

So... I tied on a new 'bugger, cast to the side a bit and stripped it in
as fast as I could. Bingo, a 20" (not particularly large for Rocky
Ford) rainbow came up and slammed my fly.

The fast strip 'sort of' worked throughout the rest of the day there,
but was not reliable so I started changing up my retrieve speeds and
styles with regularity hoping to confuse or anger fish into striking. At
the very least I was finally getting a little action, and it kept things
a bit more interesting when I wasn't.

So. Did I get strikes because of a different presentation of the same
fly? Did some fish want a faster retrieve? Who knows.

But it does seem we shouldn't get wedded to any one technique.

my $.02

\s

--
"There is no use in your walking five miles to fish when you can depend
on being just as unsuccessful near home." M. Twain

On 2010-03-26 22:42:29 -0400, Todd said:

I fish the drift, not the hatch. This means I
nymph with a lure selection of whatever invertebrate
is currently living in the water and is "clumsy".
I really do not care what is going through a
"metamorphosis" (also known as "the hatch")
I target trout that are Kármán gaiting, as that
is where they are when they are harvesting the
drift.

HUH? Fish the drift? "Clumsy?" I've been tying flies a helluva long
time, but I am gonna hafta learn how to tie "clumsy" into my nymphs.
I'll tie a clumsy nymph and call it the Full Reid.

Nice tro.......uh, read, Todd.

Dave

On Mar 27, 10:42*am, Todd wrote:
Hi All,

I "finally" got a chance to get out on my river
for an hour after work yesterday. *(There is
a trout somewhere in that river bragging to his
friends over my fly he is now sporting in
his lip.)

The spot of water I was targeting was a stretch of
moderate rapids with lots of rocks, vortexes,
hydraulic cushions that trout could practice
their Kármán gaiting.

The one hit I did get was about three feet away
from me on my retrieve. *Got to see his head
for a second or so while he threw water over
me and took off with my fly. *(Moral of the
story: retie your flies every so often.)

Anyway, the experience got me to thinking about
what to do with my retrieve. *I really never
thought much about it before. *Usually I am intent
on executing the perfect drift. *I know I
got it right when my line moves slower than the top
water and I can feel my split shot occasionally
thumping the rocks on the bottom. *Tons of fun!

I fish the drift, not the hatch. *This means I
nymph with a lure selection of whatever invertebrate
is currently living in the water and is "clumsy".
I really do not care what is going through a
"metamorphosis" (also known as "the hatch")
I target trout that are Kármán gaiting, as that
is where they are when they are harvesting the
drift.

Anyway, I will typically drift about 40 to 80 feet
at a time, depending on the water. *So I really
can not just pick up my line and recast it
when it hits the bottom of my drift (about 20
to 40 feet below me). *I like to position
myself in the middle (and side) of my drift.

Question: what do I do with my retrieve?
Steady or bursts? *Fast or slow? *What does
the group advise?

Many thanks,
-T

I hate to admit it, but for all my care and obsession with careful
casting, mending, etc etc etc....I catch about 80% of the fish I do
catch on the retrieve. And not just while I'm retrieving, its while
I'm mindlessly reeling fast in to change flies or cast elsewhere.

So I suggest doing what I do....empty your mind, think about the
weather or something, and just reel in fast to get to the fly. See
what happens.

--riverman

On 03/26/2010 09:57 PM, Steve M wrote:
I'd been
using my usual technique of casting, counting down for depth and
stripping in with a slow pulsing strip right along the bottom. That's
how you fish 'buggers, right?

Just out of curiosity, is this the same way you would fish a Muddler?


Hah!

A huge bow (nose?) wake came up behind the
fly, a huge mouth appeared

This is one of the reasons I do a retrieve, instead of pick up
and recasting. It is total fun when a trout follows your retrieve,
bow wake and all. As one may debate which is more fun: a dry fly hit
on the surface or a slam on a nymph in the drift, nothing competes
with a trout following your fly on a retrieve. The things that
race through your head: faster, slower, when will he see me.
And the awesome spectacle of looking down a trout mouth when he
finally decides to take. Total fun!

-T

On 03/27/2010 05:53 AM, David LaCourse wrote:

HUH? Fish the drift? "Clumsy?" I've been tying flies a helluva long
time, but I am gonna hafta learn how to tie "clumsy" into my nymphs.
I'll tie a clumsy nymph and call it the Full Reid.

Hi Dave,

Here is a tip. Stoneflies live as nymphs for up to three years
before metamorphosis (the hatch). When the nymph gets "clumsy" and
gets caught in the drift (trout food), he floats up-side-down
with his legs outstretched. Next stonefly you tie, tie it
up-side-down. You can called it your "Clumsy Stone". (If you
catch a lot of fish on it, might I suggest "T's Clumsy Stone"?)

The "drift" is a whole different way of thinking than
the hatch. Turn over a submerged rock: what you find crawling
about is what you imitate.

Fishing the hatch is fun too. So whatever works for you.

-T

On 03/27/2010 07:55 AM, riverman wrote:

I hate to admit it, but for all my care and obsession with careful
casting, mending, etc etc etc....I catch about 80% of the fish I do
catch on the retrieve. And not just while I'm retrieving, its while
I'm mindlessly reeling fast in to change flies or cast elsewhere.

So I suggest doing what I do....empty your mind, think about the
weather or something, and just reel in fast to get to the fly. See
what happens.

--riverman

Great advise. I have had the same experience. I have
caught more than a few trout on bad casts that I was
just trying to retrieve as fast as I could so I could
do a proper cast (and not embarrass myself further).

The trout I lost about three foot away from me on Thursday
made me think that I should think some more about what
I am doing. I certainly thing a lot about my drifts.
What you suggest is probably the right ticket. Just
crank it in and *not* think about it.

Huge human brain vs trout pea brain. It is annoying trout
win so much of the time.

-T

On 2010-03-27 16:13:29 -0400, Todd said:

On 03/27/2010 05:53 AM, David LaCourse wrote:

HUH? Fish the drift? "Clumsy?" I've been tying flies a helluva long
time, but I am gonna hafta learn how to tie "clumsy" into my nymphs.
I'll tie a clumsy nymph and call it the Full Reid.

Hi Dave,

Here is a tip.

Here is a tip: You are on a flyfishing group with people who have been
*successfully* fishing nymphs/dries/wets/streamers for many, many years.
Stoneflies live as nymphs for up to three years
before metamorphosis (the hatch). When the nymph gets "clumsy" and
gets caught in the drift (trout food), he floats up-side-down
with his legs outstretched.

Yeah, sort of like me when I get "clumsy".


Next stonefly you tie, tie it
up-side-down. You can called it your "Clumsy Stone". (If you
catch a lot of fish on it, might I suggest "T's Clumsy Stone"?)

But surely stones aren't the only iddybiddies that get "clumsy".
Should I tie ALL my nymphs up-side-down? When you tie up-side-down,
how do you prevent the blood from rushing to your head and blurring
your sight?

The "drift" is a whole different way of thinking than
the hatch.

I can only imagine.

Turn over a submerged rock: what you find crawling
about is what you imitate.

How deep is this submerged rock? I've fallen over many a submerged
rock and would love to go back and smash the sobs, never mind turning
them over.

What can you possibly mean by fishing the "drift". There is no drift.
I do believe that you are either pulling our collective leg or know
absolutely nothing about fly fishing. I have been turning over
submerged rocks for 50 years. I know what is under them. And, I am a
very successful nymph (those iddybiddy things under the rock) fisherman
for too many years to count. I am NOT a drift fisherman. (???)

Fishing the hatch is fun too. So whatever works for you.

Yeah, the hatch is a lot of fun, as long as you don't sit in the grass
Pennsylvania-style waiting for it. Man, that can be a bummer,
especially when some smart assed Yankee comes up to the pool and starts
catching fish on iddybiddies.

But there is also the wet fly and streamer, and we mustn't forget the
all important terrstrial, grasshoppers, flying ants, etc. Now I am
confused as to which ones I should tie up-side-down (or should I fish
them up-side-down?).

Dave, in wonderment in wonderland

"Todd" wrote in message
...
On 03/27/2010 07:55 AM, riverman wrote:

I hate to admit it, but for all my care and obsession with careful
casting, mending, etc etc etc....I catch about 80% of the fish I do
catch on the retrieve. And not just while I'm retrieving, its while
I'm mindlessly reeling fast in to change flies or cast elsewhere.

So I suggest doing what I do....empty your mind, think about the
weather or something, and just reel in fast to get to the fly. See
what happens.

--riverman

Great advise. I have had the same experience. I have
caught more than a few trout on bad casts that I was
just trying to retrieve as fast as I could so I could
do a proper cast (and not embarrass myself further).

The trout I lost about three foot away from me on Thursday
made me think that I should think some more about what
I am doing. I certainly thing a lot about my drifts.
What you suggest is probably the right ticket. Just
crank it in and *not* think about it.

Huge human brain vs trout pea brain. It is annoying trout
win so much of the time.

-T

Don't mind Davie, he's a bit slow on the up take and hasn't caught the
"drift" of the discussion yet.

Op

On 2010-03-27 17:44:54 -0400, "Mark Bowen" said:

Don't mind Davie, he's a bit slow on the up take and hasn't caught the
"drift" of the discussion yet.

You just have to stir the pot, dontcha, ****stain.

Go fishing. Have sex. Pick your nose. Do something with your life.