Early season tactics

I started fly-fishing last summer and really started to enjoy it. However,
nearly all of my fishing was done on the surface with drys, or in very clear
spring creeks (I live in WI) with wooly buggers, etc. In my first
early-season trip last weekend, I didn't see or catch a single fish. While
I don't mind not catching anything, I really felt like I was just flailing
about without direction. Could anyone offer some advice, or references, on
good early-season tactics? I don't have anyone locally to learn from (hence
the post here), but I feel it is a matter of overcoming a few obstacles:
higher, cloudier water (fast water) and knowing how far upstream the fish
have moved. How do I solve these problems?

Thanks.

On Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:45:14 -0600, "cb" wrote:

I started fly-fishing last summer and really started to enjoy it. However,
nearly all of my fishing was done on the surface with drys, or in very clear
spring creeks (I live in WI) with wooly buggers, etc. In my first
early-season trip last weekend, I didn't see or catch a single fish. While
I don't mind not catching anything, I really felt like I was just flailing
about without direction. Could anyone offer some advice, or references, on
good early-season tactics? I don't have anyone locally to learn from (hence
the post here), but I feel it is a matter of overcoming a few obstacles:
higher, cloudier water (fast water) and knowing how far upstream the fish
have moved. How do I solve these problems?

Thanks.

Try fishing the current seams.

This weekend, even with the high water, an acquaintance did well in
one of the spring creeks near Madison fishing a clouser where the
small feeder creeks were entering the body of the main creek.

Email me if you want more specifics.

g.c.

"cb" wrote in message ...
I started fly-fishing last summer and really started to enjoy it.
However,
nearly all of my fishing was done on the surface with drys, or in very
clear
spring creeks (I live in WI) with wooly buggers, etc.
snip
Could anyone offer some advice, or references, on
good early-season tactics?
snip

I can't give you any first hand info, having only fished Midwest spring
creeks once (George C. or Wolfgang would be your best sources here), but
"Flyfishing Midwestern Spring Creeks- anglers guide to trouting the
driftless area" by Ross A. Mueller - available @ Amazon, Barnes & Noble,
etc. -seems to give good info. It gives pretty detailed coverage of quite a
number of WI, MN, & Iowa streams, and fairly thorough treatment of tactics,
patterns, etc. for each season of the year.

As I said, I only fished in the area once - S. Fk. of the Whitewater in MN -
and that was in late July, but I did reasonably well following the book's
guidance, even though it was real dog day conditions.


--
Bob Weinberger
La, Grande, OR

place a dot between bobs and stuff and remove invalid to send email

Hi cb,

When the water is cold I like to fish more in the mid-day so the water might
be warming some. This can make the fish a little more active. Early and late
is not usually good because of the cold water. Sunny afternoons can be good.

When the water is higher, faster, I like to fish more just off the current
in the little slower edge water.

Unless there is a hatch going on, I would be nymphing with something a bit
lager in the off color water like a #10/12 Bead Head Prince nymph.

Takes will be more subtle too. Use larger tippet (3x wet/4x dry) early on
big flies because you can.

In the afternoon you can use a larger #6/8 orange or yellow Stimulator dry
fly on the long smooth runs in case there are some large stone flies active.

Don't be to hard on your self as this is not an easy time to catch fish for
many of us.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA

Web site: www.kiene.com


"cb" wrote in message ...

I started fly-fishing last summer and really started to enjoy it.
However,
nearly all of my fishing was done on the surface with drys, or in very
clear
spring creeks (I live in WI) with wooly buggers, etc. In my first
early-season trip last weekend, I didn't see or catch a single fish.
While
I don't mind not catching anything, I really felt like I was just flailing
about without direction. Could anyone offer some advice, or references,
on
good early-season tactics? I don't have anyone locally to learn from
(hence
the post here), but I feel it is a matter of overcoming a few obstacles:
higher, cloudier water (fast water) and knowing how far upstream the fish
have moved. How do I solve these problems?

Thanks.

"cb" wrote in message ...

I started fly-fishing last summer and really started to enjoy it.
However,
nearly all of my fishing was done on the surface with drys, or in very
clear
spring creeks (I live in WI) with wooly buggers, etc. In my first
early-season trip last weekend, I didn't see or catch a single fish.
While
I don't mind not catching anything, I really felt like I was just flailing
about without direction. Could anyone offer some advice, or references,
on

What was the water temperature in Wisconsin
in March? Adirondack FF gets to be productive
when water levels reach 50 Fahr., approx. May 20.
Most FF anglers do not start until then.
Diehards use streamers or big weighted nymphs.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)

Here's a TR, posted on the Fly Fisher's Paradise web site. It may
contain some suggestions you can use:

Last week the Baetis hatch on Spring Creek was the most intense
that I have seen in many years.

I looked forward to a return engagement this week. I found a
stretch of water below Fisherman's Paradise that was deserted, except
for a few anglers far downstream. I was ready to nymph until I heard
the first fish rise. That initial surface feeder was soon followed by
more. In less than a minute there were eight or ten nice browns
working within 25 feet of me.

There were only a few Baetis duns on the water, and it appeared
the fish were actually bulging to nymphs in the film. I tried a Baetis
Nymph first and then an emerger, but I had no takes on the surface or
deep. A Dun/Black Midge was similarly ignored. A #18 BWO comparadun
was not.

In the next half hour five decent Spring Creek browns inhaled the
fly. These were solid fish that averaged a foot, and they were already
putting on girth after feeding on midges and Baetis for the last
month. There was a final fish still rising after the commotion. This
fellow refused cast after cast with the small, dark dry fly but took a
Baetis Nymph drifted by his nose.

I still had the nymph on my tippet when I saw the next group of
active fish 75 yards upstream. They were feeding sporadically in a
small pocket, with the best of them anchoring the top and most
desirable lie.

This trout was in full view, and it was clear that he was not
rising. Rather, he would dart from side to side and inhale sunken
prey. It took five or six casts to get the drift just right, but the
brown took the fly deeply when the presentation was proper. It was a
fat 14" female and the best trout of the afternoon.

After blindfishing a riffle and several pockets without a take, I
encountered another group of rising fish. Like the two previous pods
of feeders, these too were working along the banks in sheltered lies.
A #18 Blue-winged Olive Comparadun accounted for more than a dozen
trout over the next hour or so. There were a few dinks among them, but
the majority were near 12" in length.

When the rising activity wound down around 3:30, I nymphed for a
few minutes. I had no strikes. Clearly, the trout were once again
focused in on the Baetis. As the hatch waned for the day, so did the
fishing. I had covered less than 200 yards of water in about three
hours and had easily had my best afternoon of the year.

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...
Here's a TR, posted on the Fly Fisher's Paradise web site. It may
contain some suggestions you can use:


As the hatch waned for the day, so did the
fishing. I had covered less than 200 yards of water in about three
hours and had easily had my best afternoon of the year.

good grief. in three hours on hazel creek, me and ol pj roberts would
have moved upstream at least a half a mile.


yfitons
wayno

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 01:57:53 GMT, "Wayne Harrison"
wrote:


"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
.. .
Here's a TR, posted on the Fly Fisher's Paradise web site. It may
contain some suggestions you can use:


As the hatch waned for the day, so did the
fishing. I had covered less than 200 yards of water in about three
hours and had easily had my best afternoon of the year.

good grief. in three hours on hazel creek, me and ol pj roberts would
have moved upstream at least a half a mile.


yfitons
wayno


You mean pj would've covered half a mile, the jury is still out on
you, counsellor.



Peter

turn mailhot into hotmail to reply

Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharl...ers/index.html

"Peter Charles" wrote

You mean pj would've covered half a mile, the jury is still out on
you, counsellor.


well, you must understand i was talking about covering that distance in,
say, 1978...

yfitons
wayno

"Wayne Harrison" wrote in message
m...

"Peter Charles" wrote

You mean pj would've covered half a mile, the jury is still out on
you, counsellor.


well, you must understand i was talking about covering that
distance in,
say, 1978...

Hell, me and Jeffie and the general covered that distance in under a
day.

Wolfgang
and in that very place.