bbhill Posted March 9, 2015 Posted March 9, 2015 Hi everyone, I'm no expert fly fisherman by any means but have only fished River systems before and am looking to try some Stillwater fishing this year but am not sure where to start or what set up I should look at? I did do some pike fishing last year one day on Clear lake and had a lot of fun but was curious about when they start to get active again, feeding in the shallows sometime after ice off and summer when the whether warms up from what I under but when is that typically? When and where would be a good place to start looking to catch trout as well and should I start with chronomids under an indicator or use a streamer? I have a 9' pontoon boat and got a 34lb trolling motor for Christmas that I'm excited to try out so any advice, tips, and suggestions for where and how to get started would be great and much appreciated. Quote
cheeler Posted March 9, 2015 Posted March 9, 2015 Check out Phil Rowley's and Brian Chan's websites; they have put out a number of videos and books that go from beginner to advanced. The Alberta Fishing Guide, which should be out soon, also has lists of stocked ponds to try, many of which are within a short drive from Calgary. Quote
bcubed Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 Phil Rowley is also hosting a seminar at Country Pleasures on the 28th. You won't find a better lake learning opportunity in calgary, especially for free For Pike, start as soon as you can once the season reopens in May 1 Quote
screaminreel Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 Get yourself a clear intermediate line. Great for trolling/casting streamers and nymphs in the lakes. I prefer the Cortland Camo 444 line as it has very low memory. Don't like SA clear lines and have not tried the Rio clear/camo. Obviously with Chironomid fishing you will want an anchor for your pontoon and at least 25 ft of rope if not 50. On my pram I have 65's for some deep water in BC. Don't get a ball as they roll on the bottom. 10lb pyramid should be fine for your pontoon. A great lake to get started with chironomids, streamers or nymphs is lee's lake down South. Lots of 10" - 12" fish eager to take just about anything. That is where I started my kids off so they wouldn't get bored. When I started stillwater fishing, I watched and read numerous Chan and Rowley video's and books. There is also a stillwater section on this forum if you scroll down the topics. Quote
monger Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Don't limit yourself to just chironomids under an indicator. Set the hook on the tiniest bobber movement. Be willing to change the depth you fish. Don't stay in one spot too long if you are not seeing fish. Watch the birds. Note time/water temperature when hatches happen Quote
bbhill Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks for the great advice and resources to look at. bcube thanks for the heads up about the free class I think that would be great to attend. Screaminreal, does Lees lake have camping as I would plan to take my family there if so? Also how long of a leader should I be using if I'm fishing with an indicator and chronomids versus how long should I have a leader for pike fishing? I'm sure this may be in the videos and books you guys have mentioned with Chan and Rowley but if you have any suggestions I would appreciate it. Thanks again for the help. Quote
monger Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 No camping at Lee lake, but Police outpost would work for you (watch wind reports) Probably don't need more than 9ft leader for pike...not defined as a shy fish. When bobber fishing you need to determine the depth of the water where your flies are. Then you need a leader at least the same length as the depth. Depending on conditions, you may be fishing right at the bottom, or anywhere up to a few feet under. You have to find where the fish are feeding. After about 25-30ft, it is time to use a full sinking line and fish vertically. Quote
jgib01 Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 No camping at Lee that I'm aware of either, but that said there is plenty of camping in and around the Crowsnest Pass. The closest campground to Lee is probably Lundbreck Falls, which has gotta be less than 10 minutes from there (and is on the Crow, so more fishing opportunities). Lee has a day use area at the north end, and lots of private residences around the rest of the lake. Would probably get some good use out of your pontoon, as it is near impossible to do anything from shore there, at least for a novice like me. Quote
screaminreel Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 A depth sounder is invaluable for still water fishing as it will show the drop offs and ledges which fish normally cruise. It will of course also show the depth the fish are cruising at. You can get the fishing buddy depth sounder plus side scanner for a pontoon set up. Quote
danhunt Posted March 13, 2015 Posted March 13, 2015 When fishing chronis or balanced leaches under an indicator it helps to use a loop knot. Most of the time when fishing chronis you want to be within about a foot of the bottom, a good way to do this is to get a bouncing betty (small weight with snap swivel at the end), hook it in your loop knot, let it down to the bottom and then set your indicator at slightly less than the surface of the water. I usually run about 3 ft of tippet, and then I tie in a tiny swivel betweel the tippet and the end of the leader. The swivel gives some weight to help get the fly down, and you can put some additional lead putty to help get it down a little more. I like my indicator to ride fairly low in the water, as I find when it sits up high it's harder to discern subtle strikes from the wiggles caused by a little bit of chop on the water. 1 Quote
BigFoamy Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 you got a pontoon boat and a motor for christmas, you're loved... Quote
jgib01 Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Just re-reading the tail end of this thread, danhunt's post in particular, and was reminded of something Phil Rowley said at his talk at the Expo, which I probably won't do full justice explaining. He said that when fishing deep, if you are finding that you are getting hits and no hook-ups, the fish may actually be on your splitshot/weight... try moving your indicator down your leader to fish a little higher in the water column to see if that does the trick. Also may be a clue as to the colour they are after I thought it was a simplistically brilliant piece of advice. Quote
monger Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 If fishing in Alberta, use a tungsten bead headed fly instead of a split shot/swivel for weight. Then drop your favorite fly off of that. BC guy's don't have this option. Quote
Guest ArtVandelay Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 If fishing in Alberta, use a tungsten bead headed fly instead of a split shot/swivel for weight. Then drop your favorite fly off of that. BC guy's don't have this option. But you CAN fish with two rods though: Quote
jgib01 Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 If fishing in Alberta, use a tungsten bead headed fly instead of a split shot/swivel for weight. Then drop your favorite fly off of that. BC guy's don't have this option. That makes good sense. If you are fishing stillwater with beadheads, you wouldn't necessarily need to throw any additional weight on. My frame of reference was the bit of nymphing I did on moving waters last year, where I found even with beadheads I had to add splitshot to get the fly down quickly enough. Stillwater offers that opportunity to be a little more patient... I can't wait! Question though for any takers... would having some extra weight on when using beadheads keep the fly lower in the water column when stripping? I would envision that the heavier your junk is, the less it would respond by moving upward when you strip. Then again, maybe I need to retake high school physics. Quote
DonAndersen Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 Jg........ You have been given some excellent advice on bobber fishing. Unlike many, I seldon use beads and compensate by using heavier hooks. The beads I do use are either plastic or glass. Extra weight is provided by swivels. When fishing waters >25' I do use tungsten beads. In water depths of less than 10', bobbers are needed. Over 10' another technique can also be used. I often fish with just a long leader on a floating line. The leader may exceed 20' and occasionally 30'. For an alternate to bobbers see: http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=21908 While electronics are fun, they are not needed, I use a lead weight attached to my fly to determine water depths. Cheap and never requires batteries. And yes I own depth finders, at last count three that are rarely used. Don 1 Quote
jpinkster Posted April 2, 2015 Posted April 2, 2015 The folks here have way more to offer you from a trout perspective...but maybe I can offer something for your pike hunting. Get out as soon as the lakes open up (May 8 for Clear). Find those areas with heavy reed growth and blast that streamer right to the edge. I like to use a short leader (3' tops) and start by retrieving quickly. This keeps the fly just below the surface and makes for some spectacular strikes. I'll usually fish large to small. I'll start with my 8 weight with a 4-5" streamer (yellow/black is usually the most popular). If I'm not getting any luck, I'll switch to a smaller bugger or rabbit strip streamer on my 6 weight. At this time of year I rarely see the need for an intermediate or sinking line. You can find the fish in 2-3' of water and should have no issue getting a fly into the strike zone. I've always found pike are less about the pattern and more about the presentation. Changing flies may help you keep your sanity, but likely has less impact on the fish. Play around with your retrieval, I like to go fast to slow. Start with short/quick strips, move to slower strips, than move to a strip-pause combination. We had a day in mid-May last year on fish where we caught close to 60 pike fishing the reeds at Clear. We were in no more than 3' of water the entire time. Get your action in early in the season, once you get into July those fish will move back out to the depths. Quote
bbhill Posted April 6, 2015 Author Posted April 6, 2015 The folks here have way more to offer you from a trout perspective...but maybe I can offer something for your pike hunting. Get out as soon as the lakes open up (May 8 for Clear). Find those areas with heavy reed growth and blast that streamer right to the edge. I like to use a short leader (3' tops) and start by retrieving quickly. This keeps the fly just below the surface and makes for some spectacular strikes. I'll usually fish large to small. I'll start with my 8 weight with a 4-5" streamer (yellow/black is usually the most popular). If I'm not getting any luck, I'll switch to a smaller bugger or rabbit strip streamer on my 6 weight. At this time of year I rarely see the need for an intermediate or sinking line. You can find the fish in 2-3' of water and should have no issue getting a fly into the strike zone. I've always found pike are less about the pattern and more about the presentation. Changing flies may help you keep your sanity, but likely has less impact on the fish. Play around with your retrieval, I like to go fast to slow. Start with short/quick strips, move to slower strips, than move to a strip-pause combination. We had a day in mid-May last year on fish where we caught close to 60 pike fishing the reeds at Clear. We were in no more than 3' of water the entire time. Get your action in early in the season, once you get into July those fish will move back out to the depths. Quote
bbhill Posted April 6, 2015 Author Posted April 6, 2015 Thanks jpinkster. That is great advice as I've listen to the Orvis podcasts on streamer fishing especially for Pike and wasn't sure on the retrieve I sho use. I was also thinking of using some poppers and divers that I used for bass fishing in Texas and wondered if by chance they would work for any top water action for pike? Quote
bbhill Posted April 6, 2015 Author Posted April 6, 2015 DonAnderson, can you buy a 20' leader or do you just add tippet material to the end of a 9 or 12' leader? Quote
Taco Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 DonAnderson, can you buy a 20' leader or do you just add tippet material to the end of a 9 or 12' leader? 15 foot 2x or 3x if you can find them. 12' will do. I just buy mine online, if I can find them on clearance I'm a happy camper Quote
jpinkster Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 Thanks jpinkster. That is great advice as I've listen to the Orvis podcasts on streamer fishing especially for Pike and wasn't sure on the retrieve I sho use. I was also thinking of using some poppers and divers that I used for bass fishing in Texas and wondered if by chance they would work for any top water action for pike? I've found top water to be very situational in the south. Water needs to be flat, It needs to be in heavy weed growth and the fish need to be in shallow water. The guys up north seem to have way more luck with top water. Quote
DonAndersen Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 Fish stud... There is a whole pile of stuff on leaders. I used to use home made knotted leaders for all of my fishing. Still do for stream work 'cause they just do the job better. However on lake work where presentations don't generally have to be that accurate, I now tend to use straight leaders. As long leader presentations require the chironomid to sink readily, a thinner leader material works somewhat better. I use Berkley Vanish in 8 lb. test as the butt section followed by a tippet of Rio Fluoro stuff. The butt section will vary from 10>30' long depending on water depth. Berkley Vanish typically measures 0.010" OD in 8 lb. test and the Rio 3x 8 lb. stuff is 0.007 >0.008. Vanish seems to work well as a tranition between mono and fluro. Knot failures are fewer. Regards, Don Quote
monger Posted April 6, 2015 Posted April 6, 2015 I use about 12ft of 12-15lb Maxima to the first knot. If going deeper than 20 feet I'll add another 5ft chunk of Maxima. After that I'll just add some 10lb fluorocarbon (Berkley transition or Rio) to the flies. I've found if you have flurocarbon between the fly line and the bobber, the line sinks and makes hook sets less effective. Lots of ways to get the job done Quote
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