Damn Barbless Hooks...

[esleech]

Ughhh...fished the highwood today. 3 to hand, and I stopped counting at 9 fish lost after 5 seconds on. I believe it is a combination of things: A real slow action rod(I like these), the fact that I was using 6X tippet and was tentative having broke off 2 earlier, the heavier current, what other excuses can I tell myself?!? I'm not kidding when I say I probably lost 15 fish! Normally, It doesn't bother me, but tommorow those cutties will PAY! MUHAHAHAHA!

[Guest bigbadbrent]

Don't use 6x then, it's absolutely redundant to use unless you're fishing to incredibly picky fish and tiny tiny flies. Chances are you were nymphing, so use a heavier rig. Not only will it help the fish, you'll stop losing flies (in fish, and losing fish). I can catch as many fish using 8 lb Vanish when im using 4-6x, even on the highwood.

 

 

Hookset twice if you're not confident in your first hookset. If the fly comes out on the second hookset, then chances are you weren't going to land that fish anyway.

 

(ohh and by the way, the highwood is flowing lower then average for this time of year)

[esleech]

ohh and by the way, the highwood is flowing lower then average for this time of year)

Yeah, heavier than mid summer is what I meant. Looks a little higher than last year though...besides the point really. was all on the dry as well...and didn't start picking up tons of risers till I put on 6x. So it makes a difference IMHO. I also think it might...just might....be easier on the fish if they're coming off anyways...just a thought.

[lonefisher]

Use stronger line man! Last time I was down I fished 10lb mono and landed every fish I hooked. Come summer time I go lighter but I usually never fish lighter then 5x even with the tiny stuff. And you will soon hook a couple of the rainbows that make you think that way if you spend much time down there. The cutts are the pushovers in that stream.

[Guest bigbadbrent]

If the hook was buried..chances are you would have landed the fish right......Give the double hookset a chance,

 

and yes, it is below average, last year was lower then average..

 

this is taken just upstream of that hole

http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/ws/data/hy...es/_RHIWDIE.gif

 

and like lonefisher said, go stronger. you get into the coincidental bull trout (yes, even on the dry) and you're not going to stand a chance, let alone a tailwalking rainbow

 

I fished yesterday, was 5/7 fish, not too bad considering how it had been beat up all weekend..

[esleech]

Sorry, I modified the above post Brent. I didn't want to come across wrong. The whole "tone" thing.

[Hawgstoppah]

Esleech. Your fine man... it's fun to play with em for a while. Note that YOU killed 'em while others went 5/7.... and you did all yours on the dry... the light tippet does certainly help get into dry fish.. but... use a lighter rod like a 3wt or 2wt, so you can get a healthy bend in the rod yet still have enough protection for that light tippet. I fish a 3wt all the time and to be honest, I do not lose very many fish hooked on the dry (once I hook the little devils that is)...

 

 

Your not talking about missing them on the hookset are you? Your talking about having them on and then losing them, right?

[lonefisher]

OK well 6x makes a bit more sense since you were fishing the surface. Still I usually won't use under 5 on the surface either but sometimes the fish dictate what you have to use right

[esleech]

Your not talking about missing them on the hookset are you? Your talking about having them on and then losing them, right?

Yeah, after 5-10 seconds they would get off. Thanks for the response Brian. Yeah, I think my post was a tad bit misunderstood. I'm going to keep using lighter tippets, cause I LOVE the dry fly and like using size 16 flies and smaller. Lots of dapping, or swinging little wets. All last year, I nymphed the highwood, and caught some beauts, and the dry is the funnest in my mind...anyways, thanks all for the remarks.

[SteveM]

Ughhh...fished the highwood today. 3 to hand, and I stopped counting at 9 fish lost after 5 seconds on. I believe it is a combination of things: A real slow action rod(I like these), the fact that I was using 6X tippet and was tentative having broke off 2 earlier, the heavier current, what other excuses can I tell myself?!? I'm not kidding when I say I probably lost 15 fish! Normally, It doesn't bother me, but tommorow those cutties will PAY! MUHAHAHAHA!

Hey there, esleech!

It's all about balance; this day will be balanced out by one where you just can't miss....and it may be tomorrow.

[crookednose]

Esleech. Your fine man... it's fun to play with em for a while. Note that YOU killed 'em while others went 5/7.... and you did all yours on the dry... the light tippet does certainly help get into dry fish.. but... use a lighter rod like a 3wt or 2wt, so you can get a healthy bend in the rod yet still have enough protection for that light tippet. I fish a 3wt all the time and to be honest, I do not lose very many fish hooked on the dry (once I hook the little devils that is)...

Your not talking about missing them on the hookset are you? Your talking about having them on and then losing them, right?

 

I was up at the Highwood this weekend too and had trouble setting the hook (I counted 11 strikes on 5 different fish). As this is only my second time out (aside from an intro course I took) can anybody offer any advice?

[trailhead]

If you were missing them on the dry it could have been they were false hitting, sometimes fish will rush to the surface and at the last instant conclude that it isn't a real bug, then splash back down. Or if they did bite let them turn down with the fly in their mouth, that way you aren't yanking it out before they have even grasped the fly.

[gravelman]

I had simmaliar experiences on highwood too Esleech. but mine were with nymphs. I was swinging golden stones with a second size 18 nymph trailing and nothing for 5 different nymphs. Couldnt figure it out couldnt get anything to hit. I was using 2x tippet to the second so i switched it up to 5x and bam bam bam hits every other cast. only landed 2 little little guys had a nice one on the stone about fifth cast with smaller tippet to the smaller nymph. But the nice cuttie or bow spit it after a couple of jumps and was gone. Then i remembered last year that for the first couple of weeks of july i missed alot of fish . So maybe i am thinking it something to do with the fish. Maybe the fish are not hitting the food as hard as there is lots of food in the water right now.

[esleech]

Like I said, I was stingin them and after a few headshakes...whoop, out comes the fly. They were hammering the dries to. Some of them torpedoed straight out of the water...funny enough, those were the ones I landed. All rainbows. Today I fished brookies anyways, and I landed a good one and that was it. A bit warm and sunny for real active brookies me thinks.