Down South - What Are They Eating Now?

[syncmaster]

i was down south last few days on the crow and in one spot i was in teh middle of several dozen rainbows that through oput the afternoon were eating (slurping) on something.

 

I tried nearly everything I had for dry flies and got a few really nice fish. But i suspect it was more luck than the fish targeting what i was offering.

 

i had flies go over top of numerous fish and they ignored the flies (most of the time) I even had 7 swiming around my feet - but they were not talking to me.

 

I tried midges and other flies so small I had a bugger of a time getting the line threw the eye.

 

I caught some hoppers - threw them onto the water - watched them drift over half a dozen fish and nothing. A moth fell on the water struggled, driffted over a buc of fish and not one evne rose to look at it.

 

so what should I be tossing out besides a giant net or a stick of dynamite?

 

any ideas?

 

on another note - isthe Livingstone still worth fishingthis time of year?

 

thanks

[bcubed]

BWO's, small sizes

[WesG]

i was down south last few days on the crow and in one spot i was in teh middle of several dozen rainbows that through oput the afternoon were eating (slurping) on something.

 

I tried nearly everything I had for dry flies and got a few really nice fish. But i suspect it was more luck than the fish targeting what i was offering.

 

i had flies go over top of numerous fish and they ignored the flies (most of the time) I even had 7 swiming around my feet - but they were not talking to me.

 

I tried midges and other flies so small I had a bugger of a time getting the line threw the eye.

 

I caught some hoppers - threw them onto the water - watched them drift over half a dozen fish and nothing. A moth fell on the water struggled, driffted over a buc of fish and not one evne rose to look at it.

 

so what should I be tossing out besides a giant net or a stick of dynamite?

 

any ideas?

 

on another note - isthe Livingstone still worth fishingthis time of year?

 

thanks

 

Was that you on the Crow on Wednesday at the Lease?

 

I had a similar time on wednesday. The were rising in a few spots but I couldnt tie on anyting that was consistantly hooking fish. In the end It was a probabyl sz 16 foam beetle pattern that got me most of the fish. I think I got one on a sz 18 BWO as well.

[dryfly]

I've not been on the Crow for about 3 weeks. However, by now the fish are super fly shy and key onto small stuff. If you use an aquarium net to skim the film, you will find all sorts of TINY pieces of midge and BWO crud with no discernible whole insect bodies. But they seem to see stuff we can't. It can be frustrating. Obviously they are eating something and it's always small..there are no end of #26 through #32 midge on the Crow. It is common to see midges flying that are 2 mm long. Evil stuff for fly anglers.

 

When you see a bunch of fish in a confined area it SEEMS that they may all be eating different species of bugs AND/OR different stages of bugs. AND it seems to be aggravated as they seem to cycle through insects species or stages. So it is pretty damn difficult to find something a that works consistently for any period of time. So you tie in 17 different flies and then get a hit and think you have found the key and it works for one fish and then does not work.

 

There are a few things to try (NOTE: I am not saying they will work.)

 

1) Go to small dries. #22 and #24 midges for example.

2) Go under the film...#22 BWO nymphs/emergers or midge pupae fished just under the surface.

3) Use 7X tippet. It is no time any more for 5X.

4) Tie on a small #18 black ant.

5) Tie on a #10 foam black beetle--as has been suggested. Go big..up to 20 mm long.

6) Go have soup at the Lundbreck Cafe.

 

They have seen 40 gazillion Stimies by now and so that's unlikely to work.

 

Good luck.

 

Clive

[syncmaster]

Was that you on the Crow on Wednesday at the Lease?

 

I had a similar time on wednesday. The were rising in a few spots but I couldnt tie on anyting that was consistantly hooking fish. In the end It was a probabyl sz 16 foam beetle pattern that got me most of the fish. I think I got one on a sz 18 BWO as well.

 

yup that was me down there - i found a lfy that worked for one fish but none other.

 

changed up several times befoer i found anohter fly for one fish

 

pretty much how the day went - it was interesting to see all the fish and crazy that there were a bunch hanging around my feet and totally ignoring me, even when i Moved they stayed with me.

 

they were most likly having a good laugh at my expense

[syncmaster]

I've not been on the Crow for about 3 weeks. However, by now the fish are super fly shy and key onto small stuff. If you use an aquarium net to skim the film, you will find all sorts of TINY pieces of midge and BWO crud with no discernible whole insect bodies. But they seem to see stuff we can't. It can be frustrating. Obviously they are eating something and it's always small..there are no end of #26 through #32 midge on the Crow. It is common to see midges flying that are 2 mm long. Evil stuff for fly anglers.

 

When you see a bunch of fish in a confined area it SEEMS that they may all be eating different species of bugs AND/OR different stages of bugs. AND it seems to be aggravated as they seem to cycle through insects species or stages. So it is pretty damn difficult to find something a that works consistently for any period of time. So you tie in 17 different flies and then get a hit and think you have found the key and it works for one fish and then does not work.

 

There are a few things to try (NOTE: I am not saying they will work.)

 

1) Go to small dries. #22 and #24 midges for example.

2) Go under the film...#22 BWO nymphs/emergers or midge pupae fished just under the surface.

3) Use 7X tippet. It is no time any more for 5X.

4) Tie on a small #18 black ant.

5) Tie on a #10 foam black beetle--as has been suggested. Go big..up to 20 mm long.

6) Go have soup at the Lundbreck Cafe.

 

They have seen 40 gazillion Stimies by now and so that's unlikely to work.

 

Good luck.

 

Clive

 

Great advice especially the going for lunch part.

 

i was at a fly shop the day after trying for some help and he told me some of the same things you mentioned - especailly the small fly part.

 

I laughed when he showed me some of the flies he recommended 'cause I would spend most of the day trying to get the line through the eye - you would think there must be an easier way to tie small flies onto your line

 

especially as the numbers of fly fisher folk age and our eyesight gets a tad poorer - where are the genuises that find a solution to things like this?

 

how about selling pretied flies for some of us?

[rusty]

C&F makes a threader that you can stack flies onto. It looks like a bobbin threader. You put a dozen flies on it with a magnifier or whatever, then on the stream you thread your tippet through the nice big loop and pull the fly off. Check it out in the shops.

[TerryH]

....................- you would think there must be an easier way to tie small flies onto your line

especially as the numbers of fly fisher folk age and our eyesight gets a tad poorer - where are the genuises that find a solution to things like this?

Check this out

 

http://www.riverbum.com/2020-Magnetic-Tippet-Threader/

 

Terry

[syncmaster]

Check this out

 

http://www.riverbum.com/2020-Magnetic-Tippet-Threader/

 

Terry

my faith in capitalist geniuses is restored!

 

thanks

[darrinhurst]

Check this out

 

http://www.riverbum.com/2020-Magnetic-Tippet-Threader/

 

Terry

Just for sake of making your life easier.....I saw one of these, or many, at Fish Tales too.

[Fisherwoman]

Great advice especially the going for lunch part.

 

i was at a fly shop the day after trying for some help and he told me some of the same things you mentioned - especailly the small fly part.

 

I laughed when he showed me some of the flies he recommended 'cause I would spend most of the day trying to get the line through the eye - you would think there must be an easier way to tie small flies onto your line

 

especially as the numbers of fly fisher folk age and our eyesight gets a tad poorer - where are the genuises that find a solution to things like this?

 

how about selling pretied flies for some of us?

 

Hi, Get a do-dad at Russles, it's called a 20/20 Magnetic Tippet Threader, I love mine.

[SilverDoctor]

Here's an old time tip that my Dad taught me. Be careful with this one, you need decent coordinationuse at your own risk. Hold the fly by the hook, touch the hook eye to your tongue. Put your tippet on you tongue and run it through the eye by "feel". I use this a lot after dark. Try it at home and see if it's for you. Important! do not swallow fly!!!

 

I also have a set of flip down magnifiers that I wear on my hat. Helps a lot.

[agbff]

Bernie is all up on those magnifiers!

[Fisherwoman]

Here's an old time tip that my Dad taught me. Be careful with this one, you need decent coordinationuse at your own risk. Hold the fly by the hook, touch the hook eye to your tongue. Put your tippet on you tongue and run it through the eye by "feel". I use this a lot after dark. Try it at home and see if it's for you. Important! do not swallow fly!!!

 

I also have a set of flip down magnifiers that I wear on my hat. Helps a lot.

 

 

Hi, That sounds like a good ol one.... I'll try that for sure.. I have cheater glasses I use them and my threader... waiting it out till the big 50 to get real glasses.....

[bigalcal]

I have one of those fly threaders and it works most of the time. I also use the flipdown magnifiers as well. Fishtales also have bifocal polarized fishing glasses with different strengths. They run about $100. The staff there say the lens is great as well.

[hopdrop]

Fished the Crow a few weekends ago, did OK. Switched to 7x, started hooking up. Not much landing, but still fun. Biggest fly, size 18. Most were on a 22 or 24 plankton pattern