30-41 Achigan - Tight Lines Fly Fishing Co.

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30-41 Achigan 6/19/06 7:32 PM Page 36 T A C K L E T I P S A Northwoods Fly Box PICK FLIES THAT COVER THE WATER COLUMN IN ZONES—surface, shallow, middle, deep and bottom. Most of the following are widely available: Good surface flies are Umpqua’s hard-body poppers, Dahlberg Divers, Murray’s Shenandoah Chuggars and Sliders, Whitlock’s deer-hair poppers and foam poppers. Get these in minnow gray, red/white/black and yellow/red to start. Add yellow or chartreuse, and black for the divers. Standby streamers are the Clouser Minnow, Whitlock’s Sheep Minnow, Barr’s Bouface, Lefty’s Deceiver and Blanton’s Flashtail Whistler. Most come in one or two standard colors; good Clouser colors are chartreuse and white, chartreuse and yellow, sculpin and baby smallmouth. Bottom patterns include Whitlock’s Near-Nuff Crayfish and Scorpion, woolly buggers, Holschlag’s Hackle Fly and Galloup’s Zoo Cougar. Go for browns, olives, black and crayfish. Murray’s Hellgrammite and various nymph patterns are great. Some swear by Clouser Bass Nymphs. Many bass flies are tied on Tiemco 8089 hooks. Buy them mostly in sizes 10 and 6. For most other freshwater hooks, use sizes 1 through 8. For saltwater patterns find hooks no larger than 1/0, preferably 1 and 2. Better yet, buy models and tie your own on freshwater hooks. If you tie, the TMC 8089 and the Targus equivalent are excellent. I use the Targus in size 8 quite a bit. The Daiichi 2461 is good for longer-shank patterns. Smallmouths will sometimes feed heavily on trout forage. Carry a box that includes terrestrials—hoppers, beetles and ants. Some Wisconsin streams have good leukon, brown drake, and Hex hatches. A few White Wulff, Drake, and Hex patterns will have you covered. streamers as a dying minnow, meaning erratic strips and pauses. Slow, long strips are a no-no. If you’ve ever watched a predator fish feed on baitfish, you know the act. Dying guys are always taken first—the easy meal. Also, never take your eye off the fly. A smallmouth often hits the fly during the pause and will spit it out before you feel the take. If you don’t get hits on a shallow minnow, think about going to a smaller fly first, then probing deeper with a weighted streamer, such as a Clouser or a crayfish imitation. If need be, switch to light sink-tips. Choose crayfish patterns that have action even in slow water. Worst of all are the raffia-and-feather concoctions made to look like real crayfish. I’d take a woolly bugger any day. Fish these with a strip-pause-pause-strip cadence. In the best of times you’ll go up the water column. When aggressive fish start hitting shallow patterns, switch to poppers or divers. For most bass anglers, smallmouth on the surface is ‘our’ dryfly fishing. There aren’t many ways to mess up popper fishing, but most people seem inherently good at doing it wrong. Some people do pop too much, however. In still water, 10 to 20 seconds between pops is an absolute minimum, some would say even a minute or more. If you’re fishing moving water, the time isn’t as important as the distance. A pop or two every ten feet is a good start, but pop more frequently with increasing turbulence or turbidity. The second problem is the hook set. It’s human nature to set the hook as soon as you see action at the fly. Wait a second or two—then set the hook. You’ll catch more fish by slowing down. On the Rocks With No Ice Technique is one part of smallmouth strategy, but you need to cover structure. Authentic river rat and smallmouth master Dan Gapen (son of “Muddler” fame) calls them “cuts”, but you’ve heard “current breaks” or “seams” in trout fishing. They’re places where water velocity abruptly changes because of stream structure. Smallmouth don’t expend more energy than they need to. They would rather be in slow water right next to fast current, a veritable food highway. People think of cuts as being only vertical, such as where current breaks around a boulder, but velocity transi- On a typical summer day, focus your surface and shallow-water presentations on bank eddies, points of rock or gravel jutting into the channel, rock ledges, rock walls, rock islands, rocky shorelines and river humps—shallow, rocky, submerged islands. These flies are made completely out of baby bunny rabbits. Or synthetic fur and rubber legs, either one Remember the Nymphs Nymphing for bass is important to master. In the heat of midday, when fishing with streamers or poppers can be slow, Harry Murray’s strategy of methodically drifting nymphs through riffles into pools can be deadly. Bass nymphing is best done differently than nymphing for trout. Bass are sight feeders—a fly showing life is important. Again, pick flies with materials that have action in the slightest current like marabou and soft webby hackle. The most effective way to fish nymphs, and even crayfish at times, is to periodically move the fly by hard mends or lifting the line. You’ll know the fly has jumped when you move the indicator. Bigger flies also mean a bigger indicator. This technique can be extremely effective on finicky smallmouth. It’s also a great searching technique in off-color water. Try Murray’s nymph patterns, woolly buggers, Tim’s Moppet and crayfish. TIM ’ S M O P P E T PATTERN BY TIM LANDWEHR TIED BY TIM LANDWEHR HOOK: Tiemco 8089, size 10 THREAD: Black 6/0 Uni-thread TAIL: Black zonker rabbit strip, yellow Krystal Flash BODY: Copper Diamond braid LEGS: Fluorescent yellow round rubber hackle HEAD: Black rabbit fur spun in dubbing loop EYES: Lead or lead-free medium dumbbell, yellow NOTE: Chartreuse, black, crayfish and white are standard colors. For white pattern substitute red Krystal Flash, pearl diamond braid, red eyes, white and red, with black perfect rubber legs and a turn of red fur at the head. It can be stripped like a crayfish, but is most effective drifted under a big indicator with occasional jumps by mending. tions also occur in the horizontal, for example where a riffle empties into a pool. The classic river structures to target for smallmouths are those that generate cuts or those that concentrate forage (crayfish and minnows) in slower water. On a typical summer day, focus your surface and shallow-water presentations on bank eddies, points of rock or gravel jutting into the channel, rock ledges, rock walls, rock islands, rocky shorelines and river humps—shallow, rocky, submerged islands. Uniform sand and small gravel isn’t productive—but don’t pass rock piles big enough to hold fish. Big boulders and boulder fields should never be missed. I learned that lesson the hard way two years ago when Bart and I guided four anglers. We were on a stretch of river he had floated the preceding month and I had only seen for two days. We were even between our boats most of that summer day, but then I “low-holed” him—unintentionally, of course. When he passed me, his anglers were sitting and he was rowing fast. He moved to a shelf with boulders in shallow water, dropped anchor, tied poppers 36 F ISH& F LY S UMMER 2006 37
30-41 Achigan 6/19/06 7:32 PM Page 38 T A C K L E T I P S Gearing Up for Smallmouths PICK A MEDIUM-FAST OR FAST-ACTION NINE-FOOT 8-WEIGHT for your first smallmouth rod. The heavy line allows for easy casting of heavy or wind-resistant flies and quick landing of a strong fish in current. Six and 7-weight rods certainly have their place in smaller streams and also in clear, shallow water typical of late summer, so keep those in mind for those conditions. I prefer fast action rods (but not too stiff) and haven’t used anything better than the Sage XP. They cast well in the range of 30 to 60 feet and have strong butt sections. Other folks certainly make excellent fly rods, just make sure you test cast with a fly when it’s time to buy. You don’t need a stop-a-truck drag for bass, but reel weight is more important than you think. Casting a tip heavy 8-weight will lead to arm and hand pain. Pick a reel that balances your rod roughly at the position of your index finger and thumb. If money is tight, get a good rod and workman reel. If your wallet is more forgiving, consider that your new 8-weight will be ideal for steelhead and bonefish—assuming you have a reel with a quality drag. Buy the best reel you can. Ross Canyon reels are proven big fish performers. The Cadillacs are still Tibor and Abel. I plead shameless endorsement for Rio fly lines. The Clouser is the best bass line that I’ve used. Its turns over bulky flies easily and shoots well. Rio uses the Clouser taper in several other lines useful for bass fishing. My favorites are their short-head (seven to nine and a half-foot) intermediate, type 3, and type 6 sink-tip lines (look for Streamer Tip and Density Compensated Sinking Tip). They’re ideal for shallow rivers. I use the intermediate clear-tip line often. Its slow sink rate is perfect for fishing streamers over submerged bars, shelves and humps. Flies connected to floating lines are best served by a standard eight or nine-foot leader tapered to eight, 10 or 12-pound tippet. If you tie your own, there are plenty of published formulas to pick from. Sink-tip lines work fine with a three- to five-level leader. Regular mono is good most of the time, but fluorocarbon has its place, especially in low, clear water. I’ve used mostly Umpqua and Rio tippet, but I’m also impressed with Frog Hair; although expensive, it really is supple, stretchy and strong. Tie on your flies with the non-slip loop knot. It is strong, quick and easy to tie—and most importantly, allows the fly to move freely. Practice tying the loop small; big loops cause tangles. Check your leader and knots frequently. Casting a big fly rod, especially with heavy flies and sink tips, isn’t easy. Take a couple of lessons, and practice regularly. Focus on basic casting, but also mending, shooting line, casting under obstacles (branches) and accuracy. Two skills poorly developed in many anglers are hook setting and fish fighting. Have someone show you how to strip-strike properly. Most people use far too little force and wonder why they lose fish—they never did set the hook. There is a lot of stretch in a fly line, and 10-pound tippet is strong stuff. It takes skill to land a strong fish quickly, and keep in mind that the “Orvis Pose” is a bunch of b.s.—it’s a great way to break a rod. Keep the rod lower and closer to your body. You’ll tire a fish quickly by pulling the rod in the direction opposite to its run. One final thought—a good guide will show you how to fish as much as where to fish. Take advantage of that. Smallmouth bass are wily creatures, but can still be fooled by an expertly-placed leggy fly. also seldom saw big fish pictures—no 22-inch monsters. I did catch fish, but not many and not anything big. Then I had an epiphany, mostly because I was just really tired one Saturday morning. A few years ago I accidentally watched ESPN one weekend and started reading In-Fisherman and Bassmaster. And to answer your question: No, I don’t have one of those fishing shirts that make me look like a NASCAR crew chief. But I suspect there is a flyfishing rep somewhere with visions of guides wearing Winston or Sage plastered across their shirts and embroidered flames thrown in for the new generation. What I noticed was the gear guys using tactics a lot more refined than things I’d seen in any fly fishing magazine. Granted, fishing deep with gear is more user-friendly than with fly tackle, but to be more successful as a smallmouth fisherman, I needed to nymph and sling sink tips more effectively and more often. Otherwise, my bass fishing It’s fishing those trenches that will make you look long and hard at spinning gear the next time you’re at a hook-and-bullet store. on both rods and waited. In the next 20 minutes, my boat picked up two fish and his boated 12, while we were made to watch. In the afternoon heat the bass had moved up on to the shelf to feed on minnows, and they were happy to eat poppers as well. The lesson learned was: grasshoppers should never low-hole their masters. Weeding Out Weedy areas attract minnows and can harbor big bass. They can also be tough to fish with fly tackle; try surface and weedless patterns. Slower water downstream of riffles, larger drops to deep water, and the tails of pools can be productive. Occasionally you’ll need intermediate or deep-water lines and flies. Drowned or partiallysubmerged wood is a mixed bag. Isolated stumps or logs will often hold a fish or two in an MIKO ’ S M U D B U G PATTERN BY NELSON HAM TIED BY NELSON HAM HOOK: Eagle Claw 630, size 1 THREAD: Brown 6/0 Uni-Thread WEIGHT: Medium nickel-plated Dazl-eyes EYES: Black medium bead chain or burned mono; tied down bend from shank CLAWS: Two brown grizzly marabou plumes FEELERS/LEGS: Orange or yellow round rubber hackle; Flashabou and Krystal Flash to complement BODY: Brown grizzly, oversized saddle hackle; palmer over pearl-root beer Estaz NOTE: Plain lead eyes can be used, but harder dumbbell eyes create more sound when hitting underwater rocks. Most effective fished when stripped instead of nymphed. otherwise bleak stream bed. Some authors stress fishing the shady bank, but too many fish are caught in sun. Concentrate on structure and forage first, and then shade. Nonetheless, always cover water beneath overhanging trees. Honestly, if you’re fishing northern Wisconsin rivers for the first time, you would be blind to miss half the good structure. The islands, ledges, points, walls, humps and big boulders are obvious in the lower flows typical of late summer. Short of signs saying, “cast here,” the structure can’t be more accommodating. It’s some of the best smallmouth water in the country. But the other half River knowledge is hard won. There are still times when I fish with Tim or Bart on a river we all know, and invariably we catch a few more fish on “their side.” At its bleakest, fishing for smallmouths will make you think you’re hunting for the giant squid in an ocean trench. When the fish disappear there is only one place to go—deep with heavy flies and sink-tips. Gapen calls it “center-streaming.” The fly tackle is cumbersome, the casting is not really casting, the strikes are hard to detect and the fishing is slow. My advice to you: Good luck It’s fishing those trenches that will make you look long and hard at spinning gear the next time you’re at a hook-and-bullet store. The ESPN Epiphany When I first read about fishing for smallmouths, it seemed that I’d need poppers, a few crayfish patterns and roughly 500 Clouser minnows—and the streamers should all be two-tothree inches long. I AVER Y A N C H O V Y PATTERN BY NELSON HAM TIED BY NELSON HAM HOOK: TMC 8089NP, size 10 THREAD: Danville monofilament, ultrafine TAIL: Silver and pearl Flashabou, mixed BODY: Pearl Ice Wing Fiber or Gartside Secret Stuff or Martinek Dri Ice TOP: Smoke DNA Holo-Fusion EYES: Pearl or silver 3-D molded, size 5.0 NOTE: Ice wing fibers are attached in alternating clumps until the head is reached, then brushed vigorously rearward with a dog brush. Flies up to six or eight inches long can easily be tied in combination with other tailing materials like feathers, Icelandic sheep fur or Puglisi fibers. Try fishing with a Petitjean Magic Minnow Head or Wigglefin. would be like dry-flies-only fishing for trout. All this led me to one magical thought: I wondered why we didn’t use flies as big as some of those bass lures. Have you measured a Zara Super Spook or looked lately at the size of most soft baits Three-to-six inches is a lot more common than two or three— and the largest swimbaits used today for targeting giant largemouths are almost a foot long! It was about this time that I started fishing saltwater with Captain Bob Marvin. A chance referral put me with this masterful, old-time, Florida guide. His snook flies acted like smallmouth flies. I also became entranced with saltwater tyers like Steve Farrar and Tim Borski. Their flies made of the latest synthetics, sometimes mixed with naturals, were no longer stiff and lifeless like their predecessors. The final piece of the puzzle was my 38 F ISH& F LY S UMMER 2006 39
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