This week’s picture is brought to you by Scott.
This is a great underwater shot taken in South Central Utah.

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Sometimes the bugs that you see are not actually the same bugs that the fish are eating. Even during fairly substantial hatches some fish may key on other insects that are out in far smaller numbers. As you can imagine, this can be frustrating. A friend and I saw this happen recently and were perplexed for a time. Luckily we figured it out and in the end did quite well.

Maybe the best way to really see what the fish are eating is to get in their same current lane, downstream of where they are feeding so as not to spook them, and get right down near the water to actually see what’s drifting. If the bugs are still in the emerger stage they can be harder to see so the help of a seine may be required. Sometimes the bugs you’re seeing in the air or near the banks are not what you find is actually most prevalent in the feeding lanes or sometimes the fish are simply selectively eliminating the more numerous bugs in favor of something they think is particularly tasty or nutritious.

On the fishing trip I mentioned we found a few baetis drifting in the middle of lots of midges. On close inspection we could see that there was probably 1 drifting baetis for every 100 midges but the fish were only eating the baetis duns. Changing to a size 18 parachute adams did the trick. If you find yourself in a hatch but seem to be getting lots of refusals it’s good to try this to see if this might be happening to you. Hope it works for you.

This week’s picture is brought to you by Rene.
Spring fishing in the crystal clear waters of the Llano River. What a setting!

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Reading my tips here you probably see that I fish primarily for trout. I love trout. They are beautiful, live in awesome places, and are a challenge. So sometimes I have to remind myself that all kinds of fish will eat a fly.

This year I have plans to chase the majestic golden freshwater bonefish (carp) more. Carp are incredible fly fishing targets. They are tough to sneak on and tough to cast to and they are really powerful fighters. I am also going to fish largemouth bass and big bluegills in May, which is awesome. I have plans to fish for tiger muskies and smallmouth and will do a saltwater trip for Roosterfish if things work out. These are just the tip of the iceberg as far as fly fishing goes.

One of the great beauties of fly fishing is that no matter where in the world you are you probably have fish near you that will eat a fly. I think that sometimes people focus on trout and forget to just get out and catch fish on a fly rod. Look for areas near you that have fish, whatever type they are, and then make plans to catch them with a fly rod.

This week’s picture is brought to you by Bob from Atlanta.
This bonefish was caught on the flats off Sandy Point on Abaco Island in the Bahamas on a shrimp pattern last May.

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Recently I fished with a friend that missed quite a few good opportunities due to the way his dry fly leader was constructed. He’s too good a fisherman for me to say anything but I wish I could have. Here are a few things to remember about your leader when fishing dries.

A dry fly leader should generally be longer and finer than a nymph or streamer leader. I like 9 to 15 feet total, tapering to 4x, 5x, or 6x depending on where and what I’m fishing. The idea in dry fly fishing is to get as dead a drift as possible and the more loose leader you have between your line and your fly the longer you can make your drifts.

Not only should your leader be longer but the tippet section of the leader should be longer as well. Tippet is lighter and more supple than the butt and middle of the leader so it takes longer to straighten and to put drag on the fly and doesn’t catch the current that causes drag as easily. Many fine fishermen even use what may be referred to as a collapsible leader. A collapsed leader that has such a long fine tippet section that it often doesn’t transmit enough energy to turn the fly over entirely on the cast. A collapsed leader, however, provides a benefit on the drift since there is slack between the dragging fly line and the fly giving the fly a longer dead drift.

Don’t be lazy and keep tying on to the tapered leader as you work your way up it. A short thick leader will turn the fly over too hard and drown it and won’t allow the presentation nor the drift you need. Simply add tippet to the end to keep your leader long and you’ll be happy at the result it has on your dry fly fishing.

This week’s picture is brought to you by Patti.
She added, “Wooo-hooooo redfish are a blast!!!!!!!!! An awesome day of fishing the Louisiana marsh..the take is subtle but the fight is hard! I used a very bright and shiney spoon that wiggled so hard the redfish found it irresistible!

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In my part of the world we’re counting down to ice-off. This is a magical time of year to be a fly fisher. Hungry fish and warming water often result in phenomenal early season stillwater fishing. Here are a few things to remember when heading out for ice-off lake trips:

1. Remember, although several invertebrate food sources may be plentiful in the early season, they are likely to be smaller than they are later in the season because they haven’t had much opportunity to grow. If your usual leech patterns are size 8 try going to 10s and 12s. If your lake has chironomids try 18s and 16s rather than 14s or 12s.

2. Fish slow. Our finned friends are cold blooded and move as fast as the water is warm to a point. If you get out as soon after the ice melts as you should the water will still be cold and may even still have some ice floating in it. Intermediate and other slow sinking fly lines are usually much better than fast sinking lines that you have to strip in quickly to avoid snagging the bottom. I like clear intermediate lines in 5 and 6 weights. Fish leeches or nymphs like hare’s ears, bird’s nests, prince nymphs, or zug bugs on your intermediate line with a slow strip and watch and feel closely for strikes on the fall even before you start stripping. Or try fishing a static rig under an indicator with chironomid and other midge or nymph patterns like bi-color brassies, lightning bugs, or chironomid pupa patterns. Adjust your depth until you find fish.

3. Dress for the weather. If you are wading, float tubing, or kicking a pontoon boat wear fleece pants under your waders and good wool socks. Even if the day looks like it will be warm be ready for Spring snow or other eventualities of the season with a good wading jacket, layered clothing, and gloves.

4. Be safe on the water. A surprise swim this time of year could be a disaster so make sure you get off the water if things get rough. Also, watch for floating ice. It may seem strange but I’ve seen sheets of ice move and almost trap people in tubes between them. A huge sheet of ice moving with the wind has amazing power.

Ice-off fishing is almost here for me. Maybe it’s time on your water. Make sure to get out and try it on your favorite lake this year. See you on the water.