But none of it matters as much as this one thing - I enjoyed myself, each and every outing.
I'm not saying that I'm "done" for 2012, but I'm ready to list out the things that I learned, that might help you in 2013.
Volume. There is now, zero doubt in my mind that European nymphing will account for more trout, throughout a calendar year, than any other single technique. If "catching" is as important as any other element of your game, you will want to learn this method of fly fishing, that does not come intuitively. The wading is dangerous, the rods are long, the leaders can be lengthy, but at the end of the day, it puts fish in the net when a lot of other guys strike out.
Quality. On the heels of proclaiming European Nymphing as the highest fish catching volume producing technique, I do have two confessions. One, like any technique, you can absolutely be shut down doing it while there are other methods that could be catching the fish. Low, clear water, and you are history. Second, although this technique racks up the numbers, it does not necessarily rack up the inches. As I think back on the year, Euro Nymphing accounted for probably 85% of the fish that I caught in 2012. However, there is no way that percentage holds if you asked me to split out fish 17"-18" or greater. Maybe half of the large fish this year came on the Euro methods, at best. This beauty took the nymph under a stimulator.
All purpose. I had a suspicion all year that dry-dropper fishing was a skill set that I could improve on. I didn't get serious about it until the second half of the year, and actually very late in the fall season. I was so addicted to Euro nymphing that I couldn't fish D/D with confidence. However, in the late weeks of 2012, I have learned that dry-dropper is such a relaxing and deadly way to fish, that I believe it will be my default method for 2013. In fact, I really don't see why I couldn't tie on a stimulator and drop a pheasant tail and keep that rig on all year, literally. You can cover so much water with the right drift, and in my experience, stop losing flies like you do with Euro nymphing and you go through far less tippet material. I recently got my hands on a few Klinkhammers that ride in the film. I suggest you do the same. If you love to nymph, but miss the pleasure of casting an unencumbered fly line, this is your game.
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| Klinkhammer: visit www.orvis.com |
Don't be thick-headed. I did, at one time, think Euro nymphing can and will work everywhere. It doesn't. Here's my summary- it works on the Croton Watershed, and it doesn't work in the Catskills. Whoa! I'll bet that caused some disagreement. Of course, there are stretches of both locations where the reverse will be true, I know that. But in a general sense, if you can read the water properly on the Croton, you can drift your nymphs into the fishy zones and you will hook up. There is just too much water to cover in the Catskills on drifts that are a few feet long. I realize there are probably a few die hards that Euro nymphed a few trout out of the Horton Iron Bridge riffles or under the 191 Bridge, I get that. But, the Catskills have long, flat, glassy pools that hold a lot of fish. You can't get the drift that you need with the Euro methods, and you can't get close enough to the fish. Think dry-dropper, for the Catskills.
Finding less use for size 14 flies. At the start of the season, you could have reached into my box with your eyes closed and had pretty good odds of retrieving a size 14 fly. Not the case anymore. The three most popular rigs at the end of my rod are: Euro set up, with a #12 stonefly and a small nymph (#16-#20) dropper; D/D with a #10-12 dry fly and a small nymph dropper; or an ugly #4 streamer. My point is that I think nymphs are the most effective with the least snags and tangles, and best fish hooking ability somewhere around size #16, and erring on the smaller side. I really enjoyed discovering the #20 zebra midge this year. Very few nymphs that you see under rocks are actually #14. As for a word on the #12 stonefly or the #10 dry fly, don't forget that they are serving dual purposes such as "anchor", or "indicator", alongside fish catcher, in many cases.
The secret to the Esopus. A sunny day, a week after the last rain. I'll tell you what - we're so in the habit of wanting cloudy, overcast days to optimize fishing conditions, but you want sunlight penetrating the water at the Esopus. Don't give me any speech about needing a cloudy day to hatch the olives so the fish get active *yawn*. You'd trade olives for visibility. So many times, it's so muddy or silty, that the water column needs "illumination" so that your offering becomes visible to these trout. I can't remember how many times I've caught fish there, and their pupils are so large from the lack of light in the water. It's like when your cat come up from the basement and his eyes are all creepy black. If you can find a stretch during steady flow, let sunlight be your guide.
Fluorocarbon saves you money, at three times the price of monofilament. Yes, a spool costs $15 versus a roll of nylon at $5. But the number of flies that it rescues is just staggering. Straightened hooks are more of an issue that line snapping. Don't forget what happens to mono - it absorbs water and actually resembles more of a wet noodle after a while. You could start the day with a brand new 9' leader and between stretch and water absorption, hook up a 9' 3" leader by sundown. Fluorocarbon will not absorb water, and is far more abrasion resistent. Plus, its specific gravity and light refraction qualities make it tailor-made for nymph fisherman or even the last foot of a dry fly rig. It's one of the true advantages that we have as fisherman. Just double check those knots. Its abrasion resistence is also the same property that keeps the knot from biting into itself to seat properly. Spend a little more money to catch more fish and save more flies. Just remember, save your clippings and don't leave it streamside. Fluorocarbon will outlive both you and me.
Barbless hooks are a win-win. I'm not an authoritative expert here, but I finally got on board with this concept in 2012. A barbless hook makes everyone's life easier. It penetrates the fish deeper, and with some effort and good decision making, you can keep the same landing percentage as if you used a harpoon. Plus, it's easier removing it from the fish, as you'll handle the fish less and do little, if any, damage when you back it out. If you've ever had to remove a hook from yourself, well, you'll be grateful when you're barbless. By the way, this does not mean just that you pinch barbs down. There are manufacturers that sell barbless hooks, such as the Tiemco 2499. If you've ever tried to slide a 1/16 bead onto a size 20 midge hook, you'll also appreciate its barbless quality!
Watch USGS flow charts online. If you don't currently have your favorite spots bookmarked, I would suggest you do so. Go online and Google "USGS _______" inserting your desired river or creek. Even if you are not fishing it in the near future, making it part of your morning coffee routine will make you more in-tune with the river itself. After a while, you'll know a 1/2 day rain in the spring will make it "jump" by 200 CFS, but in two days, it levels back off. Or, if a tailwater, you'll be able to spot those erratic releases that can really curtail the fishing. You'll especially want to be educated about patterns, and trends with the fishing. You might find that the Beaverkill fishes best at 500 CFS in the spots that you like. You might see that the West Branch of the Delaware is 1200 CFS from a release and decide that it's not worth heading out that way to struggle. It will also influence what method of fishing you are trying. High water? Maybe streamers near the bank. You'll want your 6-wt. For those locations lucky enough to record temperature, you can also take mental notes of what works at what temperatures, and when.
You don't need that many flies. One of the early trends that I am noticing in winter here is that I am carrying less gear. With finger numbing cold, I am not changing or adjusting rigs like I would in May. For the winter, I might use a big streamer on a dead-drift. I might use a tiny two-nymph dropper rig with confidence flies like a pheasant tail and a zebra midge. If they don't bite, they don't bite. I'm ok with that, versus going nuts with other flies or split shot, or lighter tippets, etc. Truthfully, I have found throughout the fall that if the fish don't bite a tiny pheasant tail or don't attack a rubber legged stonefly, they don't bite anything (unless they key in on eggs during a spawning cycle). I like simplicity at this point, and if you just gave me the above mentioned flies, I probably wouldn't ask for anything else. This is a game of presentation, at the right place, at the right time. No matter how much we want to, uhh, complicate it....
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Accept that trout eat some things, some times. Growing up a bass fisherman, you could almost always throw a plastic lizard into a set of lilly pads and watch it erupt into something that is t-shirt worthy. That bass was just sitting there, very opportunistic. I'm not saying that trout never act like this, but it's fewer and farther between. I never could understand why, during a hatch, during their frenzy, I could not toss in something that looked good--something larger-- and not get their attention. Why are they eating #20s when I am giving them a #14? Or a #4? Why won't they inhale this woolly bugger and take a break from the olives? Then, one night in the movie theatre it hit me. As I was shoving in handfuls of popcorn, digging for the next handful like an excavator, I thought to myself that I wouldn't eat a hamburger if someone put it in front of me at that moment. In an odd way, I sort of understood a comparison to the hatch, and become a better fly fisherman from that thought forward.
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| Would you eat this in the middle of a popcorn hatch? |
I know the above commentary isn't book-worthy, but it's free over the Internet, and as always, I encourage second opinions. I hope that two or three of the topics rang a bell with you and maybe you can clear out a little room in your chest pack to put these tips in there and see what works in 2013.
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