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Old 03-14-2017, 08:55 PM
C.wright1 C.wright1 is offline
 
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Default Need tips for rising fish on Bow

Hello all,

I only have one summer of fly fishing under my belt so i'm still a beginner and I was hoping someone could give me some tips on how to target rising fish.

I was out on the Bow River today for my first time this winter/spring and surprisingly to me I was surrounded by fish. It appeared to me like they were smashing nymphs rising to the surface. I was drifting nymphs as I usually do, but had no luck and didnt have much time to try different things. I was using generic nymphs such as a prince nymph.

Can anyone give me any advice for what flys to use and how to use them in this situation?

My first thought after going home was that I may have had luck with a small midge pattern and focused on the end of my drift where the fly rises to the surface. Or perhaps a use fly that floats in the surface film?

Any help would be appreciated as it was painful having fish jumping at my feet with no luck catching them.

Thanks!
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Old 03-14-2017, 09:53 PM
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Smason Smason is offline
 
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for fly selection make sure the fly is the right size, personally I think fly size is more important than fly color.
and when presenting the fly to the fish do your best to make sure the fish sees the fly before it sees your leader, they can shut down pretty quick if you leader spook them.

Practice practice, practice, and do so away from the river. over the years I have spent many hours practicing casting on the lawn. IMO it's better to practice away from the river because you are not distracted by trying to catch a fish.
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Old 03-14-2017, 11:35 PM
densa44 densa44 is offline
 
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Smile Good advice

I agree that size counts a lot. Careful wading and even more care presentation (this is my grandfather speaking). When I was just starting out I'd cast for the "ring" the fish made when he broke the surface. After many days like yours, I began to cast well up stream from where the fish was surfacing.

Way more strikes. The fish gets a much better chance to see the fly and line up a strike.

Nymphs, they will catch the most fish for sure, but the take is very subtle, You may have had fish on but failed to give a tug at the right time. Maybe an indicator on the line to see when it stops for a split second as a fish tastes it.

It is a great river and did you notice "Practice" in the first post? Granddad again, "It is not how far you can cast but how well"

Put them back and then you are one of the fly fishing brotherhood.
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Old 03-15-2017, 12:52 AM
C.wright1 C.wright1 is offline
 
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Thanks for the advice guys,

Im going to have another try at the same spot sometime this week and hopefully I have some luck. Im definitely going to do my research on fly choice for this situation and be very careful with my casting. Today the situation was new to me as I had never seen fish rise so frequently. I'm used to just nymphing deep with long drifts which has been more and more rewarding with more practice. Im going to try working the surface film and see how that goes. Hopefully a few good casts will be had.
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Old 03-15-2017, 02:25 AM
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DiabeticKripple DiabeticKripple is offline
 
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Maybe try a blue wing olive dry fly.

I used that one winter and caught fish, even though I didn't see any BWO's for months.
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Old 03-15-2017, 07:05 AM
goldscud goldscud is offline
 
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I believe you are correct that they were not eating a dry...rather chasing a bug up. It is too early for BWO's and the fish were moving too quickly to be after midge pupae. I would think about another spring bug
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Old 03-15-2017, 08:00 AM
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Lornce Lornce is offline
 
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This time of year they are either rising to Midges or Little Black Stones. Way to early for Blue wings. We did will with Back stone dry's last weekend with 3 to net.
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Old 03-15-2017, 09:55 AM
403Bowhunter 403Bowhunter is offline
 
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This is all really good advice... When you find a steady riser on the bow excitement kicks in and it can cause a guy to make silly mistakes that make that riser disappear.

A couple things to take note of when you find one:

- I agree with the size comment, although with midges in the spring a guy can get away with using a 16 midge cluster fly instead of a 22 single midge. Your landing % goes way up on a slightly bigger dry
- for the most part, presentation is king! Tread softly and slowly as you approach to within 20-40ft-ish downstream of the fish.. It's a balance between getting close enough to present the fly softly and accurately, but not getting so close as to spook the fish. Each situation is different.
- 99% of the time, a fish will not rise to a fly that has drag on the drift.. (this excludes skating stones and caddis).. That fly needs to be drag free
- If you make an inaccurate cast, let it drift well past where you think the fish is before you pick up and cast again. And pick up softly.. that "blurp" noise when you pick up quick with some drag will spook a fish
- when a fish eats, pick up slowly. This is a rule for bigger fish, and the speed of the pick up depends on the size of fish and the type of water you're in, but generally a lightening fast cutty hookset won't work on the bow. That big ole brown just needs time to turn down and close his mouth on the fly you just presented perfectly!

Overall, practice landing the fly softly, presenting a drag free drift, practice your accuracy, basically just keep at er and practice as others have noted.

Also, casting lessons make a world of difference. Its something people don't do enough, but when your casting stroke is second nature and you have a few different types of casts in your arsenal, you'll find catch %'s go way up. Call up Fishtales and ask for a casting lesson from Dave or Terry. They're the best casters in the shop and more importantly the best instructors of casting. And they'll know the answer to any dry fly related questions you have. Good Luck!
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Old 03-15-2017, 12:12 PM
C.wright1 C.wright1 is offline
 
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Thanks alot guys this is great help! I can't wait to get back out. I had one bite last time at the end of my drift while my nymphs rose to the surface and I think I set the hook too quickly, the fish had just grabbed it and the fly came right out. I pretty much pulled as soon as I saw the fish breach the surface, I should have been more patient. Looking forward to using these tips which will hopefully result in a fish to the net!
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Old 03-15-2017, 03:50 PM
scel scel is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C.wright1 View Post
Thanks alot guys this is great help! I can't wait to get back out. I had one bite last time at the end of my drift while my nymphs rose to the surface and I think I set the hook too quickly, the fish had just grabbed it and the fly came right out. I pretty much pulled as soon as I saw the fish breach the surface, I should have been more patient. Looking forward to using these tips which will hopefully result in a fish to the net!
Good on ya for looking for advice. Also, keep up the positive attitude. First of all, if you found a pod of rising fish in March, it is basically like winning the fly fishing lottery. But it is almost guaranteed to be highly technical fishing. A couple of things to add here:

Be quiet! I know this has been mentioned, but it is worth mentioning again. Avoid stepping in the water and approach as quietly as you can from behind.

Pay close attention to the rise form. A couple of times at this time of year, I have seen a pod of rising fish 'smashing' stuff on the surface, but it turns out to be a school of whitefish flailing. More importantly though, if a fish is eating on the surface, or very very close to it, there will be a *bloop* and bubbles on the surface (the bubbles are caused when the fish consumes air, and leaves through the gills on the way back down). If you have really won the fly fishing lottery, you are looking for the most subtle rise. This will often be the biggest fish. No bloops, bubbles, or backs? The are eating in the upper and mid column. https://activeanglingnz.com/2015/09/...-a-lost-skill/

If you are pretty sure they are not eating off the top, then the fun begins. A classic wet fly presentation can be killer. Because the fish are actively eating, they may be willing to take a streamer---a leech or a wooly bugger.

Good luck.
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Old 03-15-2017, 04:26 PM
C.wright1 C.wright1 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scel View Post
Good on ya for looking for advice. Also, keep up the positive attitude. First of all, if you found a pod of rising fish in March, it is basically like winning the fly fishing lottery. But it is almost guaranteed to be highly technical fishing. A couple of things to add here:

Be quiet! I know this has been mentioned, but it is worth mentioning again. Avoid stepping in the water and approach as quietly as you can from behind.

Pay close attention to the rise form. A couple of times at this time of year, I have seen a pod of rising fish 'smashing' stuff on the surface, but it turns out to be a school of whitefish flailing. More importantly though, if a fish is eating on the surface, or very very close to it, there will be a *bloop* and bubbles on the surface (the bubbles are caused when the fish consumes air, and leaves through the gills on the way back down). If you have really won the fly fishing lottery, you are looking for the most subtle rise. This will often be the biggest fish. No bloops, bubbles, or backs? The are eating in the upper and mid column. https://activeanglingnz.com/2015/09/...-a-lost-skill/

If you are pretty sure they are not eating off the top, then the fun begins. A classic wet fly presentation can be killer. Because the fish are actively eating, they may be willing to take a streamer---a leech or a wooly bugger.

Good luck.
There were definitely bloops and backs, I was having big browns come out of the surface so close to me that i could see their spots. It was an awesome experience just seeing it even without catching any
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  #12  
Old 03-15-2017, 05:54 PM
densa44 densa44 is offline
 
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Location: North of Cochrane
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Smile Under the surface?

You are getting better fast, and there are fellows here who can help a great deal. You are seeing the fish without spooking them, excellent!

Try a larger fly just under the water, I would change flys often. Ask for a good stone fly nymph. You can get away with a surprisingly large fly underwater.

Remember the dead drift. Some guys put on a dry fly as an indicator to tell them if they have a strike, thus fishing 2 flys.

Be very careful the water is cold enough to kill you if you have an accident.
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