Tom Rosenbauer interviewed me on the Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast to share some of my thoughts and tips on fly fishing stillwaters. Listen to the recording here.
Enjoy!
SJY
Tag: stillwater fly fishing
Improving Your Fly Fishing – A sight fishing case study
If anyone is more enthusiastic and full of joy for the sport of fly fishing than Derek (see above image), I’ve yet to meet them! He has several decades successful fly fishing, across many aspects of the sport behind him and still wants to learn more.
I’d known Derek for some time, when one day he asked, would I be able to help him enjoy sight fishing as much as he used to? Like myself he loves visual fly fishing, especially the thrill of watching a fish eat your fly. We agreed it was worth a try.
Firstly, we looked at his current sight fishing skills, highlighting key elements for improvement and how we would achieve these goals. Derek then ensured his glasses were up to date so his performance was not impacted by improper eyewear.
We reviewed his equipment to ensure everything maximised his ability to enjoy sight fishing lakes and rivers optimally. His fundamental fly fishing skills and knowledge were sound, however I saw potential to enhance his fish and bite spotting skills. We corrected these with two simple practice activities.
Almost instantly Derek showed significant improvement in this aspect of the sport. He’s gone one to catch numbers of large trout from stillwaters and rivers to such an extent that the only question is, “who is more overjoyed about this change, Derek or me?”.
Take a look at some of his subsequent sight fishing successes.
O2 – Just can’t live without it!
O2? What does a mobile phone service have to do with performance fly fishing, I here you say. Nothing! I just used the chemical symbol for oxygen (it’s an affliction that goes back to my previous life).
Anyway, non of us would last long without oxygen and it’s the same for fish too. High summer means higher water temperatures and lower oxygen levels in the water. This impacts lakes far more than rivers overall and if you want to find trout willing to feed, locating areas of cool water is vital. Natural springs are a favourite hangout for trout, checkout the video below.
When you see concentrations of fish like this, you can understand that 10% of the water maybe holding 90% of the trout. If that sounds unrealistic, remember, eating is not a priority if you are unable to breath!