what to use when fish are hitting trolls
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reason they hit more fish then you is because they were covering more water, thats basically the only reason trolling is so effective. It passes many more fish of the course of the day whereas you could be fishing in one spot where there may not be many fish or biting fish. especially in the summer heat trolling will usually be most effective. when i fish lakes in summer i troll for the first couple fish, pump the stomachs to see what they are eating and then anchor and fish. if im not getting anything that way then back to trolling it is LOL
good flies to use trolling 
well there is lots to use that will work but the most common I would say are: Leeches, dragon nymphs, damsel nymphs, any sort of attractor pattern like a Doc Spratly for example, wooly buggers, things that are of reasonable size that fish can see and chase as its moving through the water. these are also staple food items or imitations of them so they can work all year round. I find trolling the best during the hot summer months. I have found Dragons and Damsels work best then usually in green.
I would love a couple of the fly gods on here to add to this, like Fish Finder perhaps he knows his sh**
well there is lots to use that will work but the most common I would say are: Leeches, dragon nymphs, damsel nymphs, any sort of attractor pattern like a Doc Spratly for example, wooly buggers, things that are of reasonable size that fish can see and chase as its moving through the water. these are also staple food items or imitations of them so they can work all year round. I find trolling the best during the hot summer months. I have found Dragons and Damsels work best then usually in green. I would love a couple of the fly gods on here to add to this, like Fish Finder perhaps
he knows his sh**
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hey hook u don't need no fly god, they would say pretty near the same thing u did.LOL and remember to troll SLOW as stated earlier. :thumbup:
Luker...
Try wolly buggers in green, black and particularly green and black combined...If you tie your own, add in 2-3 pairs of rubber legs in black or green vertically off the back of the fly...
This is a typical attractor pattern and works well, particularly trolling...color is very important. You could fish the fly in many different colors, and usually only one works well...
Also, try using a sinking line...don't bother with a floating...
good luck,
rib
Try wolly buggers in green, black and particularly green and black combined...If you tie your own, add in 2-3 pairs of rubber legs in black or green vertically off the back of the fly...
This is a typical attractor pattern and works well, particularly trolling...color is very important. You could fish the fly in many different colors, and usually only one works well...
Also, try using a sinking line...don't bother with a floating...
good luck,
rib
i was hoping one of the extremely knowledgeable fly fisherman on here could explain which flies would work best and why that was all. I mean a decent explanation of patterns that resemble the "staple" food sources in a lake. OH and you can also try trolling "Scuds" (freshwater shrimp) i have seen guys have good success with there on Tunkwa lake
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Trolling scuds? I have never seen or herd of anyone having any success while trolling scuds. They are not exactly your trolling fly. Trolling is usually down with a searching pattern. Meaning you are using a pattern to find the fish. Once found you can easily find out what they are feeding on and anchor there.HOOK said:
they werent so much trolling but just letting the wind blow them down the lake. they were not casting unless recasting after a hookup ya i never heard of doing this either but it was working. I like trolling with Damsels myself, sometimes leeches or dragons.
ya i never heard of doing this either but it was working. I like trolling with Damsels myself, sometimes leeches or dragons.
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Not sure what you mean by a decent explanation of patterns.HOOK said:
There can be a variety of reasons why some patterns work best. Or better yet there are always different reasons why some flies work better on some days than on others. Something that works one occasion may not work the next. Depending on what situations you may be faced with, weather w/ pressure changes, hatch/insect activity, time of day, month ect. For this reason personally I don't have a " go to fly". Every time out I may start with something different. The goal is to put the odds in your favor every time out, because sometimes you need all those odds if the bite is not on. One way to put better odds in your favor is to try not to guess what may work. Fishing blind or trolling “anything” can get you results, but knowing what's on the menu (Entomology) before hand will up your catch rate big time which can have the potential to turn a good day into a great one. Study not only away from the lake but right before you hit the water. Shorelines always hold the key to what the lakes invertebrates look like, in numbers, color size ect. They’ll be the same ones fish in that body of water will eat at one time or another. Over turn rocks, dig up a little muck with your net, or brush through the cat tails and bull rush. Put what nymphs you find in a clear bottle identify them and have a good look. Every lake holds a little different info. Study insect activity on line and in books. Insect identification, life cycles, when and where to find them, how they live, and more importantly how each different insect moves in the water and most importantly where to fish them. Learning how to properly fish each fly will great improve its success, and quickly become a favorite in your box. For instance fishing a Dragon nymph sub surface with speedy retrieval will get you minimal results. The reason being, they tend to move at a slower pace and commonly spend their time in the bottom portions of the water column in search of food and cover from fish. So naturally close to the bottom of weed beds would be a good start with Darner Dragon Nymphs. By staying open minded to all the variables that come with still water fishing, and by putting the pieces of the puzzle together can make any day that much better. Know the ecosystem of the lake and stay versatile. This will make a huge difference in making any properly fished pattern work well.
Finder :cheers:
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Great info. Can anyone recommend a decent book on the methods for different types of flies? I'd like to know more about how to present the fly, speed, depth etc.Fish Finder said:Not sure what you mean by a decent explanation of patterns.HOOK said:
There can be a variety of reasons why some patterns work best. Or better yet there are always different reasons why some flies work better on some days than on others. Something that works one occasion may not work the next. Depending on what situations you may be faced with, weather w/ pressure changes, hatch/insect activity, time of day, month ect. For this reason personally I don't have a " go to fly". Every time out I may start with something different. The goal is to put the odds in your favor every time out, because sometimes you need all those odds if the bite is not on. One way to put better odds in your favor is to try not to guess what may work. Fishing blind or trolling “anything” can get you results, but knowing what's on the menu (Entomology) before hand will up your catch rate big time which can have the potential to turn a good day into a great one. Study not only away from the lake but right before you hit the water. Shorelines always hold the key to what the lakes invertebrates look like, in numbers, color size ect. They’ll be the same ones fish in that body of water will eat at one time or another. Over turn rocks, dig up a little muck with your net, or brush through the cat tails and bull rush. Put what nymphs you find in a clear bottle identify them and have a good look. Every lake holds a little different info. Study insect activity on line and in books. Insect identification, life cycles, when and where to find them, how they live, and more importantly how each different insect moves in the water and most importantly where to fish them. Learning how to properly fish each fly will great improve its success, and quickly become a favorite in your box. For instance fishing a Dragon nymph sub surface with speedy retrieval will get you minimal results. The reason being, they tend to move at a slower pace and commonly spend their time in the bottom portions of the water column in search of food and cover from fish. So naturally close to the bottom of weed beds would be a good start with Darner Dragon Nymphs. By staying open minded to all the variables that come with still water fishing, and by putting the pieces of the puzzle together can make any day that much better. Know the ecosystem of the lake and stay versatile. This will make a huge difference in making any properly fished pattern work well.
Finder :cheers:
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Great info FF. As for books, a good one for beginners is Fly Fishing Small Lakes for Trout by Gordon Honey and Kenneth Strand. Others include Morris and Chan on Flyfishing Trout Lakes and Rowley's Fly Patterns for Stillwaters (great book for leaning to tie moderately sophisticated stillwater flies). A classic is Flyfish the Trout Lakes by Jack Shaw. All of these writings provide similar advice as to what FF suggested and cover basic lake entomology.
One last thing to note. When you hook a decent sized fish, don't forget to use the throat pump to see what it just ate. This has dramatically increased my catch rate on many occasions! Please remember to not attempt to pump small fish (< 12-14 inches)
One last thing to note. When you hook a decent sized fish, don't forget to use the throat pump to see what it just ate. This has dramatically increased my catch rate on many occasions! Please remember to not attempt to pump small fish (< 12-14 inches)
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