Why should Wet Fly Swing be one of your main online resources for steelhead fly fishing?
Let me take you on a journey to clarify and answer that question.
Fly Fishing Tip of the Day – Mending the Line
When I started out swinging flies with a spey rod, my cast wasn’t great. In fact, it pretty much sucked. But, because mending the line with the spey is pretty easy (think length), I was able to turn a bad cast into a great cast.
Fly Fishing Tip of the Day – Add a Little Flash
Why do steelhead take a fly? Becasue they are looking for food – Maybe? Because they have instincts from their juvenile self from 2 years previously – Likely? Because they are aggressive fish and just get pissed that there is this little nagging thing in front of them – Oh Yeah……
All of these scenarios are likely correct at some point in a steelhead’s life. But, what can you do to entice the fish to take a fly more often? Size and coloration varies with the water conditions you are fishing, but a little bit of flash….. Well, this might be the X-Factor.
I’m not talking about a ton of flash, just a little to highlight and bring attention to your fly. It might only take a few strands of krystal flash to make the difference between your offering and the guy next door. All things being equal, I’ll go with a little flash any day of the week.
Here is an example of a small, sparse steelhead pattern that looks pretty nice and even better in the water. Can you see just the hint of pearl krystal flash tied under the wing. The steelhead notice it. Here’s a totally different pattern without flash. Do you think the bugger could use some flash? Yeah, I do to.
I will be tying this same pattern as a beadhead flash-back very soon, so stay tuned. The flash-back was noted recently by the Joseph Fly Shoppe as one of their go to favorites for steelhead. I was able to talk a little shop on a recent visit to the north eastern part of the state.
Make no mistake about the vision of fish – It’s awesome. I’ve caught plenty of steelhead during periods when fishing regulations may have been pushed a bit. So, remember – Adding that subtle little extra, It just might end up being a big deal.
Conclusion
Next time you are tying or choosing a steelhead fly, grab the one that has a little flash. Not a lot – but, just enough to give that fish a reason to go for your offering above the rest. Do you tie flies? Click on the link below to get more tips like this sent directly to your inbox.
Fly Fishing Tip of the Day – Wind Knots and Cracks
One of the things you will learn about steelhead fly fishing is that sometimes you can put in a lot of time for one shot at a fish. That one pull that you put in 40 hours for. You will likely be logging a lot of time and effort until you get that next hookup.
I want you to be ready and have the best chance to hook, play and land that stealthy hard hitting steelhead.
Fly Fishing Tip of the Day – Try Smaller Fly Patterns
Have you ever been on the river when one person was hammering the fish and all others were picking their nose? The dude seemed to hook up 3 or 4 times for every touch you had. Probably wondering what fly pattern he was using, right?
9 Fly Casting Tips for Increased Distance
Can you learn how to fly cast online? Can fly casting videos help you to shoot more line out? You bet on both occasions! Is it better to have someone in person with you? To have your own teacher and/or mentor? Yes and Yes!
Fly Fishing Tip of the Day – Quit False Casting
Do you remember the greatest fly fishing movie of all time? Yeah, I’m sure you do – A River…….., well you know the rest. If not, watch the video clip below. Remember that seen where Norman is false casting away – something about enticing a fish to rise.
Well, that’s not reality. In realtiy or in steelhead fly fishing reality you should try to minimize your false casts. There are a number of good reasons to do this. Two of the biggest are that you can increase the time your fly is on the water and decrease the total amount of casts in a day – keeping you from getting tired.
“A fish of a 1000 casts.” There’s no question of the truth to that quote.
I’m really talking about single hand rods here, although it could apply to two handed rods in some situations. How do you minimize false casts? First, let’s talk about how many false casts you need. 0, 1, or 2 should be the goal. This is a goal that I want you to tuck into the bank. Where are you at now? Do you need to develop skills to decrease the needed false casts?
It will be important to learn how to do a double haul eventually to increase line speed and decrease needed false casts. Take a look at the double haul link above for a introdcution to the double haul. Just remember that we want to shoot for 2 false casts or less.
Conclusion
Doing too many false casts will make you tired, decrease the time your fly is on the water and the amount of fish you hook. Set a goal to only do 2 false casts or less. Watch the double haul video to get a feel for this cast. Then get out in your backyard or in the water so you can start practicing.
Tip of the Day – Tape Your Spey Rod
One nice tip to save you the potential pain of breaking your spey rod, is using electrical tape around the ferrules. Pretty simple way to assure your sections don’t separate. Why tape?
As opposed to single handed rod casting, which is a pretty straight back and forth type of motion, with spey casting, there’ a lot of side to side twisting and turning. There is more of a tendency for your ferrules to loosen up with a spey rod.
Sharpen Your Hook and Catch More Fish
Do you sharpen your hook on a regular basis? A fish’s mouth is hard and tough. Although steelhead often hit like a freight train, they can also take super subtly. Just as light as a tip-tap is sometimes all you feel. Take a look at Tip #1 here for clarification.
A sharp hook can mean the difference between just getting a light touch or getting a solid hook up with a fish.
Tying a Black Wooly Bugger – Video
The wooly bugger is one of the easiest and most effective flies to tie for a vast number of fish species. I demonstrate how to tie a wooly bugger and provide a few tips on general tying instruction. Watch the video to see how the wooly bugger is tied.
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