Blog & Latest Updates
Fly Fishing Articles
Insects by Common Name
> > Sinking line reccomendation for Stillwater fishing
| EasyPeasy | February 17th, 2019, 8:53 am | |
| california Posts: 2 | I am really getting into Stillwater fishing one of my local reservoirs. I have a 7wt that I want to equip with sinking line. Looking for recommendation on what line to purchase for slow striing wooly buggers in about 20-30ft depth and Stillwater nymphing in the same depth | |
| Wbranch | February 17th, 2019, 10:40 am | |
 Posts: 2733 | I'm sorry while I fly fish extensively I have never trout fished in a lake. | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
| Jmd123 | February 19th, 2019, 6:46 am | |
 Posts: 2611 | Be prepared for surface fishing! You will be surprised how often you will be fishing on top in a lake. I know, I've been hitting a couple of trout lakes on a regular basis for the last 8 years, and have yet to use a sinking line even in a lake that reaches a depth of 38 feet. Just sayin'...most of my lake fishing takes place in the top 10-15', but of course, your results may differ. Jonathon P.S. It's not easy for me to find a topic in fly fishing for trout in which I actually know more than Matt does. Just sayin'... ;oD | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Adirman | March 3rd, 2019, 9:02 am | |
 Posts: 505 | I’ve never really fishedfor trout in a Stillwater situation either, what do you hide, mostly streamers? | |
| Jmd123 | March 5th, 2019, 6:57 am | |
Posts: 2611 | I do mostly streamers, but you gotta be ready for a hatch...plus grasshoppers and crickets, which work extremely well when twitched on a smooth glassy lake or pond surface. But yes, streamers and woollies are what I use mostly in stillwaters. Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Adirman | March 5th, 2019, 10:01 am | |
Posts: 505 | Cool Johnathon, and how deep do you usually run them relative to the bottom? Are you scraping bottom or riding up in mid depths somewhere? | |
| Jmd123 | March 6th, 2019, 6:51 am | |
Posts: 2611 | Dave, I'm using a floating line with streamers weighted by nickel-plated lead dumbbell eyes. Pretty much a standard leader, 7.5 - 9 feet long, usually 2x or 3x tippet depending on the size and weight of the fly I'm using (usually a #6 or a #10). If I let it sink, I can get down maybe 10 or 12 feet, too much deeper and I'm in the weeds. I'm not much of a "bottom-dredger" when it comes to fly fishing...and this is in Reid Lake, which gets to a maximum of 38 feet and probably averages over 20. Big perch are hitting these flies too, my biggest from this lake is 13 3/4"! But the rainbows get bigger...and my other spot, [REDACTED] Pond, is shallow enough to never need much weight other than perhaps bead-chain or a bit of underwrapping with lead or non-toxic wire. Woolly buggers and KBFs with bead-chain eyes are all I need there for the brookies and more big perch. There's nothing like the jolt of a fish hitting a streamer HARD on a tight line! Sends a shock wave straight up your arm into your brain that says only one thing: FISH ON!!! Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Adirman | March 6th, 2019, 2:02 pm | |
Posts: 505 | Gotcha, sounds like an awesome place to fish! So do you use a countdown to get to a specific depth Johnathon? How far do you cast out roughly to let it sink? Are you also trolling in your kayak? Thanks for your insight as always 😊 | |
| Jmd123 | March 7th, 2019, 7:16 am | |
Posts: 2611 | I park and cast, and usually don't wait too long before beginning the strip, but of course the longer I wait the deeper it goes. I don't really use a countdown, I just kinda go with what feels right. As far as casting, I am throwing it as far as I can to cover as much water as possible. Areas I am working are generally the outside of the weed beds. I should mention that I don't fish this in the summer - it's mosquito hell as soon as they emerge and I don't even wanna think about the deer flies in there in July! I hit this spot in the fall, October and November if we have a nice fall (like 2015 & 2016), as it stays open year-round. So, I am only fishing it during colder weather when the trout are up top and not hiding down in the cold water during summer heat. And, as I said, I love to twitch a hopper and watch the rainbows come out of the water after 'em! Though the bigger ones all hit streamers... Thank goodness its March and our fly-rod seasons are almost upon us - steelhead around here! Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Adirman | March 9th, 2019, 6:51 am | |
Posts: 505 | Johnathon, hownfast do you strip the streamers, in particular the buggers? I haven’t ever really had much luck with them except for bass but would love to try them this season | |
| Jmd123 | March 11th, 2019, 6:53 am | |
Posts: 2611 | I vary my stripping speed and try to make it somewhat irregular: strip...strip strip...strip...…………..strip strip strip....strip...trying to make it look like a baitfish in trouble, or with the Buggers trying to imitate a swimming leech or dragonfly nymph or ? And with the baitfish imitations I strip about 1 foot but can vary from 6" to 18" per strip. You just don't want it to be too regular, you want to give the impression that the baitfish is not well and is an easy target for a hungry predator. Shorter strips with the Buggers, usually about 6" or less but you can vary that too. Fish these flies these ways and EVERYTHING will hit them - bass, trout, perch, sunfish, crappie, etc. Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Adirman | March 12th, 2019, 12:24 pm | |
Posts: 505 | Do you kind of jig the bugger a bit as you strip it? I know another guy told me try that years ago; I never did cuz I haven’t had much faith in that pattern but definitely need to try it this year cuz a lot of guys cite them as one of their favorite patterns | |
| Jmd123 | March 13th, 2019, 7:35 am | |
Posts: 2611 | Dave, anything that makes your fly look like a vulnerable, crippled food item that is an easy target will help entice them to hit. Irregular is better than regular! Remember, those WBs and KBFs have marabou tails that "breathe" under water - give them all sorts of different motions and make them look ALIVE. Jonathon P.S. Man, you got me thinkin' about this stuff now...and we're having a serious thaw! Lookin' at those fly rods again... | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
Quick Reply
You have to be logged in to post on the forum. It's this easy:
Related Discussions
| Title | Replies | Last Reply |
| Re: Leader set-up for a sink-tip line with weighted flies In Gear Talk by Jmd123 | 2 | Apr 25, 2016 by Afishinado |
| Re: Escargo-eating trout and other mysteries of stillwater fishing In General Discussion by Jmd123 | 1 | Nov 4, 2015 by TimCat |
"Comfort fishing"...a.k.a. the hometown lake     In the Photography Board by Jmd123 | 0 | |
| Re: Fly line questions. In Beginner Help by Rob | 4 | Apr 18, 2007 by Taxon |
| underlining Loomis Whisper Creek In Gear Talk by Halperin | 0 | |
| Re: Middle Fork Snoqualmie after work In Site Updates by Troutnut | 3 | Jul 21, 2018 by Paulhokenes |
| Re: What kind of replacement fly reel should I get In Gear Talk by Cptenn94 | 1 | Sep 7, 2015 by PaulRoberts |
| Re: Isle Royale fly fishing In General Discussion by Valleyridge | 1 | Jan 12, 2011 by Jmd123 |
| Green Trout In General Discussion by FisherOfMen | 0 | |
| Re: Streamer Fishing In General Discussion by Flyguide1 | 5 | Aug 10, 2018 by Jmd123 |
Troutnut.com is copyright © 2004-2024 Jason
Neuswanger (email Jason). See my FAQ for information about use of my images.
privacy policy
privacy policy