tips on guides

Chris Mulpagano, teaching guide 315 430 7512, once you do a drift boat that time of year you will never walk the river again. John Young

Ok thanks. I am trying to get one on my fly rod. and learn as much as possible as I am just finding my way in this so I need soemone taht can teach a beginner as well.

I'll be studying the forums some more.

sounds like it gets very slow in feb.

Ive been up in january/February, yes it was cold. Hooking up helped alot to keep the mind warm. We did as good as 31 fish in a day to 7 in a day for the least. The amount and quality of water you can cover is key, along with water flow. I mainly centerpin with a float/bead, that helps to keep my shoulder in its socket...............

  I had fished on odd occasion in Mid Winter in the past but last year was my first series of trips in that weather. It was great if fished in short spurts for a guy in his mid 60s with some mild health issues.
    Used the Kiddie pool a lot and was very surprised to find fish hitting Brook trout imitations in about a number 8 bounced  along slowly. Also had luck with smaller Stonefly imitations in black or dark green numbers 8 to 12.
  Some days had action and some didnt some mornings and some afternoons etc etc. Generally it was slow fishing but much better than sittin around watchin TV. Also fished other upper river areas depending on the snow- got stuck tryin to take a 'shortcut' back to the car one day and darn near didnt get out till after dark.

OT, I find it almost impossible to get low without the use of shot or a heavily weighted fly. Hot Tuna put up a pic of a double beadhead stonefly he ties. Pretty neat, and I think quite effective. Fishing for smaller trout in smaller waters, I could easily get away with reach casts and stack mends and the use of light tippet to reach the bottom of the water column; not so for the rainheads. 3and 4x tippet, and the illegality of using 2 flies, make  split shot just about mandatory. To compensate for throwing the extra weight 10-11 foot rods are helpful , especially lined with longer, heavier headed tapers such as switch, double taper, and steelhead/salmon lines. Mending is a key! I will mend as many times as neccasary to continue the fly in a good , natural drift at, or slightly slower (Like what Retired Guy said-pay attention! Trevor's a good  fisherman) than the current in the seam. I will follow the drift with the rod tip, lowering it at the end of the drift to get as long  of one as possible. Sometimes fish will hit as the fly swings across and up at the end of the drift. Sometimes you will "floss" one, pulling the tippet through it's mouth and hooking it on the outside of the lip. It's still a legal hook up-it happens. Don't lift the tip sharply at the end of the drift- you'll see guys do this- it's snagging,  as it accelerates the whip at the end of the drift and drives the hook home in any fish that's there. To each their own. Not my choice.Steel can be caught on the swing with large flies in the winter, but  it's  a rare  occasion and I only do it  when  the fish are  hitting  very aggressively. I could add more about types of casts, use of indicators (especially in the close seams of the Kiddie Pool) , and reading water, but I'll leave off for now. A fly guide would be a wealth of info. A good guide will teach you more about steel on the fly in one trip down the river than you could ever get out of  reading a book .
 
Charlie

Hey Clint, I have been a fly fisherman for 42 years. Trying to fly cast with a lot of weight is a pain in the a**. I switched to centerpinning and use nymphs, beads, sacs............the float makes a perfect drift while holding back a litle to keep some tension on the line which helps keep it out of the water on those below freezing days. It takes a little to get used to, sometimes you get a brain fart and release the wrong way or forget to hold the spool while watching someone else......I may have fished the lake from the little black hole a few times..LOL Get a nice 10-14' rod, centerpin, floats and you are ready to go. Don't get discouraged with casting. Check youtube, they have all kinds of casting videos. The nice thing is that you dont need that much weight because the float helps for distance casting and your line hangs under or in front of the float.

One other thing is the diameter of the flyline chokes up in the guides (below 32F) easier because the line sits in the water. The line when pinning "should" never be in the water above the float except for fighting a fish. In warmer weather and in smaller streams I flyfish using streamers.

ORIGINAL: draketrutta

ORIGINAL: jcy110

I may have fished the lake from the little black hole a few times..LOL

Next time you try that hero cast, paint your float to look like a big Dorito Chip,
you'll be guaranteed a bite by one of our esteemed members who resides on the fourth rock on the left at the Schoolbus Hole in DSR...


Yeeeeeeehaaawaawaawaawwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lmfao...

ORIGINAL: dimebrite

Jcy ; I can understand why you switch to centerpin in winter months. I often tend to use a noodle rod with bobbers this time of year... but; I did just fish the lfz yesterday for 2+ hours and only deiced my guides twice.... not to mention it was still only 12 degrees when I left the water... I believe a switch or spey really helps in the winter months. It allows you to cast with out stripping in any line.... also, when ever its necessary to change weights, check/change my fly; I often yield from stripping the line in and instead point my rod tip to the sky and pull my line in by hand.. this keeps the water off the guides as well.... when stripping is necessary; a wiggle motion of the rod while stripping the line helps shake excess water off... I know it sounds involved but all of the little techniques mentioned above are quite easy to get used to and can save you much time and headache on those cold days....

OR you can just move to the Keys this time of the year :)......I wish!

ORIGINAL: hot tuna

NOW YOU'RE COOKIN WITH GAS....

Hard to find perch anymore down here in Pennsyltucky.

IMO - Those puppies are better than lobster tail.

Clint, I agree its easier to stay warm on top of the water rather than in. When Fishing cold winter days from shore that is just what I try to do, there are many places you can run floats and even swing flies from shore. Another thing is stick those hand/toe warmers in the bottom of your boots, fishing when few will has paid of for me many a time. Tight lines fellows.

ORIGINAL: metalslayer

Try between the 2nd and 3rd rock---almost went up on 1/1 just to disprove your prediction---I ain't no slouch.

I messed up with the Dorito Decoy too,

I know you a HoHo Hobo...

ORIGINAL: draketrutta




I messed up with the Dorito Decoy too,

I know you a HoHo Hobo...

Most of my winter fish come from a famous SR Hole---and more than a couple that have no names--almost 72hrs post op---getting stronger each day--won't b long now yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaa

U bring the Jameson and I'll bring the spots

No need for that--in fact I'd suggest some sort of bobber setup(pin or spin)---I like people to catch fish--u could always carry multiple setups(bring a bunch of 5's)

Good luck--try to make it out on a comp pass to swing down low in April---just walked out to get the paper---looks like a great day to b on the water.