Now that I'm more well-versed in the various styles of trout fishing, I find I use a nymph rig under an indicator as my go-to when nothing else is working. It seems fish are always happy to hit a well-drifted beadhead pheasant tail nymph, even when they're skulking on the bottom.
As a steelheader, this almost feels like cheating. My dry fly cast isn't my best skill. I'm decent, but I can't really hit the perfect cast when it counts, every time. But I can roll cast a tandem rig like a champ. Six inches off that bank? No problem. Bang. Want to see it again?
Although I've got my perfect indicator for steelhead - Blackbird Phantoms are invisible to fish, easy to read drift, easy to adjust, and stay where you put them - I've not found a good solution for trout/smallmouth. So far, I've tried lots of things. Generic "Fish Pimp" style with foam float and a rubber tension tube inside -- they fall off after about ten casts. Then I tried the Thill Ice n' Fly. The trick for these is to ditch the little wooden stick stopper for the "rubber band trick". Unfortunately, I seem to never have the right size rubber band. On a recent guided trip I was turned on to the Thingamabobber. Floats well. Easy to put on. But both my Dad and I are finding that after a few casts, things knot up and it's impossible to adjust. Or, it slips and puts twist into the leader.
I think my best bet is a return to the Thill, with some time invested finding the right diameter rubber bands. Although I've considered using teeny Blackbird Phantoms. Maybe they'd be as good for trout and smallmouth as for steelhead? Hmmmmm......
-Sean-
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment