Midge Fly

June 23rd, 2010 admin

Midge+Fly

It’s True That Spring Fly Fishing Is Challenging, But Rewards Are Great by Gerry Stringer

Ah, Springtime, and many a young man’s (and woman’s) fancy turns to the months ahead of wonderful fly fishing. Of course, the true diehards have probably been there all winter, except for the inevitable weather interruptions that cut off access to that favorite, secret trout stream spot. But Spring is the renewal of nature, and for many fly fishing aficionados the official opening a new season and an event not to be missed.

Spring fly fishing, however, offers its own set of challenges that anglers should be aware of. Landing that big trout in a high-mountain stream, or a dream bass in a back-country river will be reward enough for the extra care and caution the fly fisherman must take in the Spring.

As we know, Spring brings showers and all bodies of water, especially streams and rivers are running high with excess water. In the mountainous areas of the West and East there will also be significant snow melt and those tranquil brooks of summers may be torrents of rushing energy in the Spring.

This is a safety issue, surely, but it also has an effect on the fish themselves. With the rivers and streams running strong, fish looking to feed will concentrate in pools or in the slower water near the river’s edge where it’s easier for both the fish and the feed sources to navigate. Plus, the fish will be coming out of their winter doldrums, and as the water heats up through the Spring months their appetites will grow increasingly voracious.

The rushing water, though, will often cause the streams to be muddy, and many fisher people believe that this makes for bad fishing conditions. On the other hand, many veteran fly fishing experts and river guides believe quite the opposite, because the rain and snow run-off has a tendency to wash more food into the river, causing the fish to be more active in dirty water. These experts advise that trout especially will be active in such conditions, and will congregate in the so-called “seams” in the river, the areas where the muddy water and clear water are side by side. Look to cast the “seams.”

In areas where steelhead are prevalent, the very early spring is an excellent time to catch them on the fly. These beauties are heading to spawning spots and to go after the ones you really want, catch them upstream before spawning.

Unlike the consistent water and air temperatures of summer, Spring conditions are always changing. Since the water temperatures will be just above freezing early on, and then warming up as the months turn to summer, the basic foods of many a great sport fish will change almost every week. Experts advise to keep a tackle box well stocked with a wide variety of fly types to meet the rapidly changing conditions.

Early on, when water temperatures are still quite cold, there won’t be many insect hatches, so trout and other stream fish will be on the lookout for the type of food sources available year-round. These include immature nymphs, scuds, minnows and leeches. Keep a supply of streamers as well as a good stock of large and small nymphs.

As the water warms up, first hatches, usually with dry-fly favorites like stoneflies, midges and little black caddis, can be seen. The extent of the hatch will depend on the river’s temperature, speed and depth, but look for trout during the warmest part of the day just below fast riffles and in side eddies in the stream.

The first of the mayflies, usually the Blue Quills and the BWos, come out when the water temperature rises consistently into the high 40s. Just before noon in many places is when you will see the heaviest activity because it is the warmest part of the day.

The bigger hatches will begin when the water temps get into the mid-50s for a few consecutive days. Where the early hatches bring only limited fish activity, the bigger hatches are usually too good for them to pass up, and they will beat a path to the surface for a feeding frenzy.

Also, spring fly fishing experts advise that the most effective fly fishing at this time of year includes dead drifting a heavy nymph with a strike indicator or a larger dry on a weight-forward floating fly line. This gives the sports person the option of fishing nymphs deep or dry fishing on the water surface. They add that floating fly lines in early spring should be about 9-feet to 12-feet in length, matching the tippet to the fly size, and that anglers should use longer, fast-actions rods – 9 to 9 ½ footers – to help handling the excess fly line on the water. Longer rods also are a wise choice for the larger pre-spawn fish.

Early spring fishing can be a cold, damp experience , but that doesn’t mean it won’t be rewarding. Winter has been long and there is no time like now to get out there – the arrival of Spring – to begin a new season by tackling your first fish since fall.

About the Author

Gerry Stringer is an avid fisherman in Colorado who finds all of his gear at Trout’s Fly Fishing
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