2010 News Magazine
Rigs to Riches Series
Wallace Westfeldt
Wallace Westfeldt
I
love those days when I can put a single #16 Adams on the end of my
leader and catch fish all day. It reminds me of when my Dad taught me
to fish. It was simple. And, I hardly used my brain; which is a good
thing. Last year, out of 200+ days fishing I did that … once. That’s
less than .5% in case you didn’t want to use your brain. Speaking of
percentages, when you go fishing how much of that time is spent rigging
or re-rigging? I can guarantee that while you are rigging you have a 0%
chance of catching fish. It’s more fun to fish when the flies are in
the water as opposed to when they’re stuck in your fingers, bushes, or
in a tangled mess. Yet, we must rig. It is an integral part of the
presentation. The best cast in the world will struggle with a poor or
incorrect rig.In the past 50 years, rigs have become more complex. The main reason is that we know more about what, when, and why fish eat. That being said, I noticed that many anglers are not sure why they are using certain rigs in specific situations and frequently make mistakes in either the setup or how they present them. There is a wealth of excellent expert information on specific fly-fishing rigs. This series of articles generalizes that information and provide rationale for how they are to be used. The articles will be presented in seasonal order focusing on the rivers and lakes along the northern front range. Things to avoid, tips, and tricks are included at no extra charge.
Making the Invisible Visible
Fly fishing is a visual sport. We rely on our eyes to locate fishing opportunities, see fish, to rig, and to see the strike. Interestingly, that’s what the fish rely on too. Certainly, it’s not their brain which is about the size of #24 midge. And, when the trout is caught, one of the great rewards is seeing its beauty. The visual challenges for winter time fishing in Colorado are extreme. The water is low, slow and clear, the hatch is usually quite small, and the trout are picky (actually they are feeding efficiently due to the cold temps.) Your rig has to be designed to present tiny flies delicately with no sign of leader, yet you must still be able to see some indication. The examples below show a couple of ways to enjoy the challenge of winter fishing.
Location/conditions: Big Thompson Mall Road to Dam. 20cfs, Water temp: 38, naturals: midges: larva, pupa, emergers, adults ; #24 or smaller
Nymph Rig: Two fly with flotation type indicator.
This type of rig is probably the most commonly used nymph rig in Colorado all year around. It’s designed to present the flies in a free-drift, as if they were being naturally carried by the current along the feeding lanes (opposite to active-drift, or Czech style.) To get that “free-drift” in these conditions the tippet diameter must match the flies and the target water. This is not a question of visibility. Fluorocarbon tippets underneath the water are virtually invisible to begin with. The issue is the motion of the fly. The fly must be able to move up and down, side to side unencumbered by the stiffness of the tippet. A small weightless fly requires smaller tippet for that free movement. Slower water requires smaller tippet for that motion and faster water will allow for larger tippet.
The indicator on this rig has four purposes:
1. As a flotation device (aka “bobber”), it allows the flies to float freely underneath at whatever depth you choose to set.
2. Quality of drift; flotation indicators can quickly tell you if you are unnaturally dragging the flies through the water.
3. Strike indication. In these conditions this is the least important function of the indicator because the trout will frequently spit out the nymph before there is any tug to the flotation indicator.
4. Indicates where to look. To get better at nymphing we need to get better at looking. It is unlikely that you will see a trout take a #28 midge larva under the water. But, if you know where to look, you can see a sudden trout movement, flash of its belly, or opening of its mouth. The indicator tells us the area, not the spot, to look for these signs. As casting and drifting become more consistent, the area to look becomes smaller.
Frog’s Leap double indicators,(6X) No. 6 split shot, #22 BH Zebra,(7X) #24 midge emerger
Rig notes:
1. Three fly rigs are commonly used in the Big T, but during these conditions, when the water is so low, three flies will snag up too often.
2. The weighted fly precedes the un-weighted fly so that the smaller un-weighted fly can move freely.
3. The water is slow enough that the BH Zebra may be enough weight. If not, choose a single small split-shot (No 6 or 7) to be placed above (~8-10 inches) the bead head.
4. The indicator must be small and light to reduce water disturbance on landing. The smaller indicator assists in drift indication as well as a cue on what area of the water your flies are actually drifting. Other options include: small Thingamabobber with Biostrike below it; a bright colored egg pattern instead of the Zebra; a consistent cast.
Dry Fly Rig: Two Tiny Dry Flies
Okay, you caught a bunch a fish in the morning using a nymph set-up and now around noon (don’t break for lunch on these days), you see fish are moving up in the water column and starting to sip emergers. Pretty soon they will be taking adult midges. You might realize this because you see the mouth of the trout break the surface, even though the flies are too tiny to see.
The fly patterns that fish take in this situation are usually so small they are pretty much invisible. In addition, the trout will not move far for this small food and are quite sensitive to unusual motion, vibration, etc. Once again, small tippet and tippet progression are key.
6X to #22 CDC Puff Midge 24 inches of 7X to #28 Midge emerger
Biostrike putty sits in the middle
The white puff in the first fly of this rig is pretty visible. But the money fly is the emerger. The long distance between the first and second fly is necessary to avoid the “crack the whip” drag that can occur with two dries. The problem in is that long length of 7X permits the second “invisible” fly to be pretty much anywhere. The tippet progression along with a consistent cast will give some indication where to look for the take. However, it would be nice to have a better indication of which direction the second fly was in relation to the first fly.
A small piece of the Biostrike putty located halfway between the first and second fly does the trick. Use the first fly and the Biostrike to draw an imaginary line to the area where the emerger is. Assume any trout that feeds in that area is yours. With delicate casts, the trout will get comfortable and take that emerger and you’ll probably get some strikes on the first fly too.
Dressing the CDC flies is not required but can be done to help flotation and visibility. Light powder products like Loon Dust work quite well, provided your dry the CDC feathers first. My absolute favorite product for drying CDC is something called “Paper Towel.” It’s available in fine fly shops everywhere … usually in the bathroom.