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Myron:
Hey there old friend. Your guest provided some excellent common sense summer fishing tactics. I would like to add a little something that
might help some of the other lesser experienced fly fishers.
During the heat of the summer the fish will congregate in deep pools just below a good riffle. The riffle will provide much needed oxygen
and the deep pools provide cooler temperatures as well as an escape from the sunlight that mortifies trout. A sinking tip line or a sinking head
placed above the pool and allowed to drop deep into the pool should produce results. Try using a larger Prince or Anderson rubber leg
stone. Use a tight line drift with a longer leader. (9-10 ft) You need to keep the fly line off of the water and keep a direct line with
the fly. The complex cross currents at the head of a pool will cause your fly line to drag and not allow the fly to drift naturally or deep
enough. The take will be subtle at best. You can use a strike indicator right where the leader and fly line connect to aid in seeing a
soft take. Never take your eyes off of the indicator. It is very easy to miss the take. Once that
monster has taken it and spit it out, he won't be fooled again. You get one shot.
If this does not produce, position yourself in the riffle and let out line directly below you into the pool. Allow a large dark
woolly
bugger (black or dark olive) to drop deep into the pool and retrieve with very short and relatively slow strips back to you. You need to get deep,
keep a low profile, and work slow no matter what you use. Once again the take will be very soft. If you feel anything at all, or notice any
movement not consistent with the drift, set the hook.
I just finished filming some segments for my show and used these tactics with very good results. I have used them for years and am
convinced of their validity.
I hope this tid-bit of info helps someone land the "Summer trout" of their dreams at ROLF on the North Fork.
Mark
Mark Van Patten
Streams Coordination Biologist
Missouri Department of Conservation
573-751-4115 ext. 3892
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