Question About Bow Behaviour

[mpagnan]

For the past week I've been spending all my evenings in the creek work on my water reading and fishing skills. It wasn't until the other night that I found the rainbows. They all seem to be where fast current meets slow...just waiting to dart out and grab a bite. So, since that night I've landed 9 small Bows roughly the size of my hand. BUT, mixed in with these little guys are some nice sized ones. Easily fingertip to elbow length. Now for my question. What does it mean when they are not taking my stone nymphs, pinkies or spinners but yet stay there in clear view of me? I mean tonight there were 2 of them literally three feet away just calmly hanging out. If they were spooked wouldn't they bolt out of there? What would you recommend I do to in the future to tease their appetite?

 

Thanks again,

 

MJP

[BillM]

They are saying 'Let me DROPBACK IN PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

 

[mpagnan]

Drop Back????

[MillerPhoto]

I have similar problem, except that im not landing anything over 12 inches! there is 30-40 forearm length and larger.. they are chasing.. but not taking the spinners, spoons, pinkies, flys or anything I put in front of them! Ive been fishing this one spot for a solid week and even with the heavy rains, they show up again as soon as the water is clear! and this is a large pool that is at the enterance to the lake.. so if the heavy rains didn't push them back to the lake.. why are they just sitting there?

[mpagnan]

I hear ya. I know they're definately feeding because of their position but on what...I can't figure out. Mine I would assume are resident because I'm quite a ways away from Lake Ontario.

[Greencoachdog]

It means they're smart and aint falling for that ol' "hook in the tasty treat" gag, they've been caught before and know what you're doing!

 

Try sneaking up on them, stay low and wear camo... try live worms!!!

 

You're catching the smaller, stupid, more aggressive fish... but they will soon learn as well!

Edited May 16, 2009 by GCD

[mpagnan]

I agree. Live worms are next on the menu. But in regards to the sneaking up part...they're not always in the same run or pool which forces me to get closer to make out their shape. Knowing these locations I try to approach from downstream.

[Greencoachdog]

I agree. Live worms are next on the menu. But in regards to the sneaking up part...they're not always in the same run or pool which forces me to get closer to make out their shape. Knowing these locations I try to approach from downstream.

 

 

If you can see them, they can see you!

 

Maybe locate them and leave for an hour, then try to sneak up on them.

[muddler]

Sometime steelhead will behave just like resident trout. They too can become selective feeders. Roe works very well when it is the dominant food source and insects are not active. At this time of the year other forms of prey are more readily available and the fish will start to key on one type of food source to feed on.

 

Here are a few examples.

 

On warm winter days the little black stone fly is actice. Probably the only active insect in January. A small 10 to 14 all black stone fly nymph as worked wonders from me. On those sunny witer days it will out catch anything else.

 

When minnows are abundant wooley buggers and clousers work well. A fresh run steelhead in the fall has fed on minnows in the lake and a crippled minnow looking thing can be hard to pass up.

 

Aquatic and terrestial worms are always in the water. Pinkies work well.

 

When roe is the new abundant food...Salmon , brown trout and rainbow spaing run ... it is the go to bait. ANything that even looks like roe will work (beads, sponge, yarn, cheneille flies).

 

May fly nymphs and hellgramites live in a lot of these waterrs too.

 

Here's one that I tried by accident once. A freind of mine caught a 2-3 lb steelhead on roe at the Notty and it was badly bleeding so he cleaned and kept in in the cooler. We found a pile of crayfish (one still alive) in the stomach. Out came my crayfish fly. I hooked over 50 fish that day in September. Prior to that I was skunked.

 

The green caddis worm is one of my secret go to baits to. Caddis larva live in abundaace in most streams as do scuds.

 

The bottom line is that as the water warms up the trout start to behave like ........trout. The easy pickings of the fall and spring runs are gone but some of the trout hang aroud. I once caught a 10+ lb brown trout way up Duffrin creek in July on a .....wait for it ......"buzzer". It's a mosquito larva initation. I was fishing for specks and this huge fish nailed it.

 

Look at all the activity in the water other than the fish. Take a small screen and sample the rubble for the active insects. . Try anything that matches size shape and color.

 

muddler

[Garnet]

Make no mistake if you are watching them they are watching you. And they have seen plenty of anglers.

 

One of my favorite things to do was have anglers standing close to the river drifting fish. I would stand back 10-15 ft an down river when those other anglers were near the end of there drift I would start mine. Remember the fish are watching the other anglers. Guess who caught those fish.

 

Learn to be more stealth stay back know your holes keep a bush or tree behind you limit your rod movements and catch way more fish.

 

Garnet

[mpagnan]

Great tips and thanks once again. Now I have two outfits available. A 6' 6" med. spinning rod with 4lb and a 10' 6" with 10lb main and 4lb leader. The water is a creek with mostly shallow runs of 2 1/2 - 3 feet and some 'C' pools of 4 feet. I can obviously take both what if I had to choose one...which is best and what type of set-up?

[muddler]

Judging by the depth of the pools that you describe I assume that it is a smaller creek. I'd take the lighter shorter outfit. I would be a lot easier tomove through the bush with (assuming it is a 2 piece rod).

 

As for a set up I'd got with the lightest steelhead float and a couple of small shot a foot or so above the bait. Use the lightest set up that you can. In small areas like this the fish can easily be spooked. Kneel down at the bank keeping a low profile will also help. A florocarbon leader would help if it is super clearwater.

 

Keep the terminal tackle as simple as possible. I have fished inside a cullvert using a homemade float made from a foam ear plug and a rond toothpick a single round split shot and a hare's ear nymph. I spliced 2lb mono to 4 lb mainline and caugt a pile of specks (one about 14 inches). I use a similar set up to catch big shiners for pike bait using #14 hook and boiled white rice as bait. My kids have a ball just catching the shiners, some are like 10+ inches long.

 

The point is to match your tackle to the conditions that you are fishing. Keep you presentation as natural as possible and you will catch some fish.

 

muddler

[MillerPhoto]

Im auctually going to hit CTC today and pick up a new fly reel and some flys.. the fish where I am, they are jumping non stop!! in fishing a 2 hour period.. i will see 30+ large bows jump for flys.. and probly a couple thousand jumps by 12 inch and under! no joke! flys under a slip bobber are not working eaither.. so figure I gotta go top water!!

[mpagnan]

What's your thoughts on a casting bubble? I've used it all this week and have landed 6 smaller Bows. I would assume it will work as well as your ear plug float? Also, the orange sponge...what size do you cut it before it is wet? I have used it this week and it really does look like roe when it's wet but I haven't had any success with it.

[muddler]

Well, I would always take a few minutes to see what is happening in and around the water. Usually jumping fish are chasing a hatching fly. My guess would be a caddis fly, as the pupa will swim to the surface and litterly explode through the suface film and emerge quickly as an adult and fly away. A hares ear nymph or a pheasant tail nymph or even a prince nymph in a tan colour would catch some trout. Holding the float back so that the nymph will come to the surface can mimic a nymph that is ready to hatch. Try a quill float or any thin body float that creates the least amount of disturbance and hold back the float (checking the float) to get the fly to rise. Fly fisherman do this all the time sucessfully.

 

The key is to be as subtle as possible and as natural as possible in your presentation. Match the hatch as much as possible. If that fails sometimes the exact opposite will work (key word is 'sometimes'). Try a flymph or a purple woolly bugger or a single egg. As for sponge size can vary frime dime size to single egg size. I dip mine in cod liver oil before using them. I don't know if it help but so far so good.

 

Experiment and find what works best for you.

 

muddler