Picking the Perfect Fly-Fishing Leader

 

Picking the Perfect Fly-Fishing Leader - Fly Fisherman

Don’t have the time to figure out the best leader for each fishing situation, you say? George Daniel has you covered, with tips on how to select leaders for streamer fishing, nymphing, Euro-nymphing, dry-fly fishing, and more.

From Hatch Mag, fishing for Trout in warmer weather

Trout-Temp-Chart

The above chart has some suggestions on fishing for Trout in the warmer weather. I always take a thermometer with me and watch the temp. I normally will not target trout in the later part of summer in any case.

There are plenty of bass, carp and other fish that are plenty fun. Leave the trout till next season.

How to fish at the upper (warmer) end of the optimum temperature range:

  1. Give a Hoot — Check regulations to make sure there aren’t temperature-related restrictions, like Montana’s hoot owl restrictions. Check the water temperature and answer: Is the water so warm that it is causing the fish undue stress if I catch it? If the water is over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, catch-and-release fishing becomes impractical if not unethical.
  2. Troubled Water — Look for places where water is more turbulent, thus aerated, such as below waterfalls, lake waves,
    pocketwater, rapids, and riffles.
  3. Big Stick — Use rods and line weights that are heavy enough to bring fish in quickly without a long fight. The longer fish struggle, the harder it will be for them to recover in warmer, less oxygenated water.
  4. Early Bird — Get up and at ’em early in the morning or late in the evening, during the coolest parts of the day when fish are most actively feeding and not stressed.
  5. Signs — Look for springs and groundwater seepage, shady banks, and ledgerocks.
  6. Flies — Early summer calls for large attractors, Salmonflies, Golden Stoneflies, and baitfish streamer patterns. In midsummer consider adult mayflies and wild attractor patterns. Late summer often demands smaller caddis and midge patterns, and fall calls for antsbeetleshoppers, and sculpins.

    How to fish at the lower (colder) end of the optimum temperature range:

    1. Legality—Always confirm your state’s wintertime regulations and open seasons.
    2. Safety! — Ask yourself: Is this water safe for me to wade or row in? Is there a likelihood of hypothermia? Am I properly dressed?
    3. Handle with care — The gills and eyes of trout are fragile and can freeze if the fish is taken out of the water in freezing air temperatures. This is another reminder to keep the fish in the water when netting and releasing it. Don’t touch fish with your gloves—the fabric may remove the important skin mucus that provides fish a barrier against disease.
    4. Slow down, low down — Fish are working with a slower metabolism in colder seasons, so they don’t want to use energy by holding in fast water. Fish deeper, slower pools, slow down your presentation, drop nymphs to the bottom as well as testing different depths, and be patient since it takes longer for fish to digest their food in the cold.
    5. Lighten up — Winter water is often clear, and slow-moving trout have plenty of time to inspect your setup. Consider going without an indicator, or use a smaller, less conspicuous one.
    6. Sleep in — The fish won’t be active until the warmest part of the day, so there’s no need for dawn patrol.
    7. Flies — Beadhead nymphs (caddis, mayfly, stonefly), worm patterns, soft-hackles, midge pupae, and adult midge clusters. Mild days with a few extra degrees of warming call for #16-22 Blue-winged Olives.Trout-Temp-Chart

NBFF March meeting notes

Minutes of NBFF Membership Meeting
03/23/2022 – New Braunfels Public Library

Dan Cone called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm.
Pat McQuinn, Membership Director, reported that we have 35 current members, two who are new. Pat also said that our Troutfest booth netted 66 people who were interested in our club versus 35 at the last Troutfest. Pat has sent club information to these folks.

Ed Sweet, Web Director, said that he believed the Troutfest booth increased our web traffic substantially. He said he has installed a spam blocker on our site that has provided good results.

Dan said that Ron would be emailing members requesting volunteers for the
GRTU Fish Feeding project. The volunteers would feed twice a week at four or five sites from May thru October.

Dan stated that the current board would return for another year if elected butnominations would be taken at the next meeting and elections will be held.
Directors will also be asked if they will serve another term.
Dan also told the group that the 2022 Holdover Tournament will be held on
November 5 th and pre-planning has started.

Our speaker for the evening was John Shank, Lone Star Fly Fishing. His subject was “Fly Fishing for Stripers on Canyon Lake”. John’s presentation was informative and gave the club a different aspect of fly fishing.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.

The presentation from John Shank on striper fishing on Canyon Lake and the area, was very informative at least for me. I really did not know that there were so many stripers, and that they were that large. And, they catch them on a fly rod too! If you do not fly fish, they will accommodate you. Great talk and videos. Lonestar fishing