Caney Report 6/2

[Travis C.]

I decided to take dad for his first real wade trip yesterday.

We arrived as the water was still falling at Happy and proceeded out. It was a little tough at first but once I pinned the right shade of midge color fishe came to hand pretty regulary. Dad being only his second time fly fishing for trout was doing well but no fish...yet.

Around lunch time we broke for lunch at Big Rock then headed to Betty's for the remainder of the day. As soon as we walked down to Betty's, I made sure dad was going to catch a fish. We waded over to an area that I knew held fish to watch him cast. I could see him getting bites but he wasn't setting the hook. A skill that takes getting used to over fishing for bluegill under a bobber. After showing him on several drifts what a bite looks like he ended up catching 8 trout total and a rainbow away from the Slam. We stayed until about 7 pm into fish almost the whole time.

For the day there was probably 50 fish caught that many or more missed and lots of fun memories made. The fish are definitely on the black fly larvae though as we were about the only ones minus another fly fisherman that was seen catching fish all day at either spot.

Stockers are stockers but for a new person to fly fishing dad was having a blast.

[fatherof4]

Travis,
Great story- i wish i had that kind of relationship with my dad-i am doing my best to have awesome adventures with my kids-3 boys and a daughter in high school-

Ben

[Travis C.]

Thanks, it was a lot of fun.

What was really special Saturday was out of the 28 miles the Caney has, dad caught his first trout on a fly rod in the same riffle I did mine some 6 years ago.

[bd-]

The fish are definitely on the black fly larvae though as we were about the only ones minus another fly fisherman that was seen catching fish all day at either spot.

When they really key in on the blackflies, it can make for a really tough day if you don't have the right fly. On the other hand, if you've got the fly they're looking for, it can be a blast.

Zebra midges in #20 to #26, copper, silver, and olive, plus some miracle midges and a good blackfly emerger pattern usually will cover most of the bases. Don't stick with a fly they're not eating for too long - if you know you're over fish and you're getting ignored, keep changing it up and they'll tell you when you've got it dialed in.

Most people who have trouble with midges aren't getting a good dead drift. If your dad is having a tough time, watch and make sure he's mending line enough.

bd

[Travis C.]

Most people who have trouble with midges aren't getting a good dead drift. If your dad is having a tough time, watch and make sure he's mending line enough.

bd

He was doing okay at mending but I think it's just something that comes with water time and practice. Also got him to fish directly upstream and to follow the drift walking down the gravel bar but I think with him it was just not really catching the strike when it happend.

You are right on about the either you are or not catching when they are on the black flies. I only carry 5 colors in a few different sizes that one will usually work. Actually the size I caught almost all of them on Saturday was a size 16... So many fish a 18 and 20 that a size the other way looks more appealing at times. Plus that size with a tung bead can be fished alone with a yarn indicator spooking less. That in the summer will keep you off fish too...a big colorful indicator.

Another thing that was a blast was swinging an eat a chucks. I caught a bunch that way until all I had were broken off on the hits with a 4x fluoro tippet.

[JoelO]

I would also experiment with adjusting the indicator before I changed flies. If they are not agressively feeding, they don't want to move very far for a little meal like a midge.

[tsuggs]

are you guys talkin in english or is that some kinda fly rod lingo? If so i'll need a translator:p

[JoelO]

are you guys talkin in english or is that some kinda fly rod lingo? If so i'll need a translator:p

Ha! Does sound kinda foreign if you're not into fly fishing.

Indicator...nothing more than a piece of yarn or other floatable device (think bobber) that you can move up or down your fly line to control the depth that you're suspending the fly. It works the same way a bobber does if you're fishing with traditional tackle...you use it both to control the depth of the bait/fly and look for it to "indicate" a strike. The only difference you'll see in the fly fishing world is that you try to use the lightest "indicator" possible to do the job so you don't create much of a splash when it lands.

Mending...basically, you're flipping your fly line upstream or downstream (depending on the current between you and the fly) to minimize the drag on the fly. Trout tend to shy away from fly imitations that aren't drifting at the same pace as the current. When your fly is travelling at the same pace as the current its called a "dead drift". Dead drifts aren't important if you're throwing flies that mimic fleeing baitfish but they are important if you're throwing flies that mimic nymphs, beetles, etc... that just "go with the flow".

Zebra midge...just an fly imitation of the black fly larvae (its not a house fly...it looks kinda like a gnat)...tailwater trout eat a ton of them. They are small and the hook sizes the others were referring to (16, 18, 20) are pretty small...about the size of the fingernail on your pinky finger and smaller.

Hope this helps.

[Travis C.]

I would also experiment with adjusting the indicator before I changed flies. If they are not agressively feeding, they don't want to move very far for a little meal like a midge.

That is true. I usually work in a three step process if not getting hits.

1) change fly's depth
2) change my position
3) change fly

[Travis C.]

Zebra midge...just an fly imitation of the black fly larvae (its not a house fly...it looks kinda like a gnat)...tailwater trout eat a ton of them. They are small and the hook sizes the others were referring to (16, 18, 20) are pretty small...about the size of the fingernail on your pinky finger and smaller.

Hope this helps.

I once heard someone refer to a size 20 zebra midge as the same size as a letter "e" in the newspaper. Definitely small yet you'd be shocked at the size of fish you can stick with that tiny hook and bring in.

As far as the dead drift part, that has sent a many people home from the Caney skunked. Looking at the clear water you wouldn't guess it is full of stuff floating in it. Trout can definitely tell when something is moving faster as there is a lot to compare it too.

[jebtcop]

I just stick to streamers. Makes my fly fishing much simpler. :D