Fly Fishing

Maybe its a “guy” thing. My wife wonders why I like fly fishing so much.  She asked me the question, “What’s so special about fly fishing?”.  Let me tell you what is so special.

I just started fly fishing about 6 years ago.  I’ve been a “bait” fisherman since I was a kid…almost 50 years.  I always liked fishing but fishing from a bank or from a boat was okay…but not special.  I bought a fly rod and a some flies in 1996 and packed them into the grand canyon on a hike I was doing to Phantom Ranch.  In the past, I had used night crawlers and lures to catch fish in Bright Angel Creek and theColorado River.  But this year I wanted to see what fly fishing was all about.  I bought a “package” rod/reel/line.  I stopped at the local flyfishing store and asked what I should use.  They recommended a “blue winged olive”…what the hell was that….turns out it is an awesome fly…I didn’t know it at the time.

I hiked to Phantom Ranch on the Kiabab Trail and was surprised to find many hikers asking me how the fishing was in the Canyon.  Frankly, I didn’t know what to say.  I had always fished with night crawlers and lures and didn’t really know what this new fly fishing  would do.  As the people that I passed were hiking out, I said, “Fishing is AWESOME in the Canyon”, “Didn’t you catch anything while you were down?”

Finally, I go to Phantom Ranch around lunch time.  I checked in and dropped my gear in the dorms.  It was about  late October and I hiked down to Bright Angel Creek.  I hiked up the trail towards the North Rim from Phantom Ranch.   About 20 minutes into my hike I noticed a nice pool.  I stopped and set up my rig…light weight pole and line with a 9′ leader and about a 4′ tippet.  I tied on a Blue Winged Olive and let ‘er fly.  No sooner than the fly hit the water than a “huge” rainbow hit the fly and not only was the trout hooked, but I was too.

Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on fly fishing.  I’ve read as much as I can and asked questions to  fly fisherman until I reached the point where they were getting annoyed.

Fly fishing is such a relaxing endeavor.  It relaxes the body and the soul.  It doesn’t really matter if you catch any fish.  Just the fact that you are on the water in a beatiful place is all that matters.  Imagine an early morning in September on the Missouri River in Montana.  The temperature is 50 degrees.  There is a “fog” on the water, I’m cold and the drift boat is just starting to move through the water.  I cast to the shore line and bam, I’ve got a great hit…20″ rainbow.  As I reel in this awesome fish I look around…mountains, colbalt blue sky, riffling water, meadows and I feel a slight breeze….I know that I’m out in the middle of “nature” and it’s such an awesome feeling.  I’d rather be fly fishing than almost anywhere.  The feeling I get when the water rushes by when I’m deciding on where to place my fly on a rushing river or when I hook into a huge rainbow cannot be duplicated.

Flyfishing is such a different sport…try it, you’ll be hooked.

We floated the Yellowstone River at the end of August.  Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate with us.  There was a huge thunderstorm as we entered Bozeman, Montana the day before our float.  As we put our boat in the water we noticed that the water was murky…only about 1 foot of visibility.

The summer in Montana has been extremely hot with very little rain.  In fact, many of the rivers had limited access for fisherman.  Anyway, we tried to see if we might catch some trout.

We fished hoppers; spanking the bank, nymphs with droppers of pheasant tails and copper johns, a dry and a nymph and various other combinations to no avail.  We only caught a few fish that were very small.

I’d love to find out from others if this is unusual based on the time of year and the weather or if we were doing something wrong with our approach.

The active temperature range for trout.

Trout are most active and likely to be feeding in water that ranges from 40 degrees to 60 degrees F.  If the water is colder or hotter, the trout become lethargic, sluggish or dormant.  And, they become much harder to entice with your flies.

In the Summer of ’07, Montana experienced an extended period of temperatures in the high 90’s and even 100’s which caused the river and lake temperatures to rise above 70 degrees causing restrictions and closures.  When the water get too hot, trout will become less active and slow down in feeding.

The warmer water contains less oxygen for the trout and causes them to be less active.  You won’t find trout feeding on the surface with temperatures outside the “active range”.  During these times, trout move to areas where there is more aeration such as below waterfalls, riffles, rapids and run outs.  The aeration provides more oxygen and helps make the trout more comfortable.  So if it’s hot

and you want to catch more trout, here’s what you can do.  Cast your fly where the trout lie. Hit the riffles, run outs and rapids and also areas where the wind is whipping across the surface.

Another thing to try is a sinking tip fly line.  The mistake I made fishing the upper Yellowstone this summer was using a floating fly line the entire time.  A sinking tip allows you to get your nymph dropper deeper – where the trout are when it’s hot.

Lesson learned:  fish during the active temperature range for trout which is normally in the spring or fall depending on the location so you can be assured of the right combination of water temperature and rich oxygenation.  Get your fly close and deep by fishing the right areas and right depth.