Questions about fishing on a calm lake

[EricU]

Well I just got a fishing kayak and plan on using it this weekend on a decent size lake with stockies. Instead of taking my spinning rod I wanna use my fly rod. What I have planned is watch for risers then throw my dry flies by them. Is that a good idea or should I use a different type of fly or try something else?any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[afishinado]

EricU wrote:
Well I just got a fishing kayak and plan on using it this weekend on a decent size lake with stockies. Instead of taking my spinning rod I wanna use my fly rod. What I have planned is watch for risers then throw my dry flies by them. Is that a good idea or should I use a different type of fly or try something else?any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!

Great plan casting dries over rising fish. If no risers appear, try casting and stripping a fly like a wooly bugger below the surface. You can also cast and allow the fly to sink before stripping. Good luck.

 

[delta_dog]

One of the best ways to fish a lake for trout with with a fly rod is to troll woolly buggers. I've caught a ton of fish doing this. Everything from Stripers to Crappie. Don't worry if you don't have rod holders because I have them but don't use them. Seriously try it you might be amazed and it a great way for you to get comfortable with your new kayak and practice paddling. Just make sure you clean your fly line when your done because it gets really dirty after a day of trolling.

 

[EricU]

I have rod holders built right in so I'll try that! Great idea!

 

[EricU]

@ afishinado thanks will do if I don't see any risers!

 

[delta_dog]

Beadhead buggers work best. Don't be afraid to change up your paddling. You dont have to paddle the whole time. When your in deeper water stop paddling and let your fly sink then paddle for 50 yds then stop again then paddle another 50 yds. Trolling the shoreline works really well also just be careful of snags. You never know what's gonna grab the fly so make sure the rods are secure. I usually put one under each leg and have them pointed slightly forward and out to either side. Have fun!

 

[pcray1231]

I am certainly NO expert on fishing lakes. I have very little experience, and none from a boat. But I'll add this observation for the 2 cents it's worth.

Trout, when stocked in smallish lakes, seem to cruise in schools. The school just does big circles around the lake. If you watch the bank anglers, you can actually watch as this guy hooks up, then the next in line, and so on.

Some of it is just luck on crossing the school at the right time. But if you do hook up, get him in and off, and get your line back out there QUICK before the school leaves. And if you somehow get a bead on their direction, you know where the next cast should go. And if out of reach, perhaps can take an angle to cut em off.

Maybe by the end you can figure out the circle more exactly, maybe running the perimeter at a constant depth or whatever. And be in position.

 

[Gorosaurus]

I've never had luck hooking into trout when fishing a lake. Any and all opinions/techniques appreciated!

 

[wetnet]

I think pcray1231 is giving you some good solid advice. The only thing I would add is temps and depths. No one can translate every answer to a puzzle and you'll never figure out the whole picture if you don't figure the rest out for yourself, You'll just learn to mimic it.

 

[Chaz]

Cruise over the points on the lake, where the water goes from deep to shallow. If you see rises cast to them but impart some action to the fly, making it skitter on the surface, you will catch fish.

 

[EricU]

Well tomorrow is my maiden voyage on my new kayak , so I'll will try all the suggestions that I revived here and hopefully I will have some luck. I will report what happens tomoorw when I get done.Thanks again to everyone here lots of great info and help!

 

[NewTyer1]

Casting for rising trout is a great way to fish. Look for poskets of water and fishing in the evening just as the sun is going down or early morning just as the sun is coming up. Also trolling with a streamer such as a mickey finn is a good technic also. I wish you luch and let us know how you make out. One last thing. There are many websites out there dedicated to kayak fishing and many ideas on how to set up your yak, such as anchor systems, fish finders and many good vids on you tube on anchor systems. Have fun

 

[EricU]

Sorry I didn't post sooner but it was a very busy week. Let me start off by saying thanks everyone for your help and I had a great time on my new kayak, however I tried almost every thing that was suggested and had no luck. I even had my spinning rod just in case and that didn't produce a fish either. It was very windy and the normal calm lake turned into very rough water and got pushed around ( I didn't get a anchor which I'm sure would've helped) the 4 hours on the water I didn't see a single fish jump so I tried to stay close to the edges and fish it the best I could with both my fly rod and spinning rod to no avail. I wish i would be able to join the guys at the newbie day on the river but I have to work.