Ultra selective trout. What do I do ?!

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brookiesofpa

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Jan 15, 2012
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Today my and a couple of friends got our rears handed to us on selective trout. I have tried everything in my box...Literaly like 120 different fly/streamers out of the fly box. Last weekend the only thing that worked was a 20 elk hair caddis. Now they just laugh at that. These fish do get fished over some but not tons. They are rising on something just under the surface and at times jumping out of the water.
Any pointers before I go crazy at my tying vice. I have been fishing with flys for 3years now and this is the first real dry stretch I have gone through.
Thanks for input/advice.
These trout are int the oil creek area.
 
try even smaller midges, size 22, 24 in different colors and patterns (cdc midge, or thread body and 3 or four pieces of elk hair for wings), i know you said you tried a smorgasbord of flies, did you throw any terrestrials, sometimes even the most selective trout cant turn down a size 14 crowe beetle. Also consider sky conditions and water clarity, was it bright/sunny?, sometimes these conditions cause a lot of shadows from your line that tip the fish off, in that case, not much you can do
 
teacreekfreak wrote:
try even smaller midges, size 22, 24 in different colors and patterns (cdc midge, or thread body and 3 or four pieces of elk hair for wings), i know you said you tried a smorgasbord of flies, did you throw any terrestrials, sometimes even the most selective trout cant turn down a size 14 crowe beetle. Also consider sky conditions and water clarity, was it bright/sunny?, sometimes these conditions cause a lot of shadows from your line that tip the fish off, in that case, not much you can do
Sky was clear and sunny. using fine furreled leader and 6x tippett. I just wondered if anyone could point me in direction of what could be hatching. I didn't see anything come off till after dark then it was a small yellow mayfly. I will have to order hooks smaller than a 20 and start tying.
Thanks
 
Sometimes it is the stage of insect and the position of the stage in the water column. Sounds like emergers. Try soft hackles with a bead or place a tiny shot above the emerger to get it under the surface slightly. Sometimes it is the ticket when they ignore surface presentations. The soft hackle under a dry is nice, too, for detecting takes.
 
Last weekend while wading the edge of a stream, I picked two rather large carpenter ants off of myself in short order. I mentioned this to my fishing partners, and they had also done likewise.

An ant is a deadly pattern.
 
jack,
would a trout launch itself out of the water for an emerging insect as mentioned in the opening post?? I always associated that behavior with caddis or skittering midges/mayflies.....Im ashamed to admit this too, but i NEVER use soft hackles, perhaps i should start
 
Anytime now the trout in those mountain streams will switch to terrestrials, so always carry some anys and bettles as well as inch worm imitations (green weenies). Trout will be in the heads and tails of pools unless the water is low slow and clear, on bright sunny days they just hide. I ran into that a bit myslef this week.
Looks like the entire state is getting needed rain this morning and today so streams will be coming up.
But things that worked earlier in the year don't work under low slow and clear conditions as well. Look for small yellow and lime sallies (stoneflies). Trout eat them in good numbers. Also many mountain streams have hatches of Isonychias in #14 have some of the spinners available and some duns. Even though the duns don't hatch directly from the water trout know what they are. I was seeing them this past week up near camp.
 
teacreekfreak wrote:
jack,
would a trout launch itself out of the water for an emerging insect as mentioned in the opening post?? I always associated that behavior with caddis or skittering midges/mayflies.....Im ashamed to admit this too, but i NEVER use soft hackles, perhaps i should start


I answer: YES! Trout will chase the emerging insect to the surface and often end up breaking the surface upward as a result of a vertical attack. Also, this behavior sometimes is exhibited during cranefly activities. And, yes, particularly with caddis, which tend to dart toward the surface and escape the film in short order. Then again, I have no idea what I am talking aboot.
 
Following Jack's soft hackle suggestion: I fished the LJ last week, there were no bugs hatching I could see. But i did see trout making splashy hits on the surface in the fast riffles at a head of a pool, this was Pretty fast water. I tried a few things, no success. Then I tied on a sz 18 soft hackle, cream colored, no weight, cast up into the fast water, and floated it in the film. They hit it aggressively. I caught 5 in about a half hour. Then the sun came out and action was over. So, float soft hackles in the film. It may work in your situation.
John
 
Sometimes it's more about presentation then the "right" fly
 
The is a stocked stream I used to fish and see fish feeding everywhere, but could never catch any.

1 of 3 things always worked.....

1. flout an unweighted PT nymph. The fish would often eat the shucks washed in the main current from the previous night's hatch.

2. Ants

3. Move to a different/faster stretch of water and find fish that are willing to take my fly.


Usually I just skipped 1 and 2 and moved somewhere else.
 
Wb of the Delaware Monday thru Wednesday sulfurs came off right at dark. The whole day bead heads in the riffles above and below produced. They most certainly will launch right out of the water after an emerger. Next time fish the riffle above your recent spot with a bead head in tandem with a soft hackle below a strike indicator or a big boyant dun. In preparation for that evening hatch they seem to percolate in the riffles. Those sulfurs at least the small ones must emerge in the riffles.
 
Chaz wrote:
Anytime now the trout in those mountain streams will switch to terrestrials, so always carry some ants and bettles as well as inch worm imitations (green weenies). Trout will be in the heads and tails of pools unless the water is low slow and clear, on bright sunny days they just hide.

Good stuff right there!
 
Thanks much for the info guys. I did swing some soft hackles but I gotta wonder if they were wrong color or too large. I am not used to fishing such low water for trout. Usually when the water gets too low/warm I switch to smallies on french creek. I did get some action w smallie and big #4 streamer today.

Thanks board members for the input and suggestions....Time to hit the tying vice again. I have patterns for everything except for low water. Presentation seemed okay as the trout were intrested but they would inspect the fly then refuse to take. Sometimes the trout would inspect it for 3 or 4 seconds before refusing. It was an odd situation.

Thanks,
Greg
 
I forgot, Lengthen your tippet. I always use at least from my chin to the end of my arm (finger tips) for measuring tippet length. I believe anything shorter is going to limit your chances of catching selective trout.
 
Chaz wrote:
I forgot, Lengthen your tippet. I always use at least from my chin to the end of my arm (finger tips) for measuring tippet length. I believe anything shorter is going to limit your chances of catching selective trout.
I had 2 ft of 5X and 3 of 6X tippett with no sucess.
 
Car battery, problem solved.
 
Your probally fishing the correct patterns just in the wrong manor. Here is a syquence to try next time your on the water and mayflies are hatching:

Fish a PT as a dry fly dead drifted, down and across then straight down stream and a slow stripping retrieve.

If that don't work apply frogs fanny and try all 3 above techniques again.


No luck on the above add a small weight 24" or more and try again. Add frogs fanny if necessary.


When bugs are emerging it's all about finding where in the water column fish are eating them. Remember the fish are chasing the bugs they are eating so you need to present yours in the same moving way.

Presentation trumps patterns 10:1 Always.
 
Oh and soft hackles are great to try as well as plain nymphs in techniques listed above.

And going from 6x to 7x can make a world of difference even in cloudy stained water. I never believed that either but now I fish 7x almost exclusively.
 
Determine exactly what is hatching then tie on a #10 Hair Wing Royal Wulff.
 
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