Evening hatch help

[STONEMAN]

So the fish finally started rising about 8 last night on the upper yellow breeches. I think they were chasing march browns but it was hard to tell. Any advice on how to identify the "evening hatch" and how to fish it when you can hardly see your fly?

 

[MKern]

If you have trouble seeing the bugs the trout may too.

Match the size and you'll be fine.

Presentation is harder in low light because you can't see how your leader and fly are acting.

 

[jayL]

In super low light conditions, I'll trail my money fly behind a high floating large attractor dry. Any rises in the area of the attractor, and I flail wildly and get tangled.

 

[gfen]

jayL wrote:
Any rises in the area of the attractor, and I flail wildly and get tangled.

Ever the cool, steely-eyed professional, eh?

I think I spent more time this weekend untangling multi-fly rigs than actually fishing.

 

[bam]

Tie a high vis parachute with a spinner dropper. This'll cover both emergers/mayflies and the evening spinner fall. As noted above, set the hook on any splashes near your rig.

Really, the fish are usually pretty wreckless this time of the day and I see no reason you couldn't fish an indicator/dry rig.

 

[PaulG]

Anything near where you think your fly is, just set the hook!

PaulG

 

[troutslammer]

parachute post !!!!

 

[STONEMAN]

Thanks for the tips all. I do enjoy this forum.

 

[JackM]

STONEMAN, don't forget your sense of hearing for dark conditions. I was unabled to see my spent spinner in the almost dark period on Saturday and managed to hook up, but unfortunately, not land, a trout by hearing the slurp.

 

[tomgamber]

Headlamp....

 

[ryguyfi]

JackM wrote:
STONEMAN, don't forget your sense of hearing for dark conditions. I was unabled to see my spent spinner in the almost dark period on Saturday and managed to hook up, but unfortunately, not land, a trout by hearing the slurp.

This is the key for me. Just get a rusty spinner in the correct size and just LISTEN. I fished the brown drakes at the Neshannock last year and the rises didn't really start till dark. You cast and just listen for a rise in the general direction of your fly, then set the hook. You miss more often then not, but that's about the only way to do it. Get a headlamp and a small pen light so you can see both the flies you're tying on, the fish to release, and your way back to the car.

 

[Alpabuck]

Dont just go setting the hook all wild and crazy in low light condintions. Just lift the rod tip ever so slighty and if you feel something then set the hook. I've put many fish down by setting the hook like Bill Dance when the fish werent even taking my fly.

 

[osprey]

PaulG............i'll bet you learned that strike thing from fishing a black beetle , and not just in the evening either LOL seriously though the "Evening Rise" is probably some of the most frustrating things there is in fly fishing , sometimes the amount of fish rising without taking is maddening , at time i think they are just taking on air LOL

 

[osprey]

Alpabuck...........i like Bill Dance.......he falls in alot.

 

[sidthemuffinrunner]

Bill Dance is a fake, I've only seen him fish on public waters twice, every fish he catches is 5 pounds, that's certainly not what real fishing is like. At least not for me.

 

[jdaddy]

"Bill Dance is a fake, I've only seen him fish on public waters twice, every fish he catches is 5 pounds, that's certainly not what real fishing is like. At least not for me."

Not to hi-jack the thread, but Bill Dance has done tons of episodes on crappie, catfish, saltwater fishing etc so I would not really call him fake. I personally saw him on public waters more than twice (and have saw him catch very nice smallies as one of the early adapters of the float n' fly system). Yes a lot of his LMB video is done on smaller waters, but even a lot of those are open water. There is just a ton of this type of water in the area he live in. Plus try going out on high traffic waters like Santee, Wylie, Kerr and try filming with all the yahoos out there!

Now, back on topic . . . a big visible fly, with an accurately sized profile dropper is a home run. As others have said size, profile and presentation are much more important than matching color, etc.

 

[jayL]

Agreed. Not a big fan of the whole bass fishing consumerism culture, but Dance knows how to catch fish.

 

[sidthemuffinrunner]

all I'm saying is that in the episodes that I have watched, which is quite a few, he fishes those little ponds that noone else fishes and catches monster fish every cast, but you do have a valid point. He is great guy and has done a lot for the bass fishing world, but the places he fishes on the show are a bit shady.

 

[sidthemuffinrunner]

honestly, when I see a hatch that I can not identify i just throw on an attractor pattern, if I can catch a live specimen and make the judgement then that is what I do, but in extremely low light conditions throw on a patriot and you will have success, this at least works of fishing creek, paradise and just about all others, except the letort.