bass ackwards

[salvelinusfontinalis]

we have all been to a stream that gets alot of pressure, the fish are "smart" and catching them is tough. did you ever take notice that on some stretches of heavily pressured streams most anglers fish on one side of the stream? all of those presentations usually going one direction. sometimes the fish even hug that bank as to notice anglers walking or standing there. have you ever tried fishing from the opposite shoreline?
i have and sometimes it can lead to a very productive day. something to think about and try. good luck all! :-D

 

[Padraic]

salvelinusfontinalis wrote:
we have all been to a stream that gets alot of pressure, the fish are "smart" and catching them is tough. did you ever take notice that on some stretches of heavily pressured streams most anglers fish on one side of the stream? all of those presentations usually going one direction. sometimes the fish even hug that bank as to notice anglers walking or standing there.

I'd say I am so guilty of that it has affected my casting. I ALWAYS work upstream. I always work from the left side.

 

[afishinado]

Fishing from the opposite bank from most of the fishing pressure is always a good idea to try. As Pad posted, it’s not as easy to cast if your right handed and casting to your right tight to the cover behind you. You can cast with your arm across your body or roll cast in those situations. I’m practicing casting with my left hand to handle those situations – it’s not so easy. Those of us who have been fly fishing for a long time tend to forget how difficult it is to learn to cast. Try casting with your opposite hand, and your back to square one with your fly casting, at least for me.

Where cover or wading makes it impossible to fish the opposite bank, learning to cast across the stream and mend to get a good drift is a good plan B. I watch fisherman fish a stretch and note that almost all of them fish close in. Those who do try to cast across the stream usually drag their fly through the run. The same applies for tough lies or complex currents in the stream. Most fishermen either don’t fish it, or don’t fish it well. A lot of my fish come from the opposite bank or in tough lies with respect to current or an obstruction, when fishing through heavily pressured areas. Learning to read the current and mend to get a good drift pay off well. IMO, the best way to long line nymph is with a strike indicator. Lift as much line as you can off the water and mend to the indicator, as you would to a dry fly, to get a drag free drift.

 

[afishinado]

I forgot about Plan C. If you can't fish from the opposite bank, and you can't get a good drift from where you are, tie on a streamer or some wet flies and work them through the entire run. That might work too.

 

[Maurice]

I've been known to fish from the opposite bank, up through a back eddie to get at fish on the other side of a faster run. It works sometimes and sometimes it don't. It appears that pressured fish know just how long it takes for current to drag a fly when fishing across a current, as Sal points out. However, they also seem to be particularly "spookable" when you line them from their side of the crik. I find I put the fish down about half the time when doing this but thats the challenge.

afishinado wrote:
Fishing from the opposite bank from most of the fishing pressure is always a good idea to try. As Pad posted, it’s not as easy to cast if your right handed and casting to your right tight to the cover behind you. You can cast with your arm across your body or roll cast in those situations. I’m practicing casting with my left hand to handle those situations – it’s not so easy. Those of us who have been fly fishing for a long time tend to forget how difficult it is to learn to cast. Try casting with your opposite hand, and your back to square one with your fly casting, at least for me.

Here's a tip, rather than learning to cast with the other hand, try facing downstream and false casting normally to get line out and loaded. End your cast on the back cast and toward your target. This too takes getting used to but can save the day when you wind up on the wrong side of the crik or if a bush is in front of you or a tree behind.

Good Post Sal

Maurice

 

[Wulff-Man]

Maurice wrote:
Here's a tip, rather than learning to cast with the other hand, try facing downstream and false casting normally to get line out and loaded. End your cast on the back cast and toward your target. This too takes getting used to but can save the day when you wind up on the wrong side of the crik or if a bush is in front of you or a tree behind.

I cast that way all the time. It is harder to be accurate this way, but it comes in handy when you don't need pinpoint accuracy. I tried casting with my left hand for the reasons mentioned, but I quickly went back to the "backwards" method because it was a lot easier for me. It could be that I just gave up too easily or was too impatient to learn a new and awkward-at-first method.

Sometimes it's like playing pool. You start with the shot you want to make (or the spot you need to cast to) then you just get in the position you need to make the shot (or to get the fly where you need it). This might mean trying standing in other spots, standing on one leg, putting the stick behind your back, etc. (I mean for pool, but maybe flyfishing, too!).

 

[afishinado]

I sometimes fish the back cast, and it does the job when needed. I have a friend who a great caster and is ambidextrous. It’s so easy for him to just switch hands to fish both sides of the stream. Also, it’s a great asset on a boat if are able to switch hands to keep your casts away from your fishing partner. I’m committed to spending some time lawn casting next season until I can cast left handed well enough to fish. And then, I’ll do it all day on the stream until cast well, or I run out of flies, tippet, or leaders – which ever comes first.

 

[lestrout]

Sometimes, on highly pressured streams, have you noticed that the trouts rise behind you, when you are not looking? I've sometimes tried to fake those wise guys out by back casting to them, and sometimes they bite.

tl
les

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

lestrout,

are you serious? i have noticed that before, just never thought of trying that! :-D

 

[Wulff-Man]

Sometimes I pretend I'm asleep, complete with snoring sounds. :-D

 

[tomgamber]

I like to use the backcast method unless there are trees...then I go with a backhanded roll cast. I find it easier to keep close to the bank if necessary.