You will need to decide how thick the butt section (the section that attaches to the fly line) has to be. It should be compatible to the diameter of the fly line for the proper transfer of energy through the connection of the flyline to the leader. The diameter/poundage of the butt section will be totally dependent upon what type of fishing, rod and fly size you will be fishing. Your fly line diameter and the monofilament or flourocarbon leader material diameter are listed on the spool or line package. For example the leaders I build for these types of fishing techniques on 3 to 6 weight rods use butt sections ranging in size from .018 (20 lb) down to .o14 (12 lb).
Cut the butt section to 36 to 48 inches in length. Make a Perfection Loop on each end and connect one end of this section to the loop on the flyline.
Most modern flylines now come with a loop built into the end of the line, if yours doesn’t have a loop, make a short section loop out of the 20 lb butt section and nail knot it to the end of the flyline and put a Perfection loop as close to the nail knot as possible. If you don’t feel comfortable with this process, ask your local fly shop for assistance. The loop on the other end is to attach the next leader section and makes switching out these remaining sections much easier.
The next leader sections will all be made from fluorocarbon leader/tippet material to ensure a quick descent through the water column getting your flies into the proper feeding zones of the fish. Cut the next section in a 3x tippet size to a length of 30 to 48 inches and attach it to the loop at the end of the base leaders section with a 5 to 7 turn clinch knot. This section sets the depth of your first fly and varies based on the depth of the water you are fishing.
Using a double surgeons knot tie in the next leader section of 5x cut to 18 inches in length after completing the knot. Remove the tag that is pointing away from the flyline side of the leader with your nippers and tie in the first fly to the other tag, When using the tag pointing towards the flyline it will help in keeping the fly from tangling around the main leader line when casting.
For the remaining leader section in a size of 6x or 7x repeat this process and cut the length down to 12 inches, tying the second fly to that tag and then finish the leader by tying the third fly to the end of the leader.
The fly line and leader should roll in a steady loop as you cast this triple fly fly set-up settling into the water and getting down quickly to where the fish are located in the water colum. You use a strike indicator just above the loop/clinch knot connection or if you prefer you can leave the strike indicator off and use the “feel the strike method”, we will cove this type of fishing in a future tips and tactics blog .
When selecting the flies for this system, I always use a bigger fly on the top tag, size 8 to 12. Then the second fly is usually based on what is the best food source in the river, caddis pupa, mayfly nymphs, midge larvae, and such. The bottom fly on my rigs only varies to a couple of patterns, they would be Zebra Midges, San Juan Worms, and Scuds. I also vary the lead/tungsten on my flies to help with how they drift in the current. We will cover more of this in another blog.
I hope this tactics tip helps you become a better mutli-nymph fisherman. Most clients fishing this type of rig while on a trip with me, like the ease of casting and working through the drifts and mends.
These knot illustrations courtesy of John Sherry at www.netknots.com
The folks at Tenple Fork Outfitters have decided to bring out their line of Tenkara style rods. I just received the first rod from the folks in Dallas. They will be doing a press release at the Fly Tackle Dealers Show in Reno, Nevada next week, so you are getting this news before the rest of the folks. I am going to be fishing this new rod over the weekend and doing some reviews over the next few weeks. Out of the package is feels great and will be a great Watauga and South Holston Tenkara rod.
Here it is in the package, check back on Monday to see the rod and how it performs.
Tomorrow I am headed out to test fish a new to me high mountain lake that has northern pike (30 inch minimum size) and bruiser largemouth (18 inch munimum). It is srping feed and has some serious lilly pad areas on the upper end of the lake. Got the bite leaders installed on the lines and big articulated flies are tuned and ready. Reports to follow!!!!
Fishing in stained to muddy water conditions can be challenging, let me take a few minutes to give you a few pointers that will help save the day. When most folks get to a stream or river that has been blown by heavy rains and has the look of your morning coffee with two creams, they decide to move to better clearer water, why? This type of fishing, once you understand how to fish it, can be very rewarding. When you walk to the stream or river bank in clear water you feel confident that you know where the fish are based on foam lines, current seams and mostly seeing the fish working and feeding. Now when you walk up to the same waters and it is muddy, you have to rely on your intuition and fishing skills to help you catch fish that day. The competition fly fishing teams have to fish what water they are given on that particular day so why can’t the rest of us. See the muddy water and what can come from not going to find clearer water.
The first thing to do is you will need to step up the sizes of your fly choices, going from size 14 to 20 nymphs up to size 2 to 8″s. There are differing thoughts on color choices so why not try a double nymph rig with two completely different color combinations. Yes you will be nymphing in these conditions, there usually just isn’t a dry fly bite. I would use a black or brown nymph and then the other with some variegated color that has a bright yellow in it. The style of nymph depends on the bug life in the waters you fish. Some great examples would be bead head Copper Johns, Stonefly’s, Prince’s, Pheasant Tails, even many of the Czech nymph designs from the competition fishing world.
Second, make sure these flies have lots of weight in or on them. The flies need to be on or as close to the bottom as possible. Thats where these fish will be during these conditions. I tie my own flies and uses many wraps of .025 and .030 lead in the bodies to get the flies down quick. Those that purchase flies will need to get the tungsten beaded flies to help in this aspect. I personally don’t prefer to use some type of split shot to get the flies down. This seems to create a hang up spot on the leader.
Third, learn to fish without a floating strike indicator, the current on the surface is usually different from the current down where the fish are and the forces of current acting against a strike indicator can actually be putting drag on your flies hanging under it. Using just your leader and keeping the flies at various depths using the rod in a high sticking method (refer back to last weeks blog) will give your flies the proper float because the thin leader material isn’t as influenced by the upper water column currents. To help see these fluorocarbon leaders we use in these nymphing rigs, we put a sighter (differing colored section) at the top or middle connection of the leader to assist in detecting the bite.
I hope this weeks tips and tactics will give you a day of fishing instead of a ride to find clearer water or just going back home. The fish are there and willing to be caught you just need to try add some new methods and thinking to your fishing styles.
Until next week, may you have many tightlines and heavy nets.
The Watauga Tailwater near Elizabethton, Tennessee give up a nice gift to a young man on his first ever float trip. He and his girlfriend wanted to go after some winter browns with streamers, they wanted to float the South Holston, but the generation was not right for a float. I told him the Watauga was fishing just as good as the SoHo, so we met up and hit the river. Zane was throwing a Kelly Galloup pattern on an 8wt Clouser rod by Temple Fork Outfitters.
He had got several nice browns to the net and had been getting plenty of bites with those feisty browns shaking the flies free. After working with him on how to keep them hooked in those first few moments of the fight he started bringing more to the net. Then he hooked into this monster brown, boy did he put up a good fight. After several bull dogging runs Zane finally started to turn him to the boat, then it was into the net and time for a quick “Grin-n-Grin” shot before turning him loose to give another angler a chance at great fight.
These cold winter days setting at the tying bench with a fire going has me thinking of springtime and smallmouth bass fishing. I love to float the Holston Proper, Nolichucky and Pigeon River on the hunt for those hard fighting bronzebacks. Pound for pound they are the hardest fighting freshwater fish out there. Here is a video of Steve Hanna of the Carolina Fly Fishing Club from Charlotte, North Carolina. This was his first smallie on the fly. If you have a YouTube account be sure to subscribe to my videos to keep up with all the tying and fishing going on at Troutfishers Guide Service.
