|
These trout are feeding completely on top ! Note the bubbles in the pictures :) . Dry Fly Time . click here for larger video !
Note the dorsal fin breaking the plane . Definitely feeding on emergers probably midge pupae !
1. They may however be leaping after spinners hovering low over the water (this is most prevelent late in the evening) or caddis bouncing , laying eggs . In either case you should be able to stop , observe and determine if either could be the case . If it's spinners hovering the best advice I can give you is tie on the appropriate spent wing then enjoy a good cigar while waiting for them (the spinners) to hit the water :) . If it is caddis laying eggs , in faster water, you can try presenting downstream then "hopping" your fly on a taught line . It's kind of a low percentage game but can be a pile of fun !
|
Reading Riseforms
Q:How do you know whether to fish a dry, emerger , spinner , etc ? Q: How do you figure out which "bug" they are eating during a multiple hatch situation ? These are 2 questions I have been asked many , many times . The answers are inter-related and occasionally less then cut & dry ! Let's start with some basic rules of thumb ... If the trout is feeding on insects floating on top it must break the surface plane with it's mouth or suck pulling the "plane" down to it . In either case air is "inhaled and will be expelled . Watch for tiny air bubbles . If you see bubbles they are feeding completely on top and you should be presenting your fly there as well . Classic dry fly/dun situation . If the trout is chasing emerging insects up through the water column it may well finish this chase by very aggresively breaking the plane (sometimes completely leaving the water ) . Now there are several howevers involved here .... 2. The splashes may however indicate nothing more then little fish , usually rainbows , coming up off the bottom to feed on insects floatin on the surface . Observation will give you your answer here . Now that we have covered some howevers let's assume they are chasing emergers up through the column . Your best approach is to "lift" a weighted emerger , simulating the behavior of the real ones . Be advised the takes can be violent :) ! At the very least you should drop an emerger off the back of your dry . This will get you in the game . |
If the trout is feeding steadily on emergers in the film , from the plane - down 2-3"s it will leave a gentle riseform caused by the dorsal fin (perhaps followed by the tail) breaking the plane . This tells us they are feeding on emerging insects in the upper 2-3"s of the water column . The more defined the riseform , the closer to the surface they are . Fish the appropriate emerger , dropped off the back of a adult form of the insect , in the film , xinking it to get it down . This is classic midge fishing and also the best bet during many mayfly hatches especially Sulphurs . During a midge or Sulphur hatch the emerger is the stage of the insect most (and most easily ) available to the trout and is therefore the stage they most often feed on .
Now you will have to keep in mind that this situation (fish eating emergers in the film often leaves a riseform that looks an awful like like the riseform of a trout that is eating spent spinners . You need to watch for bubbles (if possible) as well as simply take a good hard look at the surface and consider the circumstances ....
Now if its 8:30 pm and the surface is covered with #18 rusty spinners then that's a good place to start although on the Elk there will often/usually be a midge hatch going on concurrent with the spinner fall and there will be many times when they choose to feed on midge pupae instead of the much larger spinners . If you watch you can usually figure out which is the case . If not drop the pupae off the back of the spinner .
Now if it is 2 in the afternoon and the spinners have been hitting the water at dark and you see no mayfly activity or not enough to account for the number of feeding fish you can bet theyre feeding on midge pupae .
If the trout are feeding on nymphs or emergers swimming up but taking them lower in the column the 3"s or so the "riseform" will be a boil that looks like a spring welling up . This can be one of the harder ones to train yourself to see as there will be a tendency , in your mind , to dismiss the boil as a current phenomenon .Observation is the key again . Generally if it's current it will be at least a semi-constant thing while if it's a trout it may be fairly steady , but it will not be constant .
To get at these fish lengthen your drop and add some weight to your dropper to get it down to the level they are feeding . You may have to play with the rig a bit to get things right ;) ....
As you can see there are many , many variables to consider and I assure you I don't always figure it out (and hopefully never will because trying to figure it out is the best part of the whole thing) but these guidelines will hopefully get you pointed in the directions .
Happy riseform reading ! elkfisher
Now you will have to keep in mind that this situation (fish eating emergers in the film often leaves a riseform that looks an awful like like the riseform of a trout that is eating spent spinners . You need to watch for bubbles (if possible) as well as simply take a good hard look at the surface and consider the circumstances ....
Now if its 8:30 pm and the surface is covered with #18 rusty spinners then that's a good place to start although on the Elk there will often/usually be a midge hatch going on concurrent with the spinner fall and there will be many times when they choose to feed on midge pupae instead of the much larger spinners . If you watch you can usually figure out which is the case . If not drop the pupae off the back of the spinner .
Now if it is 2 in the afternoon and the spinners have been hitting the water at dark and you see no mayfly activity or not enough to account for the number of feeding fish you can bet theyre feeding on midge pupae .
If the trout are feeding on nymphs or emergers swimming up but taking them lower in the column the 3"s or so the "riseform" will be a boil that looks like a spring welling up . This can be one of the harder ones to train yourself to see as there will be a tendency , in your mind , to dismiss the boil as a current phenomenon .Observation is the key again . Generally if it's current it will be at least a semi-constant thing while if it's a trout it may be fairly steady , but it will not be constant .
To get at these fish lengthen your drop and add some weight to your dropper to get it down to the level they are feeding . You may have to play with the rig a bit to get things right ;) ....
As you can see there are many , many variables to consider and I assure you I don't always figure it out (and hopefully never will because trying to figure it out is the best part of the whole thing) but these guidelines will hopefully get you pointed in the directions .
Happy riseform reading ! elkfisher