Tony Buzolich
04-08-2016, 10:29 AM
For the past few weeks the rivers have come up and so have the fish. The parking lot ramps around here are jam packed solid with trucks and boat trailers to the point that it's hard to find a spot to park. All this activity though is from guys dunking BAIT. Pile worms, minnows, sardines and anchovies are working in this dirty water.
For the fly guys, it's tough. You can't see your own fly a foot below the surface, you can't see your own prop if you have one, and you can't see the bottom either even in foot deep water.
So how do the fish see YOUR fly? Most don't. It's been tough fishing in this dirty cold water. We've been getting a few but that fly has to get right in their face. The other night we went out after the wind died down and happened on to some cooperating fish. By total surprise I got several hook-ups right at the surface after I'd quit stripping in and was about to do another roll cast trying to get the fly airborne again.
Those fish couldn't find the fly till it got to the surface and it created a silhouette against the sky. While the fly was deep they had to be homing in looking for it using their lateral line radar.
Yesterday, Jim was adamant about dragging the fly downstream, letting it get deep. And it was working. He had five fish to the boat before I got one. Almost to the point of trolling, it gets it down in their face and they'll grab it.
A couple of my other buddies have hit the Sac on flies too. Conditions are tough here as well and water is dirtier but judging by the bait guys there are a lot of fish eating pile worms.
Several of the fish we've taken this week have already been spilling milt, even with the water as cold as it is. Once that water temp comes up and gets over 60 degrees the spawn will be in full swing.
Maybe in a couple of weeks that water will clear a little more and things will really turn on. But for now, it's tough fishing in this brown water.
Here's a couple of fresh fish from yesterday. Perfect on an 8 wt.
Tony
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/330_zpsbmexyacc.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/330_zpsbmexyacc.jpg.html)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/329_zpsxdbgnxln.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/329_zpsxdbgnxln.jpg.html)
For the fly guys, it's tough. You can't see your own fly a foot below the surface, you can't see your own prop if you have one, and you can't see the bottom either even in foot deep water.
So how do the fish see YOUR fly? Most don't. It's been tough fishing in this dirty cold water. We've been getting a few but that fly has to get right in their face. The other night we went out after the wind died down and happened on to some cooperating fish. By total surprise I got several hook-ups right at the surface after I'd quit stripping in and was about to do another roll cast trying to get the fly airborne again.
Those fish couldn't find the fly till it got to the surface and it created a silhouette against the sky. While the fly was deep they had to be homing in looking for it using their lateral line radar.
Yesterday, Jim was adamant about dragging the fly downstream, letting it get deep. And it was working. He had five fish to the boat before I got one. Almost to the point of trolling, it gets it down in their face and they'll grab it.
A couple of my other buddies have hit the Sac on flies too. Conditions are tough here as well and water is dirtier but judging by the bait guys there are a lot of fish eating pile worms.
Several of the fish we've taken this week have already been spilling milt, even with the water as cold as it is. Once that water temp comes up and gets over 60 degrees the spawn will be in full swing.
Maybe in a couple of weeks that water will clear a little more and things will really turn on. But for now, it's tough fishing in this brown water.
Here's a couple of fresh fish from yesterday. Perfect on an 8 wt.
Tony
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/330_zpsbmexyacc.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/330_zpsbmexyacc.jpg.html)
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/buzolich/329_zpsxdbgnxln.jpg (http://s22.photobucket.com/user/buzolich/media/329_zpsxdbgnxln.jpg.html)