Flies for Mother Lode

[Jim G]

I am fairly new to fly fishing in particular lakes. I am looking for any help you would like to share. Fly selection, rigging, weight, presentation and any other tips. I spend time at New Melones and Comanche. Thinking about Lake Amador as well. I will be targeting bass and trout.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The trout in these low elevation lakes are shallow in the late fall, winter and early spring.

In the summer I believe they will be too deep for most fly fishers.



Bass will be spawning in the shallows in the spring.

April/May are good months plus some in the fall....Sept/Oct



Most use a 5/6 weight 9' rod for trout.

Maybe a 6/7 for bass.


Having a selection of full length fly lines is good.

Many will have 2 to 3 complete outfits set up with different lines on each.


Wooly Buggers and Clouser Minnows are very popular.



Having a boat, kayak, pontoon boat would be helpful.

[Mr F]

Hey Jim,

I like Denny Rickard's "Fly Fishing Stillwaters for Trophy Trout". I'm a big fan of his Seal Bugger fly, but you can't go wrong with a good ole' wooly bugger.

Chironomid fishing is can be really productive. There are lots of books and articles on the subject. Personally I find it a bit boring (staring at a bobber all day drives me nuts), but some people love it and become chironomid specialists. I keep it simple with a large Zebra Midge under a bobber.

Damselfly patterns are great. Strip them through the weeds and make sure you vary your retrieve style/speed.

I probably catch most of my stillwater fish by slow stripping a Pheasant Tail Nymph. Again, vary your retrieve until you find what works.

You'll want to get a full intermediate line (I like Rio Camolux) and a full sink line. Know your line's sink-rate and master the count-down. For example Camolux sinks at 1.5 to 2 inches per second, so to fish at 3 feet I count "24 Mississippi" before I begin my retrieve. I start at the bottom of the lake and work my way up.

Obviously for deeper water you'll want a line with a faster sink-rate--or be just be patient . In the boat I keep rods rigged with intermediate and sinking line + one rigged for dry fly.

The rivers in Cali will be blown to hell this year, so it's probably a good time to start stillwater fishing. Good luck and have fun!

-MF

PS: Good article by Brian Chan: https://www.sageflyfish.com/10-essen...-by-brian-chan

[Jim G]

Thank you guys for all the great advice!
I will share my fishing experiences