Winter Newsletter

As the regular fishing season winds down in most areas, we at Buck A Bug.com hope your season was filled with happy memories of time spent on the water. For those of you who have year-round water to fish, we wish continued success. Winter provides some great opportunities throughout the United States, so do not think you have to stop fishing now.

Specials of the Month The holidays are coming! Buck A Bug has some great gifts for anglers. Check out the fly selections and the accessories.

Your help is needed for a new book! For many people, fly fishing is an obsession. As a result, negative things happen. If you have stories illustrating the obsession of fly fishing, I would greatly appreciate reading them for possible inclusion in the book. Here are some ideas to get you thinking. Has fly fishing ruined a marriage? Have you been thrown out of a bar because of an argument over the finer points of fly casting? Have you missed a meeting because you lost track of time on the river? Do you walk past an aquarium and think of what fly to use? I want to hear about the obsession with fly fishing. Please send your story for possible inclusion in the book. You will receive credit for your writing as well as a special gift from me. Contact Jim at jim@buckabug.com if you have any questions or are interested.

Casting Improvement Choosing the Right Line Weight for Your Rod

Have you noticed how easy it is to cast well with a short line and then struggle to throw a long line? While long distance casting is a learned skill, here is a tip to instantly add distance to your cast. The rod is designed and labeled to cast a certain amount of line. For example, the rod may be designated for the line it casts 30 feet easiest. This means that 30 feet of line will load the rod optimally. If you cast more than 30 feet of line, you will be overloading the rod and may not get distance out of the cast. Before you start lifting weights to cast farther, try changing your line. The line designation on your rod is fairly arbitrary. It is merely a recommendation. There are times when a 5 weight line would be better on a 6 wt fly rod and there are times when a 7 wt line would be better on the same 6 wt rod. It depends on what is required of your cast. I just got back from fishing the surf in Mexico with some of the best casters. I learned so much from watching and talking to these veteran anglers. John Ryzanych of Icon Products (the maker of Softex) showed me an easy way to add twenty feet to my cast without changing anything but my line. He had me throw an 8-weight line on a 10-weight rod. Instantly I was able to cast a lot further. The 8-weight line has much less mass and does not overload the rod with longer casts. So if you are going to be fishing in big water where long casts are needed, try stepping down a line size or two to make the cast easier. Sometimes a heavier line makes casting easier. I have guided on Hot Creek in California for years and have encountered numerous high wind days. The wind plays havoc with all but the best casts. It can often be frustrating to have a good cast end up on the bank. Long casts are not needed here. Accuracy is. When you find that accuracy is more important than distance and the wind is high, try using a line one size heavier than the rod designation. The heavier line will cast through the wind much easier and allow you to get the fly to the fish instead of in the weeds. In a coming article we will discuss the advantages of different fly line tapers. If you have a casting problem that you would like help in fixing, email Jim at jim@buckabug.com.

Winter Steelhead Season is coming As fall continues, winter steelhead are moving upriver to perform their annual mating dance. Across the country, many steelhead rivers are experiencing higher than normal runs. Steelhead are genetically identical to rainbow trout, but migrate to the ocean after spending time in fresh water. While in freshwater, they behave like native trout and feed on the same food. Here they get larger to avoid being eaten by larger fish waiting in the ocean. Once in the ocean, they spend a year or more in the nutrient rich water before making their first spawning run. The power and beauty of these fish make them prized fish. Anglers face all kinds of winter weather to catch them, often without success. If you are lucky enough to live by a steelhead stream or have the option of visiting one, following are some hints to improve your steelhead catch rates. There are basically three techniques used to catch steelhead. Many anglers use sinking lines with traditional streamer patterns. Others like to use floating lines with large waking, dry flies. Yet another group will fish floating lines and use traditional nymph strategies. The best time to use each of these techniques often depends on the behavior of the steelhead and the amount of time they have been in the river. However, any of these techniques can be used throughout the spawning run. At the beginning of the run, steelhead will hold in large, deep pools while they adapt to the new water. During this time a streamer pattern on a sinking line can be very effective. You can cover a lot of water and the larger flies will attract fish. Fly pattern is important as fish will key in on size, shape, and color. The angler should try several different patterns in a pool before moving to another area. There is a new sinking line out that makes keeping a fly deep much easier. It is the monocore fly line. Many different companies have them. I feel these lines spook less fish and make a fly behave more naturally. I have used these monocore lines successfully in fresh and salt water. When fishing deep pools, I like to present the fly downstream and use the swing technique. Cast down and across the river and give enough slack line so the fly and line can sink to the level of the fish. As the line straightens the fly will lift up and will excite the fish into striking the fly. After making a few casts and different patterns, continue downstream. A similar technique is used with floating fly lines and waking dry flies. This technique usually works best when fish move out of the deeper pools and are found holding in the shallower runs as they make their way to the spawning areas. Fish are often found resting behind large rocks or on the seam between currents. Cast across the current and throw a large upstream mend. As the fly swings slowly across the current, it will leave a wake that could trigger a fish into an explosive strike. If you do not mend upstream, your fly will drag very quickly downstream and possibly spook fish. Often, you will see a flash and a shadow suddenly appear behind the fly. The next instant, the surface of the water is broken and your fly disappears into the fish’s open mouth. This is probably the most exciting way to catch steelhead. Unlike salmon that spawn once and die, steelhead can spawn several times in their lives. Steelhead must find food in the water to ensure a return to the ocean after spawning. They resume eating insects like they did when they were young. As a result basic nymph strategies work very well. I like fishing with large stonefly patterns with a little flash in them. I have also found caddis patterns to be effective. Usually the nymph you use in the river for trout will work for the steelhead. It is important to keep the fly close to the bottom where the naturals are. Be sure to adjust your system to keep the fly close to the bottom. Avoid using shiny split shot as it spooks fish. You can make the shot less shiny by soaking it in an acid. There is a drawback to this technique. Steelhead often take flies very subtly and the strike indicator might not detect the strike. As a result, many steelhead strikes are missed using a floating line. Steelhead usually follow salmon upriver to spawn. The larger males are usually first upriver to stake out the best spawning areas. Once these fish get to the spawning areas, they encounter many salmon. The salmon provide steelhead with millions of fresh, protein-rich eggs to eat; making drifting glo-bugs over the shallow gravel bars a very effective way of catching steelhead. Many people make the mistake of carrying only one color of egg pattern. As soon as the egg is released from the female, it begins changing colors. Eggs can be found in flame, orange, cream, champagne, and other colors. Try keeping a few different colors in your box. Steelhead will focus on a particular color at different times. The right fly line makes a world of difference It can be more effective to feel the strike using a tight sinking line. The new monocore fly lines dramatically increase catch rates for steelhead. These lines come in both floating and sinking lines. I have found the intermediate sinking line the most effective for streamer style flies and nymphs. As the fly and line swing through the water, you will feel the fish take your fly. These lines almost disappear in the water and spook fewer fish. The sinking line also gives the fly a much more realistic presentation. There are times when steelhead are not in the mood to eat. This is the time when I like to tease them like I would a cat with a string. Sometimes it takes many attempts to tease a fish to strike. Persistence and patience make a big difference. Often a fish will strike at your fly out of annoyance. It just wants that pesky thing away from it. Not all flies should be fished in such a way. For example, a large nymph fished this way might put the fish down and no amount of teasing will coax the fish into a strike. Presentation is important. It is crucial to present each style of fly in the appropriate manner. When it gets down to it, there are many things that will influence how successful you are on the stream. It is a good idea to keep a journal and take notes on the conditions you encounter on the water. Things to keep track of are weather, current flow, water conditions, and signs of fish. Keep track of the type of water fished. By compiling a list of factors, you may be able to take a lot off the learning curve and have some of the best days on the water. Best of luck.

Fly Fishing at a Snail's Pace. Brad Kerr

Many fishermen don't put their rods away at the first hint of frost. They know about the tendency of fish to feed heavily on snails during fall months. Some of my largest trout have been caught during autumn with snail imitations. These fish sound and feel like a bag of walnuts as I run my hand carefully along their stomachs. Another indication of fish feeding on snails is a reddened vent where waste is removed. It is irritated and enlarged as it must be uncomfortable passing a snail shell! As the weather cools and days grow shorter, habits of fish change as well. The prolific insect hatches of summer are over so fish modify their feeding behavior. In many of the shallower weed-filled lakes and reservoirs, snails become the focus of fish racing to gain fat and energy reserves for winter. Not every lake has significant snail populations. Snails tend toward bodies of water where they can scrape algae off rocks and rooted vegetation. Look for snails on weeds, floating in the water, or shells along the shore. If you do not see snails, then your fall fishing should focus on emulating other prey such as bait fish or some of the secondary insects such as water boatmen. Fall is the time when water cools and the algae populations die back. During the unpredictable weather of fall, where it may blow a gale one day and be calm and sunny the next, the cool clean water blown to the downwind shorelines can be very rich in forage as well as very conducive to trout. Last night's storm may have dislodged thousands of big, juicy, energy packed snails to the downwind shoreline. You will know it when you walk the beach and see the shells there and notice them in the water as well. Things will seem quite uneventful until you hear the first explosion of a huge trout pulling a helpless snail off the surface. You may think it was a fluke until five minutes later it happens again. Then you begin to take notice. Lakes are often expansive and intimidating in size. Where should you focus your efforts if you think fish are feeding on snails? The answer is to follow the wind. Try fishing the downwind shores of lakes because they accumulate food and fish. In the summer however, the downwind areas tend to accumulate gill-clogging algae for trout and the warmer water often keeps trout away. This tactic will work for warm water gamefish in the summer. You may be paddling along in your float tube and notice a few snails in the neuston or surface film. Snails will hang upside down and graze on biotic minutia trapped in the surface film. It isn't the best survival strategy when large fish are in the vicinity. When you see them, they stick out like a desert oasis. Fish see these and ATTACK! There is too much food at risk for them to casually slurp large snails. They usually go down with the force of a dump truck. I prefer to fish just outside of weed beds that reach the surface on the down wind shorelines. These seem to provide the best feeding habitat for the fish while also trapping the drifting snails. This is where the snail's pace comes into play. You already know these animals don't exactly cut a wake when they move. You will be dead drifting in the breeze. To improve the speed of your fishing action, tie a lighter leader to the hook bend and use your snail pattern for a strike indicator for a dropper. I prefer around a 3x tippet to the snail because of the brute force of the strikes, and a much lighter 5x or so down to a small nymph. Something like a pheasant tail nymph or a scud works well to entice trout at least. OK so what about fly patterns? I have heard of some people tying chenille or using puffs of antron yarn. Experiment to find an imitation of your local snails. Some are cone shaped while others are formed like a cinnamon role. Usually the biggest problem is getting enough room between the body of the fly and the hook point for the hook to set into the fishes' jaw. Where I fish here in Oregon, I run into the flat cinnamon roll shape most of the time. I use foam cord-like material and carefully spiral the cord on the top of a streamer hook and secure it with thread. Use head cement between spirals for a more durable fly. Use panatone markers to match the brown, green, and yellow hues of the local snails. If your snails are more cone-shaped, you may want to experiment with variations on the woolly worm theme. These may also be imitated with a cone of antron yarn, or a clipped, dear-hair body similar to the head of a muddler minnow. My next experiment will be to attempt to spin antron yarn like a muddler head. I like the sheen of the antron because it more closely represents the snail's shiny shell while remaining light in weight and water-resistant. I am always looking for new ideas to imitate these very important, yet largely overlooked forage for game fish. I hope this discussion will inspire some inventive fly tiers. Fishing snail patterns may not burn up the record books for numbers of fish caught, but when a ten pounder SHOCKS you back to life, you will remember that one fish above all others until you dust off your tackle next spring. Not such a bad way to lead into winter!

Brad Kerr Fishery Biologist Spring Creek Aquatic Concepts www.AquaHabitat.com (503) 313 6355 'Planning, design and management of lakes, ponds and streams'

New product Softex by Icon products. This stuff is great. It can be used in so many ways. Softex stays soft when it dries, unlike head cement. It can be used in fresh and saltwater flies and makes flies much more durable. Try this stuff on scud patterns and minnow patterns. Softex gives a realistic shine and texture to many different flies.

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