Beadheads and clearwater trout

[geebee]

Hey Guys,

I ended up fishing Big Spring on Saturday and noticed something that i had seen before on tailwaters but was never sure about - the fish seemed not like or spook at, any nymph with a beadhead.

do you think its the flash that puts them down, have you had the same experience ? or do you think my tippet (6x) was too big ?

i tried with and without an olive yarn indicator on a 12ft leader and had the same result - all BH scuds, BH midges, BH PTN (even in #20 and black BH's ) were not even sniffed at.

i'm thinking i need to add more weighted nymphs to my arsenal - the unweighted serendipty, shrimp, scud, midges etc didn't get a response either, - i thought of using red or copper wire under the fur to weight them, rather than ribbing with wire.

in the bigger sizes i know i can use non toxic wire to weight #16 scuds or cress bugs, but i was wondering what you do in the smaller sizes ?

i'm loathe to use shot due to the 'plop' - maybe i need much smaller shot - if so what sizes ?

Cheers

Mark.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Could be, but it could just be the nature of Big Spring, too. I have caught fish on bead headed zebra midges there, though, and I'm not sure its the plop since I've seen the bows rush at big heavy sculpins shortly after they hit the water.

 

[klingy]

Anyone's guess, really. Most likely just a product of the clear water and the fish seein just the smallest amount of drag. I doubt it was the bead head (though I could be wrong). Most definitely wasn't your tippett, and I'd even suggest going up to 4x nymphing on the spring creeks.

 

[ryguyfi]

I started using lead tape for many of my weighted flies about 2 years ago and am pleased with the added weight compared to wire and the ability to form it a bit more. There are black and dull colored beads out there as well if you're looking for less flash.

 

[sarce]

I agree that tippet is not the issue. I never use less than 5x and have still caught plenty of fish on tiny midge patterns in spring creeks. With that said I am not sure whether or not clear water trout are bead-shy. I use terrestrials almost exclusively for trout this time of year, most of those obviously don't have a bead since they float. But I have done well with a wet ant pattern that has a black bead head.

 

[MKern]

I rarely fish gold or copper beads on pressured wild trout streams. I seem to catch more fish on beardless flies or flies with black beads.

 

[just_jon]

With the exception of some streamers, I don't build weight into flies I use on spring creeks. I think weight added the the hook can make a nymph behave in an unnatural manner. For example, cress bugs tend to run flat with a slight side to side wobble. The only way I can imitate that motion is with split shot. I've not experienced issues with Big Spring trout are not spooked by split shot if the presentation is well made.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

On any stream like BigSpring or the letort I use flies without or limited flash with no bead heads. I have found in my experience it makes a huge difference.

 

[Midge22]

If you were able to watch them reject your fly, you are way to close to them, especially in the flat water. Im a believer that flashy beads (gold copper etc.) can put fish down, but on that stream, its a long cast type of game. my best success there has either come in the riffle water, or fishing downstream and making very long casts/drifts to the fish.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

Hey Guys, I ended up fishing Big Spring on Saturday and noticed something that i had seen before on tailwaters but was never sure about - the fish seemed not like or spook at, any nymph with a beadhead. do you think its the flash that puts them down, have you had the same experience ? or do you think my tippet (6x) was too big ? i tried with and without an olive yarn indicator on a 12ft leader and had the same result - all BH scuds, BH midges, BH PTN (even in #20 and black BH's ) were not even sniffed at. i'm thinking i need to add more weighted nymphs to my arsenal - the unweighted serendipty, shrimp, scud, midges etc didn't get a response either, - i thought of using red or copper wire under the fur to weight them, rather than ribbing with wire. in the bigger sizes i know i can use non toxic wire to weight #16 scuds or cress bugs, but i was wondering what you do in the smaller sizes ? i'm loathe to use shot due to the 'plop' - maybe i need much smaller shot - if so what sizes ? Cheers Mark.

I fish big spring and the letort with sculpins in size 4 to 8 and weight them as heavy as a baseball. I have great success with these flies. If your plop is destroying your catching, you are not casting your fly to the right spot. Try throwing to the edges or even farther head of the fish and slowly dragging it to the target zone before you try a drag free drift.

 

[wgmiller]

You're not fishing on the fish you can see in these streams - you're fishing for the fish you can't see! They have tons of aquatic vegetation and undercuts to hide in. Get your presentation in their "strike zone" without putting them down and your chances greatly increase. Spring creeks like those mentioned typically run gin clear, so there really is no reason to have "flashy" flies. Drab, natural looking flies will do much better than "attractor-type" flies all the time.

 

[lv2nymph]

geebee wrote:
Hey Guys,



in the bigger sizes i know i can use non toxic wire to weight #16 scuds or cress bugs, but i was wondering what you do in the smaller sizes ?


Cheers

Mark.

Tungsten wire, in all sizes of hook.

 

[geebee]

Thanks for your comments guys.

some suspicions of mine confirmed, and also some good tips.

small black tungsten beads are on order and i got some red copper wire to put under scuds, cress bugs.

i think it'll help on Valley too.

cheers

Mark.

 

[JackM]

Obvious flash is obvious to fish. Sometimes it means "strike" and other times "run like heck." They're stupid.

A few careful drifts will tell the tale. Or else, you have to experiment.

 

[kobalt335]

JackM wrote:
Obvious flash is obvious to fish. Sometimes it means "strike" and other times "run like heck." They're stupid.

A few careful drifts will tell the tale. Or else, you have to experiment.

I have been fishing gold bead heads all summer and I have had no problem with fish taking them. They are actually taking the flies with the gold beads faster than the flies without one. Hot spots are a different story though, flies with a hot spot aren't even getting a look.

All you can do is try.

 

[LeTortAngler2]

When nymphing big spring, I normally always use lead and it usually means the diffrence between fish and no fish. With some streams the beads will work great some streams not so much. At big spring I find that beads are an interference.

 

[mturner770]

HERES my two cents...................

1 Not deep enough
2 Drag pulling fly unaturally at fish or even smacking them
3 You,your shadow,your fly line,your rod,YOU
are spooking them

1 Add more weight,if your not losing flies or bouncing bottom,your not deep enough
2 Fish up stream btwn a straight cast up and a quarter cast
3Keep everything out of view of fish including shadows,kneel or crouch if you have to

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Here is my three casts......
1. If there is any knots in the line within 2' of your nymph? I find that my catch ration drops tremendously when this happens.

2. At the point of the nymph - is there any length of left over line (past the knot where the nymph is tied) greater than 1/8".

3. Do not eat bananas prior to fishing.....Call it superstition if you want.

Do not fart in your waders while standing waist high in the water...they may not smell it - but they can hear it for a long ways away.

 

[pcray1231]

FWIW, most of the limestoners I fish are NOT clear. i.e. at best they get that milky color in "clear" conditions. Nonetheless, yes, in low/clear conditions I don't do well with copper colored beadheads at all and fish spook from it.

It's somewhat true on the larger freestoners as well. But on the smaller, less fertile freestoners, as well as with freshly stocked fish, or those same streams in higher off color water, a shiny bead seems to help, as does anything with a little flash, outlandish colors (chartreuse weenies, anyone?), etc.

I think it has more to do with aggressiveness.

I look at it this way. All fish watch for objects, and do one of 3 responses to each:

1. Eat it
2. Ignore it
3. Run from it.

That's all a trout's world is.

A flashy object is odd to them, it's going to illicit a response. #2 is less likely. Hence, it'll be #1 or #3.

A well-fed fish lowers the probability for #1. Holding in open water increases the probability of #3. Your exposed, so you have to be really on edge, and you don't need to take a chance on odd looking things. And the flash didn't help anyway, cause these fish don't move very far for their food, and they see natural colors close to them just fine.

A poorly fed fish increases the probability of #1. Good cover (water color, depth, or structure) decreases the probability of #3. These fish are really aggressive. They'll hit something with natural colors fine. But flash, well, they see that from that much further away, and hence it's that much more effective.

Hence, better food and less cover decrease the effectiveness of beadheads, and all sorts of flash. Less food and more cover increase their effectiveness. But expect some sort of a response to flashy objects either way.

 

[CLSports]

Use tungsten putty rather than split shot.