Finally!

arbor1

arbor1

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
Messages
67
After a few times out and getting skunked every time I went out I finally landed a nice brown trout on the Perky today. I was using a pheasant tail that I was dead drifting and bam got em! I had 2 almosts on a copper john, but they broke free while trying to get them in. I used a strike indicator like you guys had suggested and it worked quite well; I had lots of strikes. I just have to work on placement of the indicator and when they strike, getting the timing down. I think I tried to set the hook too early a couple times. I was using a olive bugger and I watched the fish go to it and just as it went to strike it, I went to set the hook and pulled it right out of his mouth.

How do you guys time it when they go to take it. Do you let the indicator bobble a bit then set the hook, or set it right as you see it bobble?
 
Ha, Ha. Feels good doesn't it. Congratulations.
seeing a fish take a fly is often the time you strike to soon.
I strike when I see a take.Firmly but not too hard. If you keep slack line under control it helps.
 
Hurrah!
Congrats - yuh smoked 'em. :)
As for the missed strikes, when nymphing with an indicator I'm very aggressive and strike at just about anything that moves and as quickly as I can when I see the indicator jump. With some practice, you'll get a better feel for telling the difference between fish strikes and the fly or split shot just bumping the bottom. Pulling a streamer away from a fish just as he's about to strike is a mistake we all make from time to time. This is esp common when a fish is chasing a streamer from behind. Sometimes it's good to wait till you feel the weight of the fish or see it's mouth flash white and then when the fish turns, nail him.
 
Thanks guys for the info, I'm sure it will all start coming together the more I go out. Your post are a big help! Today was a great day, I had the stream to myself for about 3 hrs, I was catching fish (well one in the net) and I wasn't at work. Can't wait to get back out there!
 
Congrats it's all downhill from here! I tend to set the hook at every indicator wobble too it's not always a bad thing one out of 3 is a fish! Slack line was a cause of quite a few misses for me when I started. Line management is key to successfully setting the hook. You will get the feel for sensing when to set.... Sounds like you are well on your way already.
 
That's not bad at all when fishing with an indicator.. Most of the time I set the hook on about 50 rocks and a few fish.. But, Keeping a managed line while maintaining a good drift is key. The more under control you have your line, the easier it is to detect strikes and get quality hooksets. You can only improve as time goes on, keep at it and more fish will be on the way
 
Congrats Arbor! I too am stuck in a rut but my confidence is building as i slowly become more knowledgable. I can't wait to post pics and tell my first fly trout story. It's gotta feel good. Tight lines for the rest of the season. :)
 
Congratulations on the first fish! It is a sweet feeling.
Here is a little advice I have found useful over the years and would like to pass on.

Set the hook downstream at the slightest hesitation of the indicator. The take can be really subtle sometimes. If you hesitate or wait for the indicator to jump you will mis strikes. Setting the hook in a downstream motion is important. If you set upstream you’ll pull the fly from the fish’s mouth. When you see the fish take the fly, wait for a moment to make sure the fish has the fly the set the hook. Count to three from the moment you want to set the hook then set. Someone said wait for the fish to turn. That was good advice too. You should keep your rod tip slightly ahead of the indicator leading the drift. This will help you set downstream because you are already moving the rod in that direction, also it will help you get a better drag free drift. Slack line management is important as others have mentioned. Fish as often as you can. There is no substitute for time on the water. Keep at it and things will come together for you.

Good luck and have fun!

-B
 
Thanks everyone for all the help and info. I am using everyone's advise out there to help me land some fish and make this a better learning experience. Yotrout, don't worry your luck should turn around soon. I've been in a rut for a long time and it finally all came together.
 
Setting the hook in a downstream motion is important.
Click to expand...

Careful, really only true when the fish are downstream of you when they hit. You want to set the hook at a 90 degree angle to the fish, or even a little towards his back. If the fish is upstream of you, a downstream motion pulls it directly out of his mouth. Likewise, if the fish is downstream of you, an upstream motion pulls it out of his mouth.

Count to three from the moment you want to set the hook then set.
Click to expand...

Three's a little severe, unless is the "1-2-3 go" like in Butch Cassidy. :) But yeah, especially when sight fishing, I agree with waiting when your instinct is to go right away. You want that fish to turn with it before you strike. When indicator fishing, often you don't see the bobble till the fish turns anyway, so you should hit right away.
 
pcray, if a fish is upstream of you and you set the hook downstream, I do not understand how that is pullin it out of the trout's mouth? It seems more to be pulling back and to the edges of the mouth which in turn would hook the fish. So I am a little confused by your logic
 
yeah, you're right, not thinkin straight today. Though, if he's upstream and facin upstream, it's awfully hard to pull in a wrong direction. The only time you gotta be careful is if he's chasin it downstream.

The tricky situations, where you gotta be careful with strike angle, is when they're generally facing you, which is very common with actively feeding fish that will move for a fly. If you see the fish, great, it's usually not a direct angle. If he's angling his head to your left, pull to the right. If he's angling to the right, pull to the left. If he's directly at you, or you can't see him, it gets trickier, but generally straight UP is not a bad choice.
 
Completely agree. And Arbor another thing to pay attention to when using a strike indicator goes under for a split second and comes back up immediately. You do not want to rip your rig out of the water let it go because these are possible signs of 2 things:

1. A fish grabbed it and released real quick, which many times the fish will come back a second or maybe third time to eat your fly
2. You snagged the bottom. This can be beneficial because the added tension from releasing from the bottom can put some action to your fly which can trigger a strike
 
wrangler412 wrote:
Completely agree. And Arbor another thing to pay attention to when using a strike indicator goes under for a split second and comes back up immediately. You do not want to rip your rig out of the water let it go because these are possible signs of 2 things:

1. A fish grabbed it and released real quick, which many times the fish will come back a second or maybe third time to eat your fly
2. You snagged the bottom. This can be beneficial because the added tension from releasing from the bottom can put some action to your fly which can trigger a strike
Click to expand...

When I was setting the hook I would pull straight up, maybe I was pulling the hook out of its mouth and not realizing it. The other two I had on got off as I was stripping line in, so assuming the hook was not set that well. I will try and set it as you guys described and hopefully they hold. Its just going to take some time, but I'm sure I'll get it down sooner or later.
 
If you stop missing fish lemme know. I will pay for your secret.

Missing while stripping= you didn't really "miss" the strike. Probably just got a little slack and the hook popped out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top