Landing a big fish on the letort

[jkilroy]

Okay, so I paid a visit to the letort today, never fished it during the summer cause I heard its pretty bad we'll that true, insanely difficult. So I nymphed it floating a curly sighter down the rows of watercress. Caught one right off the bat, then went a while before hooking another. The second one I hooked was big. 24" plus had him on for a little and broke off. 6x and watercress don't mix too well.

So the big question I have is, is it possible to land a big fish on 6x Tippet with all that watercress in that creek. I kind of want to go back and try again. Maybe 5x but it won't sink as well.

 

[klingy]

First off, it is possible. I've read stories from Marinaro and Fox of landing big fish while midge fishing with ver fine tippet. They would basically hook the fish, and then let it swim with very little tension on the line. They would follow the fish slowly up and down the stream placing an even pressure, eventually bringing he fish up. I think I remember Vince Marinaro writing that he waited like half an hour to work a big brown out from under a weed bed.

That being said, when nymphing in he letort (or most spring creeks - or anywhere for that matter!) I rarely use anything smaller than 4x, most of the time 3x. Helps a lot in hauling them out of he grass. If you ever get a chance to hear Eric stroup talk about joe humphries and George Harvey fishing, he tells of how they would use cable if they could have - I got a good laugh out of that.

 

[Fishidiot]

Marinaro often used a large, long handled landing net.

 

[wgmiller]

Statistically, the odds are very low of landing a big "hog" on a stream loaded with vegetation, like the Letort. They get hooked and "dive deep" and before you know it, it's over. This time of the year, you're better off taking advantage of conditions and that means terrestrial time! You can strengthen your tippet (4X?) and plop hoppers. The beefier tippet will increase your landing rate and at least give you a fighting chance.

The other option is to drop a sculpin pattern on the bottom and coax them out that way. Again, you can use a beefier tippet which will help greatly, although not 100% remedy the situation. Those fish are good at returning to where they came from and they take you right to the vegetation.

 

[pwk5017]

Cant imagine too many situations where I would choose to use 6x tippet when nymphing. If you are upset with the sinkrate of your tippet, why not switch to flouro? Sure, its a lot more expensive, but it sinks a lot faster than typical mono. 4-5x flouro seems necessary in this situation. Even 4x seems sketchy with a 24" fish and weeds.

 

[jkilroy]

I was using floro. It allows you to get very small light nymphs down quick. Less drag and gets them down fast! The fish shocked the heck out of me. Now I have to go back.

 

[Squaretail]

After my first lost bigguns on the Letort due to 6x and 7x tippett, my success rate became even lower when I moved to 4x and 5x because I couldnt get the initial hit in the first place.
Personally I develop a plan. I spot the best places to try and fight him into. I recognize where and how the currents can help me, not him. I mark the places he will almost surely try and get to. Then I mark the best position to place myself for these factors, which usually isnt the most desirable one. Then its time for the first cast, which normally is your only shot at getting a big one there.
Over the years I've got quite a collection of the big fish there in my album. But its one of the hardest feats, if not the hardest, in flyfishing I've encountered. And only 3 that I can remember on dries.
Hey, you asked.

 

[ryguyfi]

I'll give you a reminder that Squaretail has no idea what he is talking about and you should ignore him.

Great thread

My advise is go fish it with someone else. Even if someone thinks they know a stream really well, there's almost always something you can learn from fishing with another person.

 

[jkilroy]

I'm always up for going with someone, and that's what it's all about is learning. I usually go somewhere fishing though in the sprur of a moment. It sure surprised the crap out of me. And I knew there was no way to land that beast. At least on 6x. I did leave out the part of the story thati tied on a 2' extension on my Tippett to make it 6' with a double surgeons knot. Anyone care to gues where it broke? And looking at the other link of the big fish he was that big.

 

[wgmiller]

Yup. More connections = more chances for failure.

 

[redietz]

That being said, when nymphing in he letort (or most spring creeks - or anywhere for that matter!) I rarely use anything smaller than 4x, most of the time 3x.

Although I agree, you know what Charles Fox said about 4x on the Letort: "4X? We use that for roping bulls around here."

 

[jkilroy]

4x will never allow the nymphs to get to the bottom. The bugs have to get down. I'm going to try a solid piece of 5x. 4x would work with a very heavy streamer. The other option is to get in the stream and work around the weeds. You may sink in deep though and that wouldn't be good

 

[klingy]

jkilroy wrote:
4x will never allow the nymphs to get to the bottom. The bugs have to get down.

Just a few of many caught on scuds or nymphs using 3x or 4x on the letort.

 

[klingy]

redietz wrote:

That being said, when nymphing in he letort (or most spring creeks - or anywhere for that matter!) I rarely use anything smaller than 4x, most of the time 3x.

Although I agree, you know what Charles Fox said about 4x on the Letort: "4X? We use that for roping bulls around here."

Yeah, I know the nymph and streamer flies many of us use now would probably make Marinaro roll over in his grave too. Most of those gentlemen would only fish to rising fish, not like many of us shlubs who try to yank them out of the weeds!

 

[afishinado]

klingy wrote:

jkilroy wrote:
4x will never allow the nymphs to get to the bottom. The bugs have to get down.

Just a few of many caught on scuds or nymphs using 3x or 4x on the letort.

Impossible!!! Shopped! Stockies! Fishin' at a hatchery! You can't ketch'um on 4x or threeee X!!! ;-)

Nice job:lol:

 

[Squaretail]

I dont know Tom. I'd rather use that size tippet on fish like that but this time of year, I do everything right and the fish approaches my fly and turns around and normally swims off into infinity. I swear they're spottin my line.
Spring and winter it doesnt seem to matter near as much.

 

[afishinado]

Squaretail wrote:
I dont know Tom. I'd rather use that size tippet on fish like that but this time of year, I do everything right and the fish approaches my fly and turns around and normally swims off into infinity. I swear they're spottin my line.
Spring and winter it doesnt seem to matter near as much.

Agreed Dan.

My go-to size tippet is 4x fluoro for typical nymphing. At the Letort I will go down to 5x with smaller nymphs or scuds and fish 3x with sculpins, streamers or buggers.

Typically my tippet is 5' to 6' long. I nearly always fish two nymphs but at the Letort I fish a single fly most times. The second fly will often snag onto the weeds and cause lost fish.

Like you mention above, when sight fishing underneath, you can judge the reaction of the fish. I'm of the belief that drag on the fly making it move unnaturally is more of a factor than the actual spotting of the tippet itself. A thinner tippet by 1000th of an inch is really not that less visible, IMO.

I find getting the weight of the fly just right to counteract the drag of the current on the line critical to getting a good drag-free drift...balancing the system, if you will.

A lot of guys start with gossamer tippets because they believe their lack is success is caused by visible line. They buy a spool of 7 or 8x rather then focusing on getting a good drift with a balanced rig and making the right approach and cast, as well as not lining a fish or spooking it. Just about every day I here the stories of the one that got away. Many of these guys weren't prepared and rigged to land a big fish. Bottom line, use the heaviest tippet you can to hook and land the fish.