Missing Strikes

[miahkettle]

I'm new at fly fishing and besides catching one really nice rainbow I have been missing a lot of fish. I watch the fish take the fly and some how fail to hook the fish. Wondering if I'm too slow or too fast? Any help is appreaciated!

 

[jayL]

It could be either/or. It's tough to know without watching it happen. I guess the first question would be whether your gut feel is that you're too fast or too slow. Adjust from there, and if you don't see success, try it the other way around.

Do you strike instantly, or try to wait?

I usually try to wait for the fish to turn back toward the bottom before setting the hook, but it's hard.

 

[Chaz]

It can be either, though I would think that some are flat out refusals, where the fish comes up and looks at the fly but drops back to the bottom without taking the fly in its mouth.

 

[jdaddy]

I agree with Chaz here. Fish a solid trico blitz and you will see this time and time again.

I think in general, too fast on dries is more common unless you have bad line management issues like I often do.

 

[Acristickid]

You nymphing or dry fly fishing?

If nymphing, make sure there is no slack in the line. It will take time but it can also help if you actually lead the nymphs throught the drift with subtly.

If dry flying, I can agree with what others claim.

 

[afishinado]

One thing that has helped me hook a few more fish with dry flies is to wait for the tippet (not the fly) to move or dip down before you set the hook. This occurred to me after watching a bunch of slow motion video of fish hitting flies (and missed strikes) on the surface. No doubt the fly is in the fishes mouth when the tippet moves. Give it a try.

 

[Fishidiot]

MK,

Welcome to the PAFF forum.

It might depend on where you're fishing. There are some special regulation waters where surface feeding trout are very hard to hook. This is particularly true for Yellow Breeches. This stream is popular with beginning fly fishers (for a host of good reasons) - however in many years, by midsummer, the fish become extremely hard to hook on dry flies. It doesn't matter how fast you react, they spit the fly. If this sort of scenario is in fact what you're experiencing, my advice would be to fish nymphs or streamers or move outside the special regulation area.

Otherwise: What the pervious posters said.

 

[osprey]

I have to go along with JayL , the thing i would start with is your gut feeling and then after you determine what you think you are doing wrong early or late? Move in the other direction and see if that helps if you think you are ripping it outta there slow down , count to 1001 , if you think you are too late , which it doesn't sound like , strike harder and faster. YOU'LL GET IT...............HAVE FUN

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Welcome.I think the learning curve takes time and timming which you will get with practice.Just a thought :quicker water quicker strike? Thoughts fellow anglers?GG

 

[osprey]

YEP........GG i agree with that the quicker the water the quicker you need to set up. I think you get more strikes in quicker water also. The trout don't have as long to look your fly over , they have to take or get off the pot.

 

[reifer350]

I had the same problem two years ago when I started. Remember to RELAX. If you only bass or spin fished before this you most likely are reacting too fast. One piece of advice I heard when asking about this was to find something to get in the habit of saying before you set the hook like "gotcha" or as the English do "God save the queen". This will give the fish a chance to turn with the fly.

Also remember that if you are fishing downstream it is much easier to pull the fly out of the fish's mouth so it will be harder to set the hook properly.

 

[joereese]

"I watch the fish take the fly and some how fail to hook..."

I don't know the situation, but this comment makes me think you might be setting it too soon?

 

[gfen]

I have this problem, too. The biggest thing, for me, is timing. I'm not British, and I certainly wouldn't support the monarchy, but I wish her health everytime a fish rises to my fly.

It helps. Immensely.

 

[pcray1231]

My dad has the same issue, he's too slow, mostly because he has line management problems and has all these C loops to pick up before getting to the fish. Thats another problem, we all say to fish/set the hook upstream for the better hooking angle. But the pull comes from the direction of the line. If you're fishing straight across, i.e. across current, and you have a big C-loop in the current, the pull on the fly will come from downstream. It'll pull the fly right out of its mouth. You want small S-loops for drag control, but as little "extra" line out as possible.

But lots of people are too fast, including me at times. It's not like spin fishing where you don't know you have a bite till you feel it. You see the hit right away, and often before it even happens as the fish approaches. Many times I've anticipated the hit and yanked the fly away from the fish before it even makes contact, especially on those slow, leasurely "sip" type risers.

You want the fish to take, close its mouth, and turn down before setting the hook. But no longer than that, or it will spit it as it'll spit any artificial. It takes a feel, keep at it, you'll get it and it will become natural.

 

[salmo]

I miss a lot of fish and I have been fly fishing for over 34 years. My biggest problem is line control and because I don't get on the stream enough. In my case I usually have too much line and leader on the water and as a result, I feel my strike is too late. Spend more time fishing and less time working!!

Salmo

 

[mtangler]

It depends on whether you are nymphing or dry fly fishing. When nymph fishing you want to react as quickly as possible. I just wrote a post on our montana fly fishing blog about using yarn indicators for winter fishing to help detect strikes.

 

[wsender]

I think some missed strikes are due to the fly being moved when the fish surfaces too.

 

[osprey]

acritickids advice on "leading" a nymph through the drift is great advice and i don't think i've ever heard it put quite that way but that advice sums up a whole area of problem. You want to have control over the situation and you must have a tight enough line (no slack) to be able to feel the strike when it comes but not to the point where you create drag and your fly behaves in an un-natural manner. Dragging against the current is ok sometimes if you are trying to imitate something that moves that way but most start out fishing nymphs that should be drifted pretty much drag free. "Leading" the nymph (sublty) through the drift with no slack but not dragging it is surely a great piece of advice.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Osprey, Good advice. I can speak from experience that "Leading the Nymph" really works. It works good in shallow riffles. You get less hangups in skinny water.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

Sorry about that I should have given aristickid the credit for good advice. Osprey your advice is always good too! Tight Lines to both of you