Pass Lake Fly Lines

[Theron]

I have always fished Pass Lake with a type 5 or 6 full sinking line. I have been fishing the lake for the last 9 years since I moved to the area and have almost always been successful. I am trying to convince my neighbor and fishing partner that he needs got get his of his floating line and learn to cast a full sinking line when we fish Pass Lake. I can reach all depths with my sinking line and he is restricted to the upper 5 or 6 feet in my opinion. His retrieves are more vertical with each strip and I can retrieve at a more even depth. What do the the rest of you use for fly lines when fishing Pass or other still water lakes in the area?

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

At very specific times, Pass Lake trout feed near the surface (close to the banks) on Fathead minnows. Using a floating line to present a "gurgler" to these fish is, by far, my favorite way to rip the lips of Pass Lake trout.

 

[Wadin' Boot]

At pass today...

 

[Jake Watrous]

I’m probably an outlier, but if I’m not doing dusk-dawn donuts for browns on Pass, I’m fishing a full mono rig. Indicator ready, happily fishes a dry, will do subsurface with a streamer, happily hang a balanced leech, and go as deep as you want with a weighted fly.

Sure, it won’t cast a streamer happily more than 30’, but I’ll take that trade-off for versatility any day. Changing the fly is the only change needed to switch types of fishing.

That said, I probably only hit Pass 10-15 times a year, so I'm not that experienced, and I’ve probably never come close to catching as many trouts in a lake day as Ira’s average.

EDIT: To clarify, I do always have a floating fly line attached, it just never leaves the rod tip unless I take the mono off and use it to fish dries at a distance.z

 

[Matt B]

That said, I probably only hit Pass 10-15 times a year, so I'm not that experienced,

LOL, guess this perspective is all relative. Heck, I am probably lucky to fish any lakes, all together, 15 times a year. If I hit a single lake that many times in a single year for multiple years, I think I'd think I was getting to know it pretty well, and getting to be one of the more experienced folks out there. 80th percentile at least.

 

[skyrise]

Though I don’t fish pass much anymore, most of my time is using a #5 sink then either a type 2-3 and then an intermediate or floater. I have a cortland type 6 but it sinks too fast in many of the lakes I have time to get to. One tactic I should use more is to fish mids with my clear intermediate especially on windy days. Also try that with a caddis or mayfly wet fly.

 

[Jake Watrous]

LOL, guess this perspective is all relative. Heck, I am probably lucky to fish any lakes, all together, 15 times a year. If I hit a single lake that many times in a single year for multiple years, I think I'd think I was getting to know it pretty well, and getting to be one of the more experienced folks out there. 80th percentile at least.

Yeah, but I'm doing it all on my own, so I keep doing the same things hoping for different or better results.