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?

 

[Wanative]

The type 5 or 6 are a good choice often but not always.
I carry and use l type 5 or 6 50%, intermediate 10%, a floater for a indicator rig 15%, type 3 sinker 25% and a floater on an extra spool.
Everyone has preferences and confidence strategies they employ most of the time depending on the season. These work for me most of the time but don't limit me if I want to switch tactics.
In the fall I like a floater for casting streamers to rising trout around shoreline structure and weedbeds.
If I was limited to 2 lines they would be a type 5 and a floater.

 

[Tom Butler]

Most literature will note that trout do 90% of their feeding subsurface. With a 7.5' leader and a floater you might get 5' even with a beadhead bugger. If the lake is 20' deep, 75% of the fish will likely never see your friends offering (excluding shoreline shallows where you may be OK).
Most of my fish come on a type 3 sink tip or type 6 sinker, or indicator rig set 4' or deeper (never fished pass however, so no direct help).
Lots of exceptions, and sometimes that vertical rise then fall presentation is just the ticket. It's fishing.

 

[Smalma]

Fished Pass this year from mid- March through April (have not been back) and I carried my 3 rods rigged; 2 with floaters for indicator fishing and the third was rigged with type 6 sinking line. After a couple trips replaced the sink line rod with a floater rigged to fish chironomids "naked"; that is a 15-foot leader. In the past for trolling or casting I would fish with a type 6 and an intermediate sinking lines side by side and would guess that over time my catch was more or less equally split between the two lines though there would be days that one or the other would dominate the catch. If limited to one sinking line for casting and retrieving it would be a type 6 sink rate line; the angler can control the depth desired by varying the sink timing and sped of retrieve.

As an aside with the changes in the insect populations in many of lakes chironomids are becoming more important and if the angler is not prepared to fish them effectively, they are limiting their catch. Fortunately, there are lots of exceptions so regardless of our line choices there will be good days. Just that the more diverse your line and fishing arsenal the more consistent your catching will be.

Curt

 

[Theron]

I use a floating line at Pass for chironomid fishing under an indicator usually after my arm is tired from casting a sinking line for a couple hours. I have caught more fish on the sinking line but that is probably because I use it most of the time. There is something relaxing about just lounging around watching an indicator after a morning of casting. I have fished a chironomid with my type 6 sinking line by just letting it sink and after a few minutes doing a slow retrieve for a few feet before recasting.

 

[Divad]

100% agree, you need a full sink for stillwater to have access to more tactics and fish. Rio full sink is $27 right now at Sportsman. I love these lines as they come in an 4wt sink 6 which is rare. Sink 3 would be my goto if I had to pick just one for pass lake.

Do not buy the Maxcatch ones, they are rubbish and sink inconsistently.

 

[Theron]

100% agree, you need a full sink for stillwater to have access to more tactics and fish. Rio full sink is $27 right now at Sportsman. I love these lines as they come in an 4wt sink 6 which is rare. Sink 3 would be my goto if I had to pick just one for pass lake.

Do not buy the Maxcatch ones, they are rubbish and sink inconsistently.

I need to check out the 4wt sink lines. I have a really nice 4 wt fiberglass rod that I rarely get to use. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Islander]

Same here, 90% of the time I throw my full sink.

 

[Tim L]

Same here, 90% of the time I throw my full sink.

But do you throw the same fly 90% of the time

 

[Theron]

But do you throw the same fly 90% of the time

I probably throw the same fly 75% of the time. I have about 3 favorites that usually work at Pass and also at Lone Lake.

 

[Islander]

But do you throw the same fly 90% of the time

Yep, bet you can guess what it is too.

 

[Roper]

Yep, bet you can guess what it is too.

PHL lately…

 

[Irafly]

Ultimately, there is nothing that I do with my various full sinkers, intermediate and hover lines that I can’t do with a floater. I can indicator down to 30’ fairly easily so if the fish are anywhere in between there and the surface. I can target them that way. I can put on heavy flies and long leaders and troll if needed, and I’ve even used split on my floater to sink the line down to 44’+ when fishing for perch on Lake Washington (Best Method I’ve found By the Way). So your bud can do just fine if they are prepared to make some changes in how they fish that floater.

 

[Divad]

Ultimately, there is nothing that I do with my various full sinkers, intermediate and hover lines that I can’t do with a floater. I can indicator down to 30’ fairly easily so if the fish are anywhere in between there and the surface. I can target them that way. I can put on heavy flies and long leaders and troll if needed, and I’ve even used split on my floater to sink the line down to 44’+ when fishing for perch on Lake Washington (Best Method I’ve found By the Way). So your bud can do just fine if they are prepared to make some changes in how they fish that floater.

Long leader on a floater with a heavy fly and/or split shot casts lovely It’s hard to repetitively cast that setup let alone at all with meaningful distance or accuracy. And when you start doing that more often you are asking to break a rod or give the noggin a welt.

Then you have time, you are able to cover a vast amount of water quickly casting the full sink setup in the 6-25ft range depending on fly weight w/ a sink 3 or 6. I’ll agree that fishing real deep at 45ft on a lake is a floater method. Past say 30-35ft the speed of the floater retakes the lead along with depth accuracy but I honestly don’t enjoy fishing much past 30 even with a floater on a fly.

 

[_WW_]

I usually use the full sink for trolling between spots, or to finds spots.

 

[Theron]

. I can put on heavy flies and long leaders and troll if needed, and I’ve even used split on my floater to sink the line down to 44’+ when fishing for perch on Lake Washington (Best Method I’ve found By the Way). So your bud can do just fine if they are prepared to make some changes in how they fish that floater.

I thought split shot was not allowed at Pass Lake. If it is that is an option.

 

[Irafly]

Long leader on a floater with a heavy fly and/or split shot casts lovely It’s hard to repetitively cast that setup let alone at all with meaningful distance or accuracy. And when you start doing that more often you are asking to break a rod or give the noggin a welt.

Then you have time, you are able to cover a vast amount of water quickly casting the full sink setup in the 6-25ft range depending on fly weight w/ a sink 3 or 6. I’ll agree that fishing real deep at 45ft on a lake is a floater method. Past say 30-35ft the speed of the floater retakes the lead along with depth accuracy but I honestly don’t enjoy fishing much past 30 even with a floater on a fly.

I likely didn’t make my point clear enough, I can, doesn’t mean that I do. I’m the guy with 7 rods rigged in the boat ready to fish multiple methods. With that if I’m limited to space and or some other weird constraints, I’m choosing the floater over the sinker every time.

 

[Irafly]

I thought split shot was not allowed at Pass Lake. If it is that is an option.

Split shot is not allowed at Pass, I was talking in general reg and selective reg lakes.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

I've tried sink 3 and sink 6 on Pass Lake. I like the 6. When I troll in the 10 to 15 feet deep areas, I like to keep the fly just above the weeds. I expect to get snagged in the weeds, it lets me know to go a little shallower. The sink 6, IMHO, does this more efficiently. I tie my flies with lead wraps around the shank of the hook and often use bead heads. With a fluorocarbon leader this gets my fly down quickly..... When I'm trolling deep I often get a strike just after I start to strip the line in (perhaps the fish are following and the sudden increase in speed makes them strike?). Therefore I frequently strip my fly in, check it for any weeds and get it back down fishing as quickly as possible.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

I don't use chironomids, but I have found that a floating line has its place on Pass Lake. A while back, I got on a kick with balanced leeches under an indicator using a floating line. With a small wind ripple, at the right depth, at the right time (chironomid hatch) it can be epic (five boats nearby, all wondering what the hell you are using).