Puzzle Help

[JodyRay]

I'm not a regular lake fisher, but I spend a little time on them before the rivers open up. I have a small seasonal lake near me that is stocked before opening day, and I usually fish it a few days after it opens when the crowds go away. Trolling or casting and retrieving a 'bugger or leech pattern easily fools the stocked fish a couple of feet below the surface along the weed line.

What I can't figure out is what the fish swirling below the surface out in the middle are feeding on. This is as early as 7:00am in water about 15' deep with the ambient temperature as low as 40F. My understanding of chironomids is they slowly make their way up the water column, hatching in the afternoon. So, I don't think they're feeding on midge pupae that early in the morning. It appears the swirls leave a few bubbles behind, but not all of them. Few are splashy, most are either a roll or a swirl a foot or so under the surface.

I've trolled Buggers and leeches and other streamers through the area without a sniff, as well as watched a few gear guys troll spinners and spoons without a touch.

Any suggestions? Scud pattern or? What's a good pattern to start with? Or should I hang a chironomid 2-3' under the surface?

 

[troutpocket]

Those situations can be a challenge. Sometimes the chironomid adults that hatched the previous day are on the surface in the morning. The surface feeders might be cruising and picking them off.

To target them I would try a floating line, long leader (like 15+ feet) tapered to 4x or 5x fluoro tippet and a small, simple, unweighted soft hackle pattern. I’d probably start with a size 14 and go smaller if needed. Fishing from a float tube or small boat I would cast to risers and let it sink or very slowly kick/troll through the activity.

Another option is fishing a small chironomid 6-12” under an indicator. Black is a good color to start with. Size 14-16.

 

[Matt B]

If you’re a glutton for punishment like I am, you can also chase the risers with an emerger like a Lasha’s Raccoon.

 

[Tom Butler]

I think @troutpocket is onto it. I accidently left my chiro box at home but a little black sz. 16 leech 2' below the float was close enough (I guess) to the bomber shucks in one part of the lake for a few.

Sometimes I think the school is just mulling about, or the activity is caused by a larger trout or bass or.... stirring them up.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Searching for the pellet hatch........

 

[FishyJere]

I don't think they are eating anything, they just are all at the surface and milling about. The have spent their entire lives at 4' or less in tanks, thus at the surface. Just hang something small (pellet sized) and interesting looking down 3 to 4 feet and watch your bobber. If you have ever been to a hatchery, it looks the same. Dimples, swirls, etc.

 

[NRC]

I’m very much still a noob lake fisher but it seems like the answer is always chironimid if they’re not taking trolled leeches. The question is what depth. Sometimes much shallower than I’d have thought. I’ve pretty much only fished a chiro under an indicator, but met a guy who was slow trolling one on an intermediate so he could move it thru different depths. He was doing really well.

 

[Tom Butler]

I’m very much still a noob lake fisher but it seems like the answer is always chironimid if they’re not taking trolled leeches. The question is what depth. Sometimes much shallower than I’d have thought. I’ve pretty much only fished a chiro under an indicator, but met a guy who was slow trolling one on an intermediate so he could move it thru different depths. He was doing really well.

The method I was taught in the 70's was similar, covering different depths. Floater, leader 1-1.5X depth, unweighted TDC. Cast, let fall (line control and awareness as many hits come here), fish above bottom hang, then slow retrieve to bring up in column, let fall again or finish retrieve. Trolling was done with wind drifting.
Have not been fishing that way lately as I like bobbers and have been having good luck with them.

 

[troutpocket]

Another tactic with fresh hatchery stockers is to move the fly much faster than you would think. Keep it near the surface and moving. Like max speed on a trolling motor.

 

[Tom Butler]

Another tactic with fresh hatchery stockers is to move the fly much faster than you would think. Keep it near the surface and moving. Like max speed on a trolling motor.

Thanks for stating that. It makes sense. I was fast kicking back to the launch and picked up several on the willy. Also lifting the rod and dropping the tip worked. Be ready when the fly stops, or when I stopped kicking.

 

[Matt B]

Another tactic with fresh hatchery stockers is to move the fly much faster than you would think. Keep it near the surface and moving. Like max speed on a trolling motor.

This is my standard approach to fishing with kids.

 

[Irafly]

This is my standard approach to fishing with kids.

Good call, keeps the line tight as they drop the rod up and down.

 

[Irafly]

Back to the original question. In the AM many female chironomids from the mating dances the day before oviposit their eggs on the surface. Trout can become excited by that and will mystery swirl.

The trout at a local stocked lake I fished this weekend, were schooled up and eating daphnia near the surface as well as some emergents mid afternoon.

 

[JodyRay]

Thanks, all, really good stuff. I didn't think about midge spinners, a small black soft hackle is definitely worth a try, as is hanging a small leech or chironomid 1-2' below the surface. I thought about daphnia and figured if that's what they're eating, I'll just ignore them.

Good point @FishyJere, they could just be happy fish frolicking because they're finally free; I hadn't thought of that, either.

 

[Tim L]

Excellent help from a rather esteemed group of fishers - above pretty much covers it (except Kokita ).

I'm experiencing a lot of parallel circumstances out here in Ohio so thought I'd tie everyone's advice together. (Note here, I learned the sport on Washington waters before relocating) From very limited opportunities for trout in lakes, I'm working three lakes consisting of 2 ponds, each about 10 acres (depth <15), and a 100 acre kettle lake with 50ft max. Kettle lakes (natural with depth) are extremely rare in Ohio, and the majority of our stillwater really doesn't run deeper than 15ft or so. That means trout don't survive the summers, there's no such thing as a carry-over and, moreover, the prospects for SWFF are almost nonexistent. Nonetheless I have my three lakes. Oh, there was a point to all that...three lakes - one food source - same set of rules.

In recent weeks, and despite a spring that hasn't sprung according to the weather man, midges have taken their rightful place on our lakes. Life and career securely rearranged, the hunt is officially underway for me and the float tube of freedom.

A Bell Curve of Bell Curves - If you go often enough you'll start seeing a rather simplistic pattern of behavior or activity that applies to most any food source. Call it a lifecycle of lifecycles - easy enough to understand if you think about it. First off, within a single day you have a hatch that occurs with a beginning, a middle and an end. Consider that "the bite" and know that the bite commonly occurs more than once a day in some form. Regardless, the bite tends to behave like a bell curve that ramps to a peak and tapers back off. Add one more thing here - the more prolific the bite, the less activity you'll find when it's off. This time of year I always remimd myself, the deader it is now, the "aliver" it's gonna be when they come on. It works.

I almost forgot the other bell curve. Those daily bell curves fit into a larger bell curve that defines the overall duration of the food source. In our example that's spring midges. And if you follow me so far, the initial days will show a less prolific bite or hatch that ramps up day by day to a peak with longer durations and highly intense feeding, again followed by the same tapering effect. The value in understanding all that will show in your results as you devote more and more time to the pursuit. You'll start knowing when to be where, and ridiculous numbers become not only possible, but seemingly easy, even expected at times. I look at the list of guys on this thread and have watched half of them (even Kokita!) do exactly what I'm describing.

Morning Stretch - Ira and Rod (troutpocket) both eluded to it. First light or early morning commonly has trout awake and visibly on the move. Whether feeding in some form or not, typical behavior excludes interaction with you and your fly. It's not you. Think of it this way - the bite is not actually on, yet you can see activity. That's really unintuitive and rather difficult to get wrapped around. I find it best to take the pressure off and allow myself to get blanked while I watch the "morning stretch" happen all around me.

Morning Stretch: Better known for scenery than success with rod & reel.


More to think about...this is a good example of us not having all the answers, however that doesn't mean you're out of solutions. If you can accept the missing puzzle pieces, you can actually move on and solve it regardless. That means you don't need them all. Here, I really don't know why exactly they show themselves and behave this way. I just know they aren't feeding/taking bait like they will when the real bite comes on. That's good enough. But it doesn't end there, I still have good news. Yes, pressure is off, but I usually manage to pull a rabbit or two outa my hat before the activity disappears. I call it run 'n gun. Fish hard, fast and in variation. Usually the odds still swing one or two my way during that time, just for being around and active while they are. But again, if it doesn't happen who cares, they're bonus fish.

And Onto the Fun Part - As we speak, one of my spots is going off late morning, around 10:30, and lasting maybe an hour or so (the little bell curve). I'm considering this one early to midway up the big bell curve so the best days are ahead and not far off. The second spot is of more interest at the moment since that hatch is happening from roughly 2:30 till almost 5:00 and showing notably more intensity. Add to that, I have an easier time skating work at that part of the day in my situation.

As you can guess, I'm spending more time at Lake 2, but I'll throw in one curveball. Lake 1 happens to have nicer trout. Story short, it draws from a hatchery run by that county's parks system vs. the state. Even more cool, Lake 2 has no license requirement since the state is not involved in stocking. Any Joe can roll up and either C&R all he wants or keep up to five. No license, no residency, no nothing. Anyhow, with those larger trout in Lake 1, I'm not inclined to ignore them altogether, even with Lake 2 in full bloom. So Lk 1 gets at least one weekly visit until we get a little higher up the big bell curve.

Lake 1 not only has nicer fish, a surprise or two is usually tossed into the mix. Golden Rainbow here...


What I'm Thinking, What I'm...um...Using - Apologies here if you were expecting a full arsenal of tricks and tactics. I'm better known for understanding my target, and then giving chase with not much. That brings us to the topic at hand...in each of my three lakes, the midge hatch affords so much surface activity that I can put all my eggs in a single approach aimed at the zone just beneath the surface. (Worth noting, in WA there's much greater opportunity and necessity to take your game into the depths among midges - Ira, Rod and many others are well versed here...run a search on their posts) My setup is really just a variation on Rod's suggestions. All I'm using is a floating line, 9ft 3x mono and maybe 2ft of 4x. Any smallish nymph or similar works - I'm just using a #12 GRHE for no particular reason. Normally I'm a leech guy but I'm simply presenting something smaller that high up. That's it. And the method is even easier, again much like Rod. I'm out the length of a long cast and just leaving it there at a slow troll. That's it. When it's working everywhere, I'm done figuring stuff out - too busy setting the hook.

Last tip: Make sure your fly lands right. If casting long is challenging, or you didn't literally see your fly roll out, take the extra few seconds and start over. If my long cast isn't working I don't bother. I'll throw short and wiggle the rest of it out. I'm there to set the hook, not throw pretty casts. Bummer during a busy hatch when you lose 10 or 15 mins to a bum cast/hung hook. Also don't leave it out there more than 10 or 15 mins w/out checking the fly and recasting.

Never Without Nuances - Let's look at the other stuff that affects the fun part. Back to the little bell curve for a minute - early on in the bite, expect more of a driveby and less of a hookset. Once again, it's not you, go easy on yourself. This is very normal behavior as everyone takes a seat at the table. And a different fly won't change that. Your assignment is to do nothing except understand the behavior and wait patiently for it to change. Sure enough, that problem solves itself as feeding goes on toward its peak. Your focus is on the timing of all that and not much more.

Another nuance, that crazy corner of heightened activity. Go ahead and try it. If you score, keep scoring. But if they mysteriously ignore you, don't let them eat the clock up - they win you lose on that one. Get out in looser water where you'll get noticed more easily. Most often that frenzy is not best suited for you and your fly - get over it, move on and thank me later. And another nuance, food yes/fish no. You'll see that. My explanation is dinner can often be served for longer than fish need to eat. Can be either before or after the bite, but food and fish don't necessarily vary directly. One tip here, you'll commonly see swallows onto a midge hatch before and after the trout come up.

Last nuance, a major part of this game is waiting. No way around it and I do more than my share. You do plenty of it to figure out much of the above. Those bell curves don't exactly show up on the calendar. Know that the wait is a natural part of the game and it's your payment for all this fun and success. I've never known any of it to be free. When you have the time, don't leave. Enjoy it, fish through it, do whatever it takes to make that hour, or two, or four go by and you won't regret what's at the other end. I'll gladly wait four hours for a single hour of bliss if I don't already know the bell curve yet. And if you go often enough there's no more waiting - show up, catch fish, go home, repeat.

Sure sign it's the early part of the bell curve. Barely hooked in the outer lip!


Who the Hell is Lemuel - Lemuel Punderson that is. Remember the 100 acre kettle lake? Punderson Lake is maybe 45 mins east of me, close enough to drop in after an honest day's work, or on a Saturday if Lakes 1 and 2 are less than ideal. Last night I gave it my first go of the spring and found it full of bird activity as I hurried my gear together. First observation, no bell curve. Midges yes, swallows yes, fish no. No rings, no takes, no nothing. Not even a bluegill, that's bad. Had I missed the bite and now it was dead ducky? I hate it when that happens. And dusk was too far off. Crap, this could be 2 or 3 hours of "enjoying" before I might see any sign of something.

Unfortunately I was right, but remember that part about the wait. Did I mention that late eve is quite opposite the morning stretch? I may have forgotten that earlier. So eve to dusk tends to bring another round of food and feeding before everything goes to bed. This time of year in particular, don't be surprised to see birds followed by bats, all swarming about as the day's final hatch is picked off from above and below.

For my little game at Punderson, this meant a first glimmer somewhere around 7:30. Those swallows were a constant the whole time as they went about their business with the midges. It drove me nuts, I'm human. But finally I saw a ring or two. I didn't need much. Earlier on, I had gone to a full sink and leech to pass the time and make a more thorough search of the terrain. Normally I need to see a certain level of surfacing before I'm willing to re-rig to a floater. Not this time. I was bored and skunked. As it went, the wait finally paid off, I had found what I came for and, best of all, I now had current intel on all three lakes.

Btw, knowing when the bite is off at a lake is just as useful as knowing when it's on. Makes sense if you think about it - you're just filling in puzzle pieces to plot those bell curves, and knowing where the inactivity is will narrow down the timing of the bite. It works brilliantly. And whereby the bite can only last so long, so too the wait can only last so long. Like you and me they get hungry.

They were even crawling up and making themselves at home. Yes, it drove me nuts.


Ohio Fly Fishing Fun Facts - Some "minor" differences between my homeland and the great state of Ohio. Stillwater fly fishing for trout is nearly nonexistant here. A total of 66 lakes are stocked with trout statewide, most only in spring which means a three month fishery at best - again, they don't survive the warm summers in shallow water. Many of these lakes are actually small ponds designed around bank fishing, and too small to float. I have yet to see another trout fisher in a boat or floating device of any kind. I have yet to see another float tube in all of Ohio. I have yet to see anyone fly fishing in a lake. The vast majority of trout in lakes are fished for in the 2 or 3 weeks following the truck. Then everyone disappears. Ohio is known for big water Walleye, big and small water bass and crappie, and a phenomenon called Steelhead Alley (look that up - WA steelheaders would move here and never leave if they knew).

Add all that up and, though my opportunities are incredibly limited for SWFF, I have it all to myself. 9+ out of ten times I'm the only thing afloat and quite often the only person there period. Notsurprisingly, I get a lot of funny looks and questions about my "raft thingy" and dive fins. I'm the first and only they've seen. Maybe it'll catch on but, for now, it's my own private Ohio.

 

[troutpocket]

Thanks for the deep dive and perspective on your back yard, @Tim Lockhart !

 

[Lue Taylor]

Excellent help from a rather esteemed group of fishers - above pretty much covers it (except Kokita ).

I'm experiencing a lot of parallel circumstances out here in Ohio so thought I'd tie everyone's advice together. (Note here, I learned the sport on Washington waters before relocating) From very limited opportunities for trout in lakes, I'm working three lakes consisting of 2 ponds, each about 10 acres (depth <15), and a 100 acre kettle lake with 50ft max. Kettle lakes (natural with depth) are extremely rare in Ohio, and the majority of our stillwater really doesn't run deeper than 15ft or so. That means trout don't survive the summers, there's no such thing as a carry-over and, moreover, the prospects for SWFF are almost nonexistent. Nonetheless I have my three lakes. Oh, there was a point to all that...three lakes - one food source - same set of rules.

In recent weeks, and despite a spring that hasn't sprung according to the weather man, midges have taken their rightful place on our lakes. Life and career securely rearanged, the hunt is officially underway for me and the float tube of freedom.

A Bell Curve of Bell Curves - If you go often enough you'll start seeing a rather simplistic pattern of behavior or activity that applies to most any food source. Call it a lifecycle of lifecycles - easy enough to understand if you think about it. First off, within a single day you have a hatch that occurs with a beginning, a middle and an end. Consider that "the bite" and know that the bite commonly occurs more than once a day in some form. Regardless, the bite tends to behave like a bell curve that ramps to a peak and tapers back off. Add one more thing here - the more prolific the bite, the less activity you'll find when it's off. This time of year I always remimd myself, the deader it is now, the "aliver" it's gonna be when they come on. It works.

I almost forgot the other bell curve. Those daily bell curves fit into a larger bell curve that defines the overall duration of the food source. In our example that's spring midges. And if you follow me so far, the initial days will show a less prolific bite or hatch that ramps up day by day to a peak with longer durations and highly intense feeding, again followed by the same tapering effect. The value in understanding all that will show in your results as you devote more and more time to the pursuit. You'll start knowing when to be where, and ridiculous numbers become not only possible, but seemingly easy, even expected at times. I look at the list of guys on this thread and have watched half of them (even Kokita!) do exactly what I'm describing.

Morning Stretch - Ira and Rod (troutpocket) both eluded to it. First light or early morning commonly has trout awake and visibly on the move. Whether feeding in some form or not, typical behavior excludes interaction with you and your fly. It's not you. Think of it this way - the bite is not actually on, yet you can see activity. That's really unintuitive and rather difficult to get wrapped around. I find it best to take the pressure off and allow myself to get blanked while I watch the "morning stretch" happen all around me.

Morning Stretch: Better known for scenery than success with rod & reel.
View attachment 12763

More to think about...this is a good example of us not having all the answers, however that doesn't mean you're out of solutions. If you can accept the missing puzzle pieces, you can actually move on and solve it regardless. That means you don't need them all. Here, I really don't know why exactly they show themselves and behave this way. I just know they aren't feeding/taking bait like they will when the real bite comes on. That's good enough. But it doesn't end there, I still have good news. Yes, pressure is off, but I usually manage to pull a rabbit or two outa my hat before the activity disappears. I call it run 'n gun. Fish hard, fast and in variation. Usually the odds still swing one or two my way during that time, just for being around and active while they are. But again, if it doesn't happen who cares, they're bonus fish.

And Onto the Fun Part - As we speak, one of my spots is going off late morning, around 10:30, and lasting maybe an hour or so (the little bell curve). I'm considering this one early to midway up the big bell curve so the best days are ahead and not far off. The second spot is of more interest at the moment since that hatch is happening from roughly 2:30 till almost 5:00 and showing notably more intensity. Add to that, I have an easier time skating work at that part of the day in my situation.

As you can guess, I'm spending more time at Lake 2, but I'll throw in one curveball. Lake 1 happens to have nicer trout. Story short, it draws from a hatchery run by that county's parks system vs. the state. Even more cool, Lake 2 has no license requirement since the state is not involved in stocking. Any Joe can roll up and either C&R all he wants or keep up to five. No license, no residency, no nothing. Anyhow, with those larger trout in Lake 1, I'm not inclined to ignore them altogether, even with Lake 2 in full bloom. So Lk 1 gets at least one weekly visit until we get a little higher up the big bell curve.

Lake 1 not only has nicer fish, a surprise or two is usually tossed into the mix. Golden trout here...
View attachment 12762

What I'm Thinking, What I'm...um...Using - Apologies here if you were expecting a full arsenal of tricks and tactics. I'm better known for understanding my target, and then giving chase with not much. That brings us to the topic at hand...in each of my three lakes, the midge hatch affords so much surface activity that I can put all my eggs in a single approach aimed at the zone just beneath the surface. (Worth noting, in WA there's much greater opportunity and necessity to take your game into the depths among midges - Ira, Rod and many others are well versed here...run a search on their posts) My setup is really just a variation on Rod's suggestions. All I'm using is a floating line, 9ft 3x mono and maybe 2ft of 4x. Any smallish nymph or similar works - I'm just using a #12 GRHE for no particular reason. Normally I'm a leech guy but I'm simply presenting something smaller that high up. That's it. And the method is even easier, again much like Rod. I'm out the length of a long cast and just leaving it there at a slow troll. That's it. When it's working everywhere, I'm done figuring stuff out - too busy setting the hook.

Last tip: Make sure your fly lands right. If casting long is challenging, or you didn't literally see your fly roll out, take the extra few seconds and start over. If my long cast isn't working I don't bother. I'll throw short and wiggle the rest of it out. I'm there to set the hook, not throw pretty casts. Bummer during a busy hatch when you lose 10 or 15 mins to a bum cast/hung hook. Also don't leave it out there more than 10 or 15 mins w/out checking the fly and recasting.

Never Without Nuances - Let's look at the other stuff that affects the fun part. Back to the little bell curve for a minute - early on in the bite, expect more of a driveby and less of a hookset. Once again, it's not you, go easy on yourself. This is very normal behavior as everyone takes a seat at the table. And a different fly won't change that. Your assignment is to do nothing except understand the behavior and wait patiently for it to change. Sure enough, that problem solves itself as feeding goes on toward its peak. Your focus is on the timing of all that and not much more.

Another nuance, that crazy corner of heightened activity. Go ahead and try it. If you score, keep scoring. But if they mysteriously ignore you, don't let them eat the clock up - they win you lose on that one. Get out in looser water where you'll get noticed more easily. Most often that frenzy is not best suited for you and your fly - get over it, move on and thank me later. And another nuance, food yes/fish no. You'll see that. My explanation is dinner can often be served for longer than fish need to eat. Can be either before or after the bite, but food and fish don't necessarily vary directly. One tip here, you'll commonly see swallows onto a midge hatch before and after the trout come up.

Last nuance, a major part of this game is waiting. No way around it and I do more than my share. You do plenty of it to figure out much of the above. Those bell curves don't exactly show up on the calendar. Know that the wait is a natural part of the game and it's your payment for all this fun and success. I've never known any of it to be free. When you have the time, don't leave. Enjoy it, fish through it, do whatever it takes to make that hour, or two, or four go by and you won't regret what's at the other end. I'll gladly wait four hours for a single hour of bliss if I don't already know the bell curve yet. And if you go often enough there's no more waiting - show up, catch fish, go home, repeat.

Sure sign it's the early part of the bell curve. Barely hooked in the outer lip!
View attachment 12761

Who the Hell is Lemuel - Lemuel Punderson that is. Remember the 100 acre kettle lake? Punderson Lake is maybe 45 mins east of me, close enough to drop in after an honest day's work, or on a Saturday if Lakes 1 and 2 are less than ideal. Last night I gave it my first go of the spring and found it full of bird activity as I hurried my gear together. First observation, no bell curve. Midges yes, swallows yes, fish no. No rings, no takes, no nothing. Not even a bluegill, that's bad. Had I missed the bite and now it was dead ducky? I hate it when that happens. And dusk was too far off. Crap, this could be 2 or 3 hours of "enjoying" before I might see any sign of something.

Unfortunately I was right, but remember that part about the wait. Did I mention that late eve is quite opposite the morning stretch? I may have forgotten that earlier. So eve to dusk tend to bring another round of food and feeding before everything goes to bed. This time of year in particular, don't be surprised to see birds followed by bats, all swarming about as the day's final hatch is picked off from above and below.

For my little game at Punderson, this meant a first glimmer somewhere around 7:30. Those swallows were a constant the whole time as they went about their business with the midges. It drove me nuts, I'm human. But finally I saw a ring or two. I didn't need much. Earlier on, I had gone to a full sink and leech to pass the time and make a more thorough search of the terrain. Normally I need to see a certian level of surfacing before I'm willing to re-rig to a floater. Not this time. I was bored and skunked. As it went, the wait finally paid off, I had found what I came for and, best of all, I now had current intel on all three lakes.

Btw, knowing when the bite is off at a lake is just as useful as knowing when it's on. Makes sense if you think about it - you're just filling in puzzle pieces to plot those bell curves, and knowing where the inactivity is will narrow down the timing of the bite. It works brilliantly. And whereby the bite can only last so long, so too the wait can only last so long. Like you and me they get hungry.

They were even crawling up and making themselves at home. Yes, it drove me nuts.
View attachment 12760

Ohio Fly Fishing Fun Facts - Some "minor" differences between my homeland and the great state of Ohio. Stillwater fly fishing for trout is nearly nonexistant here. A total of 66 lakes are stocked with trout statewide, most only in spring which means a three month fishery at best - again, they don't survive the warm summers in shallow water. Many of these lakes are actually small ponds designed around bank fishing, and too small to float. I have yet to see another trout fisher in a boat or floating device of any kind. I have yet to see another float tube in all of Ohio. I have yet to see anyone fly fishing in a lake. The vast majority of trout in lakes are fished for in the 2 or 3 weeks following the truck. Then everyone disappears. Ohio is known for big water Walleye, big and small water bass and crappie, and a phenomenon called Steelhead Alley (look that up - WA steelheaders would move here and never leave if they knew).

Add all that up and, though my opportunities are incredibly limited for SWFF, I have it all to myself. 9+ out of ten times I'm the only thing afloat and quite often the only person there period. Notsurprisingly, I get a lot of funny looks and questions about my "raft thingy" and dive fins. I'm the first and only they've seen. Maybe it'll catch on but, for now, it's my own private Ohio.

Good report Tim

 

[Triggw]

Golden trout here...
View attachment 12762

Not a Golden Trout. A Golden Rainbow, AKA Palomino Trout.

Just fling a black foam beetle out there and wait.

 

[Tim L]

Not a Golden Trout. A Golden Rainbow, AKA Palamino Trout.

Just fling a black foam beetle out there and wait.

Revised, I stand corrected. Thank you Sir

 

[Pink Nighty]

Excellent help from a rather esteemed group of fishers - above pretty much covers it (except Kokita ).

I'm experiencing a lot of parallel circumstances out here in Ohio so thought I'd tie everyone's advice together. (Note here, I learned the sport on Washington waters before relocating) From very limited opportunities for trout in lakes, I'm working three lakes consisting of 2 ponds, each about 10 acres (depth <15), and a 100 acre kettle lake with 50ft max. Kettle lakes (natural with depth) are extremely rare in Ohio, and the majority of our stillwater really doesn't run deeper than 15ft or so. That means trout don't survive the summers, there's no such thing as a carry-over and, moreover, the prospects for SWFF are almost nonexistent. Nonetheless I have my three lakes. Oh, there was a point to all that...three lakes - one food source - same set of rules.

In recent weeks, and despite a spring that hasn't sprung according to the weather man, midges have taken their rightful place on our lakes. Life and career securely rearanged, the hunt is officially underway for me and the float tube of freedom.

A Bell Curve of Bell Curves - If you go often enough you'll start seeing a rather simplistic pattern of behavior or activity that applies to most any food source. Call it a lifecycle of lifecycles - easy enough to understand if you think about it. First off, within a single day you have a hatch that occurs with a beginning, a middle and an end. Consider that "the bite" and know that the bite commonly occurs more than once a day in some form. Regardless, the bite tends to behave like a bell curve that ramps to a peak and tapers back off. Add one more thing here - the more prolific the bite, the less activity you'll find when it's off. This time of year I always remimd myself, the deader it is now, the "aliver" it's gonna be when they come on. It works.

I almost forgot the other bell curve. Those daily bell curves fit into a larger bell curve that defines the overall duration of the food source. In our example that's spring midges. And if you follow me so far, the initial days will show a less prolific bite or hatch that ramps up day by day to a peak with longer durations and highly intense feeding, again followed by the same tapering effect. The value in understanding all that will show in your results as you devote more and more time to the pursuit. You'll start knowing when to be where, and ridiculous numbers become not only possible, but seemingly easy, even expected at times. I look at the list of guys on this thread and have watched half of them (even Kokita!) do exactly what I'm describing.

Morning Stretch - Ira and Rod (troutpocket) both eluded to it. First light or early morning commonly has trout awake and visibly on the move. Whether feeding in some form or not, typical behavior excludes interaction with you and your fly. It's not you. Think of it this way - the bite is not actually on, yet you can see activity. That's really unintuitive and rather difficult to get wrapped around. I find it best to take the pressure off and allow myself to get blanked while I watch the "morning stretch" happen all around me.

Morning Stretch: Better known for scenery than success with rod & reel.
View attachment 12763

More to think about...this is a good example of us not having all the answers, however that doesn't mean you're out of solutions. If you can accept the missing puzzle pieces, you can actually move on and solve it regardless. That means you don't need them all. Here, I really don't know why exactly they show themselves and behave this way. I just know they aren't feeding/taking bait like they will when the real bite comes on. That's good enough. But it doesn't end there, I still have good news. Yes, pressure is off, but I usually manage to pull a rabbit or two outa my hat before the activity disappears. I call it run 'n gun. Fish hard, fast and in variation. Usually the odds still swing one or two my way during that time, just for being around and active while they are. But again, if it doesn't happen who cares, they're bonus fish.

And Onto the Fun Part - As we speak, one of my spots is going off late morning, around 10:30, and lasting maybe an hour or so (the little bell curve). I'm considering this one early to midway up the big bell curve so the best days are ahead and not far off. The second spot is of more interest at the moment since that hatch is happening from roughly 2:30 till almost 5:00 and showing notably more intensity. Add to that, I have an easier time skating work at that part of the day in my situation.

As you can guess, I'm spending more time at Lake 2, but I'll throw in one curveball. Lake 1 happens to have nicer trout. Story short, it draws from a hatchery run by that county's parks system vs. the state. Even more cool, Lake 2 has no license requirement since the state is not involved in stocking. Any Joe can roll up and either C&R all he wants or keep up to five. No license, no residency, no nothing. Anyhow, with those larger trout in Lake 1, I'm not inclined to ignore them altogether, even with Lake 2 in full bloom. So Lk 1 gets at least one weekly visit until we get a little higher up the big bell curve.

Lake 1 not only has nicer fish, a surprise or two is usually tossed into the mix. Golden Rainbow here...
View attachment 12762

What I'm Thinking, What I'm...um...Using - Apologies here if you were expecting a full arsenal of tricks and tactics. I'm better known for understanding my target, and then giving chase with not much. That brings us to the topic at hand...in each of my three lakes, the midge hatch affords so much surface activity that I can put all my eggs in a single approach aimed at the zone just beneath the surface. (Worth noting, in WA there's much greater opportunity and necessity to take your game into the depths among midges - Ira, Rod and many others are well versed here...run a search on their posts) My setup is really just a variation on Rod's suggestions. All I'm using is a floating line, 9ft 3x mono and maybe 2ft of 4x. Any smallish nymph or similar works - I'm just using a #12 GRHE for no particular reason. Normally I'm a leech guy but I'm simply presenting something smaller that high up. That's it. And the method is even easier, again much like Rod. I'm out the length of a long cast and just leaving it there at a slow troll. That's it. When it's working everywhere, I'm done figuring stuff out - too busy setting the hook.

Last tip: Make sure your fly lands right. If casting long is challenging, or you didn't literally see your fly roll out, take the extra few seconds and start over. If my long cast isn't working I don't bother. I'll throw short and wiggle the rest of it out. I'm there to set the hook, not throw pretty casts. Bummer during a busy hatch when you lose 10 or 15 mins to a bum cast/hung hook. Also don't leave it out there more than 10 or 15 mins w/out checking the fly and recasting.

Never Without Nuances - Let's look at the other stuff that affects the fun part. Back to the little bell curve for a minute - early on in the bite, expect more of a driveby and less of a hookset. Once again, it's not you, go easy on yourself. This is very normal behavior as everyone takes a seat at the table. And a different fly won't change that. Your assignment is to do nothing except understand the behavior and wait patiently for it to change. Sure enough, that problem solves itself as feeding goes on toward its peak. Your focus is on the timing of all that and not much more.

Another nuance, that crazy corner of heightened activity. Go ahead and try it. If you score, keep scoring. But if they mysteriously ignore you, don't let them eat the clock up - they win you lose on that one. Get out in looser water where you'll get noticed more easily. Most often that frenzy is not best suited for you and your fly - get over it, move on and thank me later. And another nuance, food yes/fish no. You'll see that. My explanation is dinner can often be served for longer than fish need to eat. Can be either before or after the bite, but food and fish don't necessarily vary directly. One tip here, you'll commonly see swallows onto a midge hatch before and after the trout come up.

Last nuance, a major part of this game is waiting. No way around it and I do more than my share. You do plenty of it to figure out much of the above. Those bell curves don't exactly show up on the calendar. Know that the wait is a natural part of the game and it's your payment for all this fun and success. I've never known any of it to be free. When you have the time, don't leave. Enjoy it, fish through it, do whatever it takes to make that hour, or two, or four go by and you won't regret what's at the other end. I'll gladly wait four hours for a single hour of bliss if I don't already know the bell curve yet. And if you go often enough there's no more waiting - show up, catch fish, go home, repeat.

Sure sign it's the early part of the bell curve. Barely hooked in the outer lip!
View attachment 12761

Who the Hell is Lemuel - Lemuel Punderson that is. Remember the 100 acre kettle lake? Punderson Lake is maybe 45 mins east of me, close enough to drop in after an honest day's work, or on a Saturday if Lakes 1 and 2 are less than ideal. Last night I gave it my first go of the spring and found it full of bird activity as I hurried my gear together. First observation, no bell curve. Midges yes, swallows yes, fish no. No rings, no takes, no nothing. Not even a bluegill, that's bad. Had I missed the bite and now it was dead ducky? I hate it when that happens. And dusk was too far off. Crap, this could be 2 or 3 hours of "enjoying" before I might see any sign of something.

Unfortunately I was right, but remember that part about the wait. Did I mention that late eve is quite opposite the morning stretch? I may have forgotten that earlier. So eve to dusk tend to bring another round of food and feeding before everything goes to bed. This time of year in particular, don't be surprised to see birds followed by bats, all swarming about as the day's final hatch is picked off from above and below.

For my little game at Punderson, this meant a first glimmer somewhere around 7:30. Those swallows were a constant the whole time as they went about their business with the midges. It drove me nuts, I'm human. But finally I saw a ring or two. I didn't need much. Earlier on, I had gone to a full sink and leech to pass the time and make a more thorough search of the terrain. Normally I need to see a certian level of surfacing before I'm willing to re-rig to a floater. Not this time. I was bored and skunked. As it went, the wait finally paid off, I had found what I came for and, best of all, I now had current intel on all three lakes.

Btw, knowing when the bite is off at a lake is just as useful as knowing when it's on. Makes sense if you think about it - you're just filling in puzzle pieces to plot those bell curves, and knowing where the inactivity is will narrow down the timing of the bite. It works brilliantly. And whereby the bite can only last so long, so too the wait can only last so long. Like you and me they get hungry.

They were even crawling up and making themselves at home. Yes, it drove me nuts.
View attachment 12760

Ohio Fly Fishing Fun Facts - Some "minor" differences between my homeland and the great state of Ohio. Stillwater fly fishing for trout is nearly nonexistant here. A total of 66 lakes are stocked with trout statewide, most only in spring which means a three month fishery at best - again, they don't survive the warm summers in shallow water. Many of these lakes are actually small ponds designed around bank fishing, and too small to float. I have yet to see another trout fisher in a boat or floating device of any kind. I have yet to see another float tube in all of Ohio. I have yet to see anyone fly fishing in a lake. The vast majority of trout in lakes are fished for in the 2 or 3 weeks following the truck. Then everyone disappears. Ohio is known for big water Walleye, big and small water bass and crappie, and a phenomenon called Steelhead Alley (look that up - WA steelheaders would move here and never leave if they knew).

Add all that up and, though my opportunities are incredibly limited for SWFF, I have it all to myself. 9+ out of ten times I'm the only thing afloat and quite often the only person there period. Notsurprisingly, I get a lot of funny looks and questions about my "raft thingy" and dive fins. I'm the first and only they've seen. Maybe it'll catch on but, for now, it's my own private Ohio.

That is excellent information, thank you for writing that.

If I may ask, have you tracked solunar activity as it relates to the bell curves of feeding/hatching activity? If so, have you found any relation there?