Springers on the fly

[speedbird]

Gonna be fishing a Springer river known for putting out fish that bite flies, albeit not very well. I am thinking about doing a little fly fishing for the first hour or two while the sun is low before switching to hardware. The river is currently at moderately low flows. Do any of you have any experience going after these fish with the fly rod? From what I have been told, it's to use winter Steelhead tactics and flies. Although you should keep flies to the sparser end, and bring out the more subtle patterns like comets as the river drops.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

I used to fish the icicle quite a bit. Quite a good number of springers on plunked whole rigged herring. Exactly one on a swung fly. A chartreuse, blue, with silver flashabou fly. Kinda like a popsicle. IMHO, proper brining and rigging of a whole herring, is way more interesting than continuous swinging of a fly, and way more productive. When I lived in NCW, my goals were a Chinook and a sockeye on a swung fly. I accomplished both, but with great effort.

 

[HauntedByWaters]

I’ve caught springers on the full spectrum of flies. Big to small. Dark to bright. Usually it’s best to find a big school of them. That seems to factor into hooking them more than anything else.

 

[aseredick]

No experience, as I’m at the beginning of my flyfishing journey, but perhaps you can find some tips on the deneki outdoors blog:

Search Results for “King salmon”

deneki.com

 

[RRSmith]

We fish estuaries for springers and swing classic tidewater salmon flies like boss's, comets and clousers. It sounds like you will be above tidewater so there may be a slightly different strategy involved. It's definitely a challenge enticing one to grab.

 

[Pink Nighty]

Been at it for 3 seasons without a grab. Have been fishing near the terminal areas (upriver) throwing a large mix of flies. Bulls keep me at it though.

Following with hopes of enlightenment!

 

[iggie]

I have swung them up throwing slightly upstream, feeding line to sink. While watching the slack, it would start moving away, tighten up and fish on.
I was using pink wooly buggers. Now I have been getting them swinging marabou flies in the middle of a bluebird day. They have been holding off the current edge in 4 feet of water. I am hundreds of miles away from the salt.

 

[Grandpa Jim]

I swung up a nice springer on the Sol Duc in April 2016. I was fishing for steelhead with a 13' 7 wt., Skagit Max head and 10' of T-11 with a Foxee Dog fly. The springer came out of the head of the run at 10:30 on a sunny morning. I had already landed a nice steelhead earlier that day. I also landed another steelhead late in the afternoon the day before. All the fish came out of choppy water at the head of runs. It was 90 degrees for the high temperature in Forks the days I fished. A memorable trip for me.
My one and only springer on the fly...

 

[speedbird]

I have swung them up throwing slightly upstream, feeding line to sink. While watching the slack, it would start moving away, tighten up and fish on.
I was using pink wooly buggers. Now I have been getting them swinging marabou flies in the middle of a bluebird day. They have been holding off the current edge in 4 feet of water. I am hundreds of miles away from the salt.

The more time I spend on this site the more I consider replacing my entire fly box with Woolly Buggers

 

[Dustin Chromers]

My short advice for springers on the fly and I don't claim all pro status but I've caught a few and here's my thoughts.

One, not all springers are created equal. Find the biting kind. As in find a race and river that is cooperative. Numbers help too but not as important as finding the biting kind

Two, flies can be whatever. I have found smaller works better than what you would think. I've caught them on giant flashy stuff but I've caught just as many on smaller more demure stuff.

Three, you find them where you find them and they eat what they eat. Once you find a spot where you get them bite return there.

 

[Dustin Chromers]

The more time I spend on this site the more I consider replacing my entire fly box with Woolly Buggers

Egg sucking leech buggers have worked as well as anything else overall for me.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

The more time I spend on this site the more I consider replacing my entire fly box with Woolly Buggers

You could do worse. The problem I've found is pretty soon you'll collar your buggers with guinea, then seal will find it's way onto the body, then you'll tie them on tubes, then.........

 

[Shad]

The hardest part about catching a springer on a fly is finding a biter in water you can effectively swing or strip flies through. After that, getting them to bite is the next challenge, and it can be tough, but they are fish, so.... I agree that steelhead flies should be as good as anything. I've only caught one on a fly, and it was bycatch while fishing for spring steelhead in a river we can't fish in the spring anymore. It's a broad, relatively shallow river, so everything holds in runs there, making them accessible with fly tackle. Wasn't easy releasing that one, but that was the rule.

They aren't much harder to get than steelhead once you find biters, but in the places they like to hold (often fast and deep), you really are at a disadvantage with fly tackle. If you really want to get them on something you tied and the bugs aren't getting it done, I recommend a 3/8-1/2 oz. twitching jig. They work almost as well as bait, from what I've seen. If you want the best chance at catching one and aren't afraid to get dirty, eggs with the right cure (and maybe a sand shrimp on top) are the gold standard, at least in the places I've fished them.

Good luck!

 

[Dustin Chromers]

You could do worse. The problem I've found is pretty soon you'll collar your buggers with guinea, then seal will find it's way onto the body, then you'll tie them on tubes, then.........

I'm a bugger elitist. All of mine have a fancy wrap of something awesome on the collar.

 

[speedbird]

I used to fish the icicle quite a bit. Quite a good number of springers on plunked whole rigged herring. Exactly one on a swung fly. A chartreuse, blue, with silver flashabou fly. Kinda like a popsicle. IMHO, proper brining and rigging of a whole herring, is way more interesting than continuous swinging of a fly, and way more productive. When I lived in NCW, my goals were a Chinook and a sockeye on a swung fly. I accomplished both, but with great effort.

I planned to try that rig on a bigger river (I don’t like how plunking gear kind of dampens the fight) but high flows may have kiboshed that this month. I know most folks there are using sand shrimp, so I bet having a different presentation might’ve helped

 

[DerekWhipple]

A local fly shop employee told me he wasn't above putting a worm weight above the fly to get down in springer holding water (it's basically a twitching jig at that point).

 

[Dustin Chromers]

A local fly shop employee told me he wasn't above putting a worm weight above the fly to get down in springer holding water (it's basically a twitching jig at that point).

At that point what's the point. More treatise on springers and fishing deep and fast in general.

One, your t8 sinks as fast as t17. Yep it's true. Try it in a swimming pool. They both fall at the same rate. Why have t17 then? Well there's no reason for t17 at least in my fishing. However, t17 has higher grain weight therefore stays down under current pressure working to make your stuff rise in the water column. Yet is thicker so you pay in drag. You don't get all the grain weight stay down as you pay in friction. Personally I don't fish heavier than t14 and rarely above 12. And mainly it's to roll a big fly out by using the grain weight to do so.

Second, a worm weight will do not much more good than a weighted fly on a longer leader. I'll use a butt section of heavier stuff then my leader if need be. There are other ways to achieve depth than a worm weight. Besides you can generally find fish in water where the worm weight isn't necessary.

The above isn't to disparage anyone using a worm weight. It's simply a fly physics lesson and notes the alternatives to such precambrian tactics as to adding worm weights to your rig. I mean even soap lake @Billy doesn't go that low brow for bass.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

Worm weights, while very precambrian, cast way easier than flies tied with lead eyes of the equivalent weight. Also, the turnover is like chucking a 2X4, but Cortland LC 13 is the shit for getting down.

 

[iggie]

Worm weights, while very precambrian, cast way easier than flies tied with lead eyes of the equivalent weight. Also, the turnover is like chucking a 2X4, but Cortland LC 13 is the shit for getting down.

It is till it hits you in the back of the head. Ask me how I know this.
Had to sit down for 20 minutes.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

It is till it hits you in the back of the head. Ask me how I know this.
Had to sit down for 20 minutes.

Shit man, a double hauled comet with bead chain eyes in the melon will drop you to your knees. Ask me how I know. Dropping to your knees in waist deep water, no bueno!