Teach me to Fish Chironomids?

If you are not seeing fish with some regularity on your sounder, MOVE. It is hard to do well when you are parked in a dead zone.
Once on fish, play with different chronies, different retrieves, and pay attention to what your sounder is telling you ( depth of fish).
If they won't play where you are at, move again. Sometimes 50ft can be the difference between the odd fish and steady fish on.
Chronie fishing can be very productive and is worth putting the effort into learning, even if you have ADHD.
 
Chironomid fishing under and indicators is a waste of time... I would just say everybody should troll. Chironomid fishing sucks!

As an adult with ADD/ADHD... Chironomid fishing changed my life! It is like yoga it takes lots of practice! And NEVER look away, or set your rod down unattended, because that's when "Tommy The Spotter" will strike!

Depth, Stillness, Structure, Size, Color (Always Black)

But, hey you don't get to see the pretty scenes if your Chironomid fish.

File_000 (3).png

(PS. Later this spring I might message you about a day on the water - depending on life, not that I know what I am doing, but willing to share)
 
No joke, I have seen a "pellet" fly in a fly shop in Utah. Apparently, they work quite well near the base of the Flaming Gorge Dam, where there are a bunch of enormous browns who prefer hatchery pellets to more "natural" offerings, but there are some things even I won't do, so I have no firsthand accounts. I didn't look too close, but I think they were a thin strip of tan foam wrapped around the shank to form a "pellet," with a bright orange "hot spot" on top. I'm guessing there was lead under the foam to make it sink, albeit nice and slow, just like the "naturals."
Ah, the “dead egg” aka brown egg aka pellet fly. It takes several forms.

 
Chironomid fishing under and indicators is a waste of time... I would just say everybody should troll. Chironomid fishing sucks!

As an adult with ADD/ADHD... Chironomid fishing changed my life! It is like yoga it takes lots of practice! And NEVER look away, or set your rod down unattended, because that's when "Tommy The Spotter" will strike!

Depth, Stillness, Structure, Size, Color (Always Black)

But, hey you don't get to see the pretty scenes if your Chironomid fish.

View attachment 140903

(PS. Later this spring I might message you about a day on the water - depending on life, not that I know what I am doing, but willing to share)
Move along, @Shawn Seeger ….you’re in my spot ;)

I once caught the Central WA 3-trout slam anchored up right there.
 
There is one other good thing about chironomid fishing nobody has mentioned.
If you get really good at it, you might earn the reward of getting your name written on an outhouse wall. 😉
SF
One of those folks, @Tim L never got good at the indicator game, yet still found love on the walls of the stalls.
Patience is key.
I hear this quite a bit. For me though too much patience is the problem, not the key. I have no patience when I fish, ask anyone who fishes with me, I literally will set a timer when indicator fishing. Indicator fishing for me is far more active… mentally… than about any other method, and my impatience is mostly a mental game. I believe this has made me a better fisherman and a talented indicator wrangler. If it is like the proverbial “watching the paint” dry for someone, I think maybe they aren’t doing it as effectively as it could be done.

Jake, I’ll take you out.
 
If you are not seeing fish with some regularity on your sounder, MOVE.

Chironomid fishing under and indicators is a waste of time... I would just say everybody should troll. Chironomid fishing sucks!

As an adult with ADD/ADHD... Chironomid fishing changed my life! It is like yoga it takes lots of practice! And NEVER look away, or set your rod down unattended, because that's when "Tommy The Spotter" will strike!

Depth, Stillness, Structure, Size, Color (Always Black)

But, hey you don't get to see the pretty scenes if your Chironomid fish.

View attachment 140903

(PS. Later this spring I might message you about a day on the water - depending on life, not that I know what I am doing, but willing to share)
looks like the head of a friggin salmon sticking up..lol
 
A lot of misplaced chironomid hate here but love it or hate it-learn it! If you are still an active fisher at my age (87 this year) you will be damned glad to be on the water and how you catch fish won't be a moral or ethical issue. After 74 years of chasing mostly trout I can verify that a fish caught on a chironomid feels nearly identical to one caught on a dry fly or a bugger. I can no longer plunge into steep canyons to fish rocky little creeks or backpack to 11,000' to catch goldens but can easily wheel my inflatables 1/2 mile into a lake that holds monster trout. Like a lot of you, I don't relish anchoring up and watching a bobber but I can feel the time coming when that will be a helluva lot better than nothing.

I watched a video years ago of an old man about 90 fishing a little pond and catching 8-10" fish on a fly rod. He could barely walk but he could still cast and his joy at landing a 10'' brookie was unmistakable. If that is me in a couple of years, so be it. I'll take it! And I won't be embarrassed if it is on a cronie...
 
Public service announcement - Get your eyes checked if you find indicator fishing boring.:cool:

I'm sure this goes without saying, but being able to see distance clearly can make a huge difference. I've been fishing indicators for roughly 35 years, and it recently started to feel like it was getting less productive for me. Days when friends that I had brought to the sport were smashing me became the norm. A few years ago, I had my eyes checked and low and behold I had grown nearsighted. Nothing ridiculous but enough to miss small signs of a strike. Chatting with@Irafly one afternoon on the water discussing types of movement that can indicate a bite opened my eyes (literally and figuratively) to things I wasn't seeing any more. I won't go into the nuances of how a bobber shimmies and risk compromising anyone’s proprietary presentation material, but these can be very subtle. On the days when the fish swim up, lick your bug and swim off, I wasn't getting much action.
 
Public service announcement - Get your eyes checked if you find indicator fishing boring.:cool:

I'm sure this goes without saying, but being able to see distance clearly can make a huge difference. I've been fishing indicators for roughly 35 years, and it recently started to feel like it was getting less productive for me. Days when friends that I had brought to the sport were smashing me became the norm. A few years ago, I had my eyes checked and low and behold I had grown nearsighted. Nothing ridiculous but enough to miss small signs of a strike. Chatting with@Irafly one afternoon on the water discussing types of movement that can indicate a bite opened my eyes (literally and figuratively) to things I wasn't seeing any more. I won't go into the nuances of how a bobber shimmies and risk compromising anyone’s proprietary presentation material, but these can be very subtle. On the days when the fish swim up, lick your bug and swim off, I wasn't getting much action.
Amen, great advice! Last year I was anchored up on a drop off (Pat Lake) and my Fishing Buddy 120 showed fish about 4' from the toe of the slope. I knew my flies (one per rod, two rods) were at that zone. I wasn't getting any action (that I could see). I moved my boat to where I was anchored right above this place (I'd moved all of 30 feet) and started fishing with my indicators less than a rod length away. At that distance I could see the Iracation, slight and subtle "shimmy", vibrations, a slight roll - movement so subtle that at 30 feet or more I couldn't see it (two tone indicators). It was game on, often with both rods showing a slight "lick".
 
Oh...I can see my indicators (nowadays Oros) just fine...as long as I can manage to keep my eyelids open.

Noticed my local flyshop was also carrying the similar Airlocks that would appear to offer the additional advantage of facilitating the use of very long tippets...so purchased a pack to test out that feature.
 
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At that distance I could see the Iracation, slight and subtle "shimmy", vibrations, a slight roll - movement so subtle that at 30 feet or more I couldn't see it (two tone indicators). It was game on, often with both rods showing a slight "lick".
In this case the fish are telling you they are interested but your bug, depth or retrieve is off a bit. I have found that downsizing often turns hesitant takes into solid takes.
 
I actually prefer indicating to trolling. It’s boring just kicking around. One thing to make fly changes quicker is to pretie some two or three fly rigs that you can then tie or loop-to-loop onto your leader. You can use a pool noodle or one of those fly boxes with a foam leaf.
 
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