What do you do when your confidence fly doesn't work?
- Thread starter Josh
- Start date
Pink Nighty
Legend
I'm some combination of all of these things. In a lake, if i know I'm fishing over fish, I'll change my casting angle, retrieve, depth, try to land my cast more delicately, and then change flies last. Then move if that didnt work. In the river I'm less likely to know I'm fishing over fish, and I tie more flies that I want to test out for swinging flies. So I'll change mostly to see how they swim/cast/sink/rise, how they show up in the water, see if I can get a response with something new.
I'm not likely to switch lines/tips unless I already have it rigged on another rod. I'll lengthen/shorten leader and fish a differently weighted fly instead.
I'm not likely to switch lines/tips unless I already have it rigged on another rod. I'll lengthen/shorten leader and fish a differently weighted fly instead.
Well, this was a lake for bass. But I figured the specifics didn't really matter since I was more looking for conversation than specific advice and the question could apply to any situation.
In a lake for bass, I'd switch it up from a streamer/craw to a surface popper, or visa versa.
Wouldn't that be UTI (under the influence)? Wa. state is strict about that.
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Used to work well at times, and if it didn't work well, trying a second or third time would surely work...as I recall.
Do believe you are referring to 'blowing the fish whistle'...
Used to work well at times, and if it didn't work well, trying a second or third time would surely work...as I recall.
"Fish and a whistle, whistle and a fish, eat everything that they put on the dish"
I'm not an experienced lake angler. I'll vary depth, retrievea and flies, and if I'm with friends I'll ask what's working for them. But it can get frustrating on a private lake I fish with friends when I am seeing literally dozens of fish passing through the cone of my Garmin Striker and I'm getting little to no response regardless of what I try 
.
On streams I'm most likely fishing fixed line Tenkara, or occasionally if fishing a nymph to 4' deep or more a Keiryu rod. I leave the last fly I used on the lines for those rods. Recently they are usually an unweighted soft hackle Pheasant tail wet fly or a synthetic Peacock herl beadhead nymph. I consider both as "confidence flies". I start with a dead drift but if I don't get or see any response I try a subtle twitching to longer more obvious horizontal and vertical jigging movement that I can't duplicate with a western fly rod, reel, and line because of the rod stiffness and the inevitable slack in a heavy PVC line. The fly manipulation often, but not always works.
If it doesn't work I try to discover what bugs are in and over the water, mainly to determine 1) size, and much less so, 2) color. Something a size smaller may get responses, but I have occasionally had something a size larger move larger reluctant fish. In either case I have had results with a one size difference to the naturals.
Something else that I wonder about is Solunar activity. I am not a devotee but think there may be something to it. Two weeks ago after a new moon on a supposedly high % Solunar day at a stream with an excellent moderately high flow, I was seeing and getting nothing. I also noted little to no bug activity over, on, or in the water and saw no rises until about 45 minutes before the Solunar activity peak. I caught a couple of fish during the peak but it was still very slow.
.On streams I'm most likely fishing fixed line Tenkara, or occasionally if fishing a nymph to 4' deep or more a Keiryu rod. I leave the last fly I used on the lines for those rods. Recently they are usually an unweighted soft hackle Pheasant tail wet fly or a synthetic Peacock herl beadhead nymph. I consider both as "confidence flies". I start with a dead drift but if I don't get or see any response I try a subtle twitching to longer more obvious horizontal and vertical jigging movement that I can't duplicate with a western fly rod, reel, and line because of the rod stiffness and the inevitable slack in a heavy PVC line. The fly manipulation often, but not always works.
If it doesn't work I try to discover what bugs are in and over the water, mainly to determine 1) size, and much less so, 2) color. Something a size smaller may get responses, but I have occasionally had something a size larger move larger reluctant fish. In either case I have had results with a one size difference to the naturals.
Something else that I wonder about is Solunar activity. I am not a devotee but think there may be something to it. Two weeks ago after a new moon on a supposedly high % Solunar day at a stream with an excellent moderately high flow, I was seeing and getting nothing. I also noted little to no bug activity over, on, or in the water and saw no rises until about 45 minutes before the Solunar activity peak. I caught a couple of fish during the peak but it was still very slow.
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I feel like bass are less prey-selective feeders, and are not looking for specific prey type as much as for something that catches their attention while not spooking them. That is, not match the hatch but match their mood.
I'll switch up in this order more or less: big topwater > small topwater > then sinking line with: wiggle bug > jiggy graboid > baitfish streamer > bottom hugger like a craw or ned rig worm fly
You'd be surprised how many times I've had a big LM sip a hopper/chernoble off the surface with barely a ripple. Enough that I tie some on small bass hooks!
If that doesn't work, I give up and fish for trout!
I'll switch up in this order more or less: big topwater > small topwater > then sinking line with: wiggle bug > jiggy graboid > baitfish streamer > bottom hugger like a craw or ned rig worm fly
You'd be surprised how many times I've had a big LM sip a hopper/chernoble off the surface with barely a ripple. Enough that I tie some on small bass hooks!
If that doesn't work, I give up and fish for trout!
Speak more about this...
On a lake, if nothing is working, I'll drag some kind of leech pattern around because it will eventually get bit. Or I get tired of fishing and go ashore. On a river, if nothing obvious is hatching, it's a double nymph rig with a Pat's rubber legs and Perdigon. If that doesn't get an eat, then there are no fish, or they've got lockjaw and aren't on the snap just now. Yesterday was tough. The Perdigon yielded a couple small trout. I tried a large dry and dropper and got a couple nice rises to the dry without hooking up. Even my best Jim Travers intimidation techniques couldn't force fish to bite. Sometimes the fish just aren't eating. That same stretch of river probably turned on a hour after we left at 6.
I legit love this. When fishing with a spinning rod, more than 90% of the smallmouth I have caught on my local smallie lake have come on a ned rig. A fly version in a brown/chartreuse mix would be very cool. What weight rod do you end up casting those with?
Also, might be of interest to know that zman makes a micro version of those ned rid jigheads. Sz 4 or 6 hooks and down to 1/30 oz weight.
It casts ok with a six, easy with an 8. I just happened upon a couple packs of those ones somewhere after watching a vid on ned rigs. Might have to pick up some micros - thanks!
The squishenille is easy, or any furled hackle chenille. Little foam discs threaded on and secured with a drop of superglue to float it
Synthetic bunny works well, also, and doesn't really need the foam floats, since it tends to retain tiny bubbles and float on its own
Bambooflyguy
Legend
You need to fish with a bamboo rod Josh!