02-16-2010, 04:32 AM
Good info. Sorry to here about being stuck MatchT. The fish spawning in the SF right now would be Whitefish. Browns spawn in the fall. Whitefish are quite easy to catch up there this time of year, or any time in the winter really. Try a Chartreuse Copper John about a size 16 or 18 dropped below a strike indicator about 12-18". They do fight pretty well, but not so sure on the taste. I still have yet to bring some home and try them.
That part of the river has also gave me troubles trying to find some decent holes. The canal head gates are one place to hit. Other than that, I just wander around the river channel looking for a hole.
One thing about fishing the river and using droppers. I usually have the best luck keeping the droppers as close to the bottom as you can and use the dry as an indicator. Look for a seam in the river about 2-4' deep and fish that. You should be able to pull something out of there. Also behind any rocks sticky out. Cast upstream of the rock and then let the flies drift right next to the rock down stream. Trout like to sit behind rocks because it takes very little energy to stay put and they also watch for the food to drift by.
One other thing I learned this last summer is you do not always want to be out in the middle of the river with your flies. I learned that walking out into the river about 30-40' and then turning around and fishing the bank produces quite well if there is a drop off or undercut. If you watch the guys in drift boats, they do the same thing. I hooked quite a few fish around Fall Creek last fall doing this and only hooked 2 fish farther out in the current.
It sounds like we are all a bunch of novices. I still prefer to fly fish than bait fish tho and I have bait fished for over 30 years. I am not sure if it is the challenge of catching a fish or the feel of playing a fish on a fly rod, but I enjoy the heck out of Fly Fishing.
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That part of the river has also gave me troubles trying to find some decent holes. The canal head gates are one place to hit. Other than that, I just wander around the river channel looking for a hole.
One thing about fishing the river and using droppers. I usually have the best luck keeping the droppers as close to the bottom as you can and use the dry as an indicator. Look for a seam in the river about 2-4' deep and fish that. You should be able to pull something out of there. Also behind any rocks sticky out. Cast upstream of the rock and then let the flies drift right next to the rock down stream. Trout like to sit behind rocks because it takes very little energy to stay put and they also watch for the food to drift by.
One other thing I learned this last summer is you do not always want to be out in the middle of the river with your flies. I learned that walking out into the river about 30-40' and then turning around and fishing the bank produces quite well if there is a drop off or undercut. If you watch the guys in drift boats, they do the same thing. I hooked quite a few fish around Fall Creek last fall doing this and only hooked 2 fish farther out in the current.
It sounds like we are all a bunch of novices. I still prefer to fly fish than bait fish tho and I have bait fished for over 30 years. I am not sure if it is the challenge of catching a fish or the feel of playing a fish on a fly rod, but I enjoy the heck out of Fly Fishing.
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