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Post by mirvc17 on Mar 3, 2018 7:01:38 GMT -6
Turfdawg,
Let us know how the mystery fly tournament goes. I've skipped out on the last 3.
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Post by turfdawg on Mar 4, 2018 13:09:49 GMT -6
JP, I had a very good time and seemed to be a pretty large turnout for the conditions. Best part is they said it was a new record for $ amount raised. Oh yea, this fat boy liked the food and thought Dutch oven cobblers were fantastic.
Since all the rain the water was running nicely but was mud. They turned it from a "mystery fly" into a "one fly" tournament since the mystery fly was a size 18 pink Frenchie.
Oh BTW Jeff, I did not get last place.
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Post by Texastroutfisher on Mar 4, 2018 18:58:19 GMT -6
Well, the first time on the water didn’t go to bad. Didn’t catch any, the water was really stained from all the recent rain. From what I saw and those I talked to the fishing was really slow. Heading to the LMFR the week of the 12th with my son. One quick question, is the trout magnet indicator to big to use on a fly rod? I used one this weekend and knoted up a leader pretty bad. More than likely it was just me but thought I would ask. Thanks...
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Post by mirvc17 on Mar 4, 2018 20:09:32 GMT -6
I've not used that brand of indicator...is it these ones? Trout Magnet EZ Trout Floats...
Not 100% sure, but i don't know if those are specifically for fly fishing...
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Post by darrelln09 on Mar 4, 2018 20:51:14 GMT -6
I have not used that brand of indicator either but after looking around at them online they seem a little large. That might be what was causing your tangles.
Here are my preferences for strike indicators.
For small flies (such as midges) on fairly calm water I have started using stick-on foam indicators. Palsa is one brand. They are quite small and light so they have a very minimal impact on your cast. The downside is that they really can't be moved. To change the depth you pretty much have to tear them off and start over. They come in packs of 24 though so you have plenty to work with.
For a soft landing over spooky fish I use yarn indicators. They are made of a tuft of polypropylene yarn with a rubber loop at one end to attach it to your tippet. Sometimes you have to dress them with dry fly floatant to keep them buoyant though.
For larger or more heavily weighted flies I use a brand called CorQ. They have the same rubber loop system as the yarn indicators. I prefer the 1/2" diameter cork balls that are painted fluorescent on the top half. I like these because the painted top half shows completely during the drift. If it isn't showing then your fly is hung up or perhaps even missing. They do have a tendency to slip a little if you're not really careful about how you loop them on though.
The rubber loop style attachment sometimes wants to twirl during casting if your casting technique (like mine) isn't quite right, especially on longer casts or during windy conditions. In that case I go to the 1/2" round foam balls that attach to the tippet with a toothpick. Lightning Strike is one brand. You can either thread your tippet from the end through the hole in the ball or attach it on a side loop if you squeeze a tight loop and force it through. If you seat the toothpick well it will not slip. The only downside I've found is that seating the toothpick can put a scrape in your tippet especially if it's really small tippet. That can lead to a break, obviously at the wrong time.
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Post by turfdawg on Mar 4, 2018 21:19:18 GMT -6
I’m really liking the air lock indicators
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Post by darrelln09 on Mar 4, 2018 22:16:31 GMT -6
I’m really liking the air lock indicators I’d never heard of them! They look interesting and I’m going to have to try some.
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Post by dainw on Mar 5, 2018 7:08:18 GMT -6
I don’t know that you can blame leader knots on an indicator. If the indicator was too big you’d know pretty quick bc you wouldn’t be able to cast it. More than likely chalk that up to your first time throwing a fly line with any kind of weight on the end of the line. Throwing an indicator rig with nymphs and shot is a different game than practicing in your yard. You really want to open up your casting stroke and almost lob your flies when fishing an indicator.Part of the game though man. You’re new. Probably won’t be the first leader you fubar.
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Post by Texastroutfisher on Mar 5, 2018 12:41:04 GMT -6
Thanks for the feedback everyone. It didn't seem to effect my casting so as I thought, it was me. Is there any draw back to fishing a certain size fly with a smaller tippet? I have a table that recommends tippet size per fly size but I am thinking about fishing a #10 San Juan worm on a 4X tippet. On the table I have a #10 fly is recommended to be fished with a 3X tippet. As always, thanks for educating the new guy..
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Post by dainw on Mar 5, 2018 13:04:50 GMT -6
If I’m nymph fishing with anything bigger than a size 22, this is my standard set up:
9ft 4x leader. 8-12 inches of 4x tippet to my first fly if first fly is size 16 or larger. 5x if first fly is 18 or smaller 12 inches of 5x tippet off the back of my first fly to my dropper Anything size 22 or less (almost never fish that size) I’ll use 6x tippet but only Bc I cant thread 5x through that small of a hook.
Only time I use 3x tippet trout fishing around here is if I’m fishing streamers or really high and dirty water. Even if I’m fishing really big nymphs, like a size 6 or 8 stonefly, I still use the set up above. Generally don’t break out the 3x until I start smallmouth fishing.
More than one way to skin a cat and I’m sure others will chime in with their own preferences, but this has been a pretty good system for me. One of those things you just have to experiment with until you find a system you like.
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Post by darrelln09 on Mar 5, 2018 18:36:56 GMT -6
I pretty much agree with dainw - with these few deviations and other recommendations:
I tend to go to 6X tippet a little more quickly, at least for size 16 flies and smaller. The smaller the tippet the less visible it is underwater and the less likely to spook the fish. I'm currently using Rio Powerflex Plus which is nylon but actually has a higher test strength (4 lb) than the same size Rio Fluoroflex (3.6 lb) tippet. I think more experienced fly fisherman use fluorocarbon for nymphing but it is quite a bit more expensive and you have to be more careful when tying knots in it.
I take my new 9ft leaders, cut off about 18 inches or so and then tie on a tippet ring. This helps save the butt section of the leader from getting shorter and shorter every time I need to change tippet. Then I tie back on a section of 4X tippet or whatever matches the leader I've chosen. This also allows me to transition from a nylon leader to a fluorocarbon tippet without having to tie them to each other.
I like a 4X section of tippet whenever I'm putting on a CorQ or foam ball strike indicator. I have found I need more strength there. If i'm using a foam stick-on strike indicator, I go straight to 6X from my tippet ring.
If I'm using a dropper fly, I use a 4X section for the strike indicator area, then a 5X section to the first fly, and then a 6X section to the dropper fly. The plan is that if the dropper fly snags permanently on something, the 6X will break first and I'll only lose one fly.
Whenever I have a line break, I take careful note of where the break is and how it looks. If there are little curls at the end where the fly used to be then the knot most likely failed. In that case, I add turns to my Non-slip Mono Loop Knot (I have stopped using Clinch Knots because of this). I have also had some failures on my tippet ring knots, so I have switched to an Orvis Knot (again, away from Clinch Knots). If I have breaks at where my strike indicator was, I try to be more careful putting them on or switch to a softer mounting style. If I sense that my transition from 4X to 6X tippet has failed, I add turns to my Surgeons Knot (I don't tie a good Blood Knot). Typically a Surgeons Knot has 2 turns but it can be tied with 3 or 4 turns, resulting in a successively stronger knot.
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Post by hankinsfly on Mar 5, 2018 21:24:33 GMT -6
You're all a bunch of fly geeks. Love it.
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