Spending Time on the Water

I recently spent a couple of enjoyable days fishing with Editor Mike Mitchell.  We hit Heffley on the first day and finished up on White for the second.

Heffley was fishing well and we bounced around trying different locations.  For us the narrows produced consistently on #12 black and red Ice Cream Cones.  We owe a debt of thanks to Kelly Davison for coming up with the pattern, no stillwater chironomid collection would be complete without a cross section of Ice Cream Cones in a variety of colors and sizes.  I use this pattern style in olive, black, green, brown and of course anti static bag bodies. The SuperWhite beads really stand out in algae type waters and never stain as is often the case with other materials such as ostrich herl and Midge Gill.   When ever I put on a chironomid pupa and I am not sure what the predominant color might be a black and red #12 is the way to go.

When we were at Heffley we suspended them under one of my Quick Release indicators about 2 feet above the bottom.  There was a nice breeze present to riffle the surface and mask our presence so fish were constantly cruising by.  You could see them darting left and right picking off emerging pupa.  Our best presentation involved a quartering cast across the ripple and then allowing the line to sweep and drift down below.  Rarely did the indicator get below as my black and red Ice Cream Cone was intercepted during the swing.

The next day at White proved a bit different.  White is a crystal clear and I love the challenges of fishing these types of lakes.  They test your presentation skills and pattern choices to the limit.  Early on we targeted fish cruising on the shoals.  The winds were calm and the trout patrolled randomly in front of us.  This can be frustrating as it is tough to determine their cruise path.  We cast and retrieved a number of patterns  through and across the foraging trout.  We got follows and few brief hook ups but nothing proved consistent.  We ended up fishing small #16 and #14 black and red Ice Cream Cones once again suspended under small indicators so as not to spook the fish.  Downsizing to 6X (3.6lb) Flouro Flex was also necessary, as  flies presented on larger diameter tippet were snubbed.  It is an eye opening experience watching trout cruise by and reject your fly only to have another one take it without hesitation.

We jumped around to a number of favorite haunts and took fish on Callibaetis nymphs, Crunchers and small #16 green and copper chironomid pupa.  The Cruncher is a deadly English pattern that traces its roots back to the tried tested and true Pheasant Tail Nymph.  On White, when Callibaetis began emerging in the early afternoon a Cruncher hand twisted just below the surface worked well suggesting the emerging adults.  We had hoped to have a good afternoon of Callibaetis fishing but the weather turned ugly as clouds and showers rolled in.  Loading the boat at the Provincial campsite launch proved interesting as the winds whipped up from the west turning the usual placid White Lake into a white capped monster.  By the time we were finished loading the boat and gear back into Mike’s Tundra we were pretty well soaked.   We looked like we had taken a plunge into the lake!   All in all thought it was a good trip.  Lots of fish and fun company!

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New Open Water Season is Upon Us!

Now that my show and seminar season is winding down I can now look forward to spending more time on the water.  The new season offers a new sense of optimism and excitement along with a chance to try out new patterns and techniques as well.

I just finished fishing a number of the local lakes in and around the Nanaimo area.  Brian and I were there filming a TV show together.  British Columbia is fortunate as many cities such as Nanaimo have excellent fishing opportunities within their city limits.  The lakes are typically well stocked and offer good numbers of trout and also some lakes are home to some large specimens.  In the Nanaimo area you also have the chance to cross paths with alternate species such as smallmouth bass.

While Brian and I were there we found fishing leeches or chironomids under indicators or attractor patterns such as Boobies worked quite well.  If trout wouldn’t fall for the imitative approach then they definitely fell under the spell of a Booby stripped or hand twisted at a good pace.  when fishing Boobies remember to use a fast paced retrieve and short shank hooks to avoid deep hooking.  Never fish a Booby static.

Brian and I are also preparing for this year’s Learning with the Pros seminars.  Our spring seminar is full but there is still space available in our advanced session slated for Douglas Lake Ranch.  I have been asked by some past Learning with the Pros participants about the agenda for the advanced session.  The course will take students above and beyond the course material featured in our usual Learning with the Pros sessions.   The advanced class features a smaller class size allowing Brian and I to provide more individual attention for each student.

We will have both agendas finalized shortly.  I will post them both as soon as they have been finalized.

Until next time, make a goal of exploring at least one new water this season, but don’t forget your old favorites either as they always teach you something new.

Keep in touch,

Phil

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