I have to really thank Don for getting me back into using midges and indicators for trout. My mentor, Larry (don’t know last name) was a legend on Lewiston Lake. He swore by size 6X and 7X tippets with size 22 zebra midges. I always break off fish with 6X tippets and it gets very frustrating.
Don fished with me the other day. He swears by 4X fluorocarbon tippets. I thought the tippets would scare the trout as the refractive index of fluorocarbon is close, but not precisely equal to that of water. However, I saw Don land 6 fat 14+ fish in a short period of time, using 4X fluorocarbon and size 16 PT nymphs. I decided that I would try his rigging methods.
So, for the last 3 days I’ve fished one to 2.5 hours each day downstream from the island across from Pine Cove Marina. I’ve used size 16 PT Nymphs with 4X fluorocarbon tippet. On Saturday I landed 17 fish in 2.5 hours, the largest a fat 16 inch fish. I was using a black bead head PT Nymph as my top fly to get the bottom fly deep into the water asap. I even fished a while with two black bead PT nymphs with little success. I was convinced that for some reason the bead kept the fish away.
Yesterday I used a black bead head PT Nymph as my top fly. However, all hooked fish took the bottom fly, 8 feet below the indicator. I caught 3 fish in 15 minutes and then left the water soon after as the wind made me re-tie my rig 3 times in a row, with no casts in between (aarrgghh). The third fish caused a tangle that I had to cut, followed by two rigs that tangled in the high wind before I could even fish. I went in early.
As most people will notice, I don’t bother putting legs on the PT Nymphs I use suspended under an indicator. I was disappointed that the bead headed nymphs weren’t taking as many fish as the non beaded nymphs. I tied up a dozen Turkey Tail Nymphs (TT) using 5 wraps of lead for the thorax. The entire fly used turkey tail feathers with no peacock. I used them as the top fly. The action was good as I landed 14 fish in 2 hours, the largest 14 inches. However, I didn’t have the courage to use the TT Nymph on the bottom as the wind was horrible and the fish were scattered around the area.
As I’ve been having success for three days in a row, I plan to use two TT Nymphs tomorrow. The fun part is figuring how to make a fly that hooks the fish and is a fast tie. However, time for me to head out for another training ride.
Tight Lines