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Central Oregon High Lakes
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I do a lot of lake fishing, it's my preferred type of trout fishing and as a full time guide I do a lot and see a lot. Success depends on many factors including time of year; time of day, weather, determining proper depth, proper fly, and probably the number one factor is retrieve - "The Twitch".
As we all know fish key on a certain food during specific times of the day, depending on what's happening below the surface. However always remember fish are opportunistic predators and will jump on anything that looks like protein when the chance arises. That's what "attractor" flies are all about, triggering that instinct. So our objective is to trigger that response, regardless if we have the correct fly of the hour, the feeding depth, or the weather.
I have several "standard" retrieves I use.
A. 2-3 long slow pulls of 6-8 inches followed by a short pause.
B. 2-3 short tugs of 3-4 inches, followed by a long pull of 6-8
inches then a short pause.
C. 4-5 very short twitches of 1-2 inches followed by a long pause.
D. Fast pulls of 6-8 inches with no pause.
These are the standard retrieves I generally use. The overall speed of
the retrieve will depend on the type of fly I am using. If it is a
small insect imitation, such as mayfly nymph, water boatman, scud,
damsel, or other lake insect, I will use a slower version of any of the
above. If I am using a larger imitation of stickle back, forage fish,
dragon fly nymph, etc, I will speed up the sequence. It's important to
try all the different models of retrieve until you meet with success.
Different waters will require different presentations and retrieves.
On Davis Lake for example, the fish like the larger fly fast ( strip "D" above), many times they won't touch a slower fly. On Crane with little insect activity I use retrieve "A" above most of the time with the same fly I strip fast on Davis.
Concentration is the biggest problem with most people I guide. We'll
change flies, change retrieves, change depths, move around all day.
When we finally get it figured out and get into a nice fish, invariably
the client won't remember which retrieve they were using when the fish
hit. You may cast for hours on Crane waiting for that "trip fish", but
you must concentrate on every cast knowing what you did when you got into that big one. It's your best chance for another one !!
Fred Foisset
Cascade Guides and Outfitters
http://www.cascadeguides.com
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