Techniques

Bait Busting Bronzebacks

Doug Swift
Sight fishing for smallmouth bass on the fly

Smallmouth bass, or “bronzebacks” as they are affectionately known by some of us, are a favourite target for a lot of Ontario summer fly fishers. There are many good reasons why they are so popular. Being a warm water species, they are readily available and always eager to eat a well tied fly throughout the “dog days” of summer; both in moving and still water environments. Because their food sources are so diversified, smallmouth bass can be taken by fly fishers using top water or sub surface tactics with flies that represent anything from a noisy surface frog imitation to a bottom dwelling crayfish pattern. Any successful presentation style is always exciting when you hook up with one of these

Fall Trout In Southern Ontario

fishfinder
leaf-reel

Fall in southern Ontario is a great time.  Although the end of September brings the end of resident trout season, this time of year can be one of the best for finding big browns.  Brown trout, and brook trout both spawn in the fall.  These species take on some amazing colours as they prepare to spawn, and they also begin to feed heavily knowing that a long, cold winter is just around the corner. Generally speaking, you want to use big flies for big browns.  These fish don’t get big simply by feeding on tiny nymphs and flies.  They get big eating such things as mice, frogs, smaller trout as well as any other baitfish that may call the same

Finding Your Way

steeliestalker
Nice Brown Trout

Story  By Tim Smyth It was at a family gathering almost twenty years ago when a distant cousin of mine tipped me off on a nearby creek that was producing 16 inch brook Trout. This man was known to be a bit of a prankster and for all I knew he was sending me to a creek chub haven on a wild goose chase. Still, there was a glint of sincerity in his eyes. 16 inch brook Trout are no joking matter after all. Two evenings later I made the short trip to this stream with a friend of mine. A short distance from the road the current slowed and the small creek seemed to lack any real trout like

Setting up your Fly Rod, Reel and Line

fishfinder
101_02583

Setting Up Your Fly Fishing Rod, Reel and Line Okay. So now you’ve done what you were curious about and purchased your first fly rod. Like I said, to start it doesn’t have to be fancy. But you’ve brought it home and you are ready to take it out of the box. You sit there, maybe anticipating your first casts. But you have to set-up this contraption. Hopefully, I can help you here. Chances are if you bought a ready to go combination you won’t have to worry about utilizing different knots. This is because in 95% of the cases that I’ve seen the backing is attached to the reel, the backing to the fly line and leader (what you

The New Fly Fisher – Part Two

admin
ken-chandler-brown-trout

Getting a start on some great fly fishing. Steve Dobson clarifies what you need to know, and what you don’t need to buy when getting started in fly fishing! Starting from Scratch- Rods, Reels and Lines In preparing to write this article, I have tried to think back to when and how I got started fly-fishing. For me it was a writer, Roderick Haig-Brown. His book ?A Primer of Fly-Fishing? gave me the basic information I needed to get started. His book called ?A River Never Sleeps? made me want to start and ?Bright Waters, Bright Fish? made me a fanatic. Having decided to try it, I went to the local fly shop – not a very good experience for

The New Fly Fisher – Part One

admin
davecasting3

Fly Fishing Advice for the Beginner First Things First – Getting Started in Fly Fishing Getting a start on some great fly fishing. Steve Dobson clarifies what you need to know, and what you don’t need to buy when getting started in fly fishing! So, my friend is getting back to fly-fishing. He has not done much fishing of any kind since he was kid in the UK as far as I know. He has not asked me for my advice but you can bet that I have been thinking about it. The question I ask my self is this. ?Knowing what I know now, if I was to go back and start again with the same budget what would

Blown Rivers and Steelhead

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darkmale1

Fly Fishing Blown Rivers for Steelhead Rainbow Trout Fly fishing in Ontario – Fishing blown rivers for steelhead can be a daunting task. With the proper presentation and techniques, you could be the only one on the river catching fish when its running high and dirty! Most anglers have limited time to spend on the river steelheading. Many are restricted by work (or spouses!) to only fish on weekends or random weekdays off work. Unfortunately, this may not correspond to ideal river conditions. Most people will check a forum or website to see about water clarity and flows. Under almost all combinations of the 2, the river is fishable usingvarious techniques. After a snow and rainfall, sometimes the river is

High Stick Nymphing for Trout

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justin+nymphing3

This is an extremely effective and neat way to nymph! Otherwise known as shortline nymphing, heavy nymphs and long rods are a bonus in most cases. Below the waters surface is a world like no other. Minnows, leeches and other creatures lurk about, hoping they are not being watched by a big trout. What we are concerned with here however is not a minnow or a leech, but larvae, pupae and nymphs. Streams abound with these pre-flight creatures year round, so its not all that surprising that the diet of a trout consists of some 70-80% nymphs taken below the surface. With different species, different water conditions and water quality, it can seem quite daunting at first to look below

Fly Fishing With Dry Flies – Three Methods Appraised

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flyfishing-with-dry-flies-methods

Fishing with dry flies can be quite intimidating for the beginner. It takes years to perfectly master dry fly fishing and to accomplish what you set out to do. Here we’ll look at three dry fly fly fishing techniques to employ out on the river. Perhaps one of the most identifying aspects of fly fishing is a trout taking a fly from the surface of a stream. With that said, one of the most daunting tasks that a fly fisher will have to accomplish when embarking on the mission of trout tempting is presenting a dry fly properly. Presentation has much to do with how you place the fly where you intend to put it, but has much more to do with