Fly Fishing
with Midges and Small Flies
by
Gene
Macri
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© 2007 E. P. Macri
Jr.
The spring creeks of South Central Pennsylvania
are where small fly and midge fishing began in the US. Large
trout sipping tiny flies while anglers tremble is common in
these areas. However, the reason most fly anglers fail in these
streams with these flies usually starts with equipment. So here
are the opening secrets to the vault if you know what I
mean:
-
Rods should not be too soft or too fast. I prefer
8.5 to 9 foot medium fast action for 2, 3, and 4
weights. The rod must have the backbone yet not
snap fine tippets.
-
Reels should have a good drag because you are going
to play the fish off the reel. I repeat you are
going to play the fish off the reel!
-
Tippets are going to be 6 and 7x and may be 8x on
occasion. I'm not getting into a discussion of
brands but here is a little secret. Your tippet
should be around 40 inches or more. You are not
fishing the entire line but the tippet. The added
length of the tippet will stretch and give you a
greater chance to land a big fish. Under no
circumstances use a short tippet.
-
You should fish upstream; do not fish down stream.
The reason for this is the weight of the fish
against the tippet. You'll hook more and land more
fish by fishing upstream
-
Make sure your hooks have no barbs. Barbs on small
flies will sometimes stop penetration.
-
Take your small flies and take the hook and offset
it slightly at the curve. You'll increase your
hooking chances greatly.
-
Hand strike the fish by gently tugging with your
off hand and then let the line slide. This is often
called a slip pull strike. The hook will slide in
and the fish will not break you off.
-
Do not over play a fish on a light tippet. You'll
build up lactic acid and kill him
-
Play the fish firmly; do not raise your rod high
over your head like you see on TV; these guys are
idiots; keep your rod lower and at an angle to give
more pressure
-
You might want to use a net on these fish because
it makes it easy to get them in and release them.
-
Always use the largest tippet and largest fly you
can get away with.
-
You must watch the fish or his mouth. If you are
fishing underneath the surface add a tiny split
shot. This will increase your hooking percentage by
40 to 50% because the weight will help the fly dig
deeper.
Well this should get you started in the next
edition we will talk fly patterns and specific techniques.
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