three stillwater flies

By Bob Fabini

As I’ve gotten older, I don’t wade with the same ferocity I used to. I still wade rivers—I just go swimming more often. I had two unplanned, but refreshing dips last season. Another alternative is to fish stillwaters from solid ground, or from some floating device, although unplanned swims can occur in these circumstances also.

For a seasoned river angler, stillwaters can be intimidating or confusing. Fish are no longer delivered food on the conveyer belt of the current. Instead, they cruise hunting for food. This is especially true for trout. Finding fish is more problematic for the angler— holding water doesn’t exist in the same sense. When there is no obvious hatch occurring, one of the fastest ways to find stillwater fish, is to fish actively, covering lots of water. In this article, I will be touching on flies that are good introductory flies for this tactic, whether fishing cold water or warm water lakes. These flies are rarely available commercially, in spite of their utility. They are also good flies for beginning to intermediate tiers, and two of them use peacock herl, in my opinion, a magical material.

Stillwaters usually harbor mayflies (callibaetis, for instance), caddis, and midges, just like a river. No stoneflies; however. In addition, you will find damsel flies, dragon flies, scuds, and small bait fish. All these items, except scuds, are usually present in every fishable stillwater, and they are all very active. The flies in this article are flies you can fish actively to help you find fish in stillwaters.

Each of these flies is really just a basic pattern which one can vary as it suits the angler. One is familiar, the Wooly Bugger. I will be illustrating a peacock-bodied version, which is my favorite. The Carey Special is a Northwestern pattern seldom seen in California. I will show the peacock version, although it can be tied with a wool, dubbed, or chenille body. The third fly, and the first we will discuss is the Grey Nymph. All of these flies can be tied plain or with a bead. On my stillwater flies I usually use brass beads. I most often use tungsten for moving water. I have; however, found that a tungsten-beaded pheasant tail in #16 or #18 is highly productive at Manzanita Lake in mid-summer, especially when fished in a rising manner.

The Grey Nymph

This is a fly I learned about as a beginning fly fisher. It is an incredibly simple

pattern, and it is the first fly we tie in my Flytying class at FishFirst. I have used it for years in all kinds of waters with good success, but it shines in stillwaters. I tie it thin generally; however, it can be bulked up with more dubbing.

Hook: Any 2x long or 3x long hook from #14 - #6. #14- #10 are trouty. Bigger for bass. Thread: 6/0 Black Tail and hackle: Grizzly hen hackle Body: Muskrat fur dubbing including the guard hairs.

I think that fish frequently take the thinly tied version as a damsel nymph. A fatter version would give a good imitation of a dragon nymph. Body and hackle color adjustments are worth considering.

The Carey Special

Ifirst heard about this fly when I was fishing in the Bend, Oregon area as a teenager. It is frequently tied with other materials, but still called a Carey Special. It reminds me of the story of George Washington’s hatchet. The handle’s been changed three times and the head twice, but it’s still George’s hatchet. I tie it exclusively as follows: Hook: Any 2x or 3x long hook from #10 to #6, most commonly a #8 Thread: Black or dark brown. Tail and hackle: Natural or Olive Pheasant rump feather, tied long. Body: Peacock herl. I tie this using several strands of herl reinforced by tying thread to make a very durable body. At the beginning of a future meeting, I will be demonstrating this reinforcing technique for use with delicate materials, including marabou and filoplume. Ribbing: Optional gold wire counter-wrapped. Often wire is added for durability, but is not needed with the thread-reinforced body. It looks nice, though, so you can use it if you like.

I think it’s likely that fish take this fly as a dragon nymph, but who knows what actually lurks in the minds of fish. Maybe it simply looks edible, so what do they have to lose? Oops!

The Peacock Wooly Bugger

Wooly Buggers are tied in a zillion different ways, and they all catch fish. I carry black, brown, and olive, all with chenille bodies, plus the peacock version. A yellow chenille body and yellow marabou tail with Grizzly hackle can be good for bass. Also crawdaddy colors can be productive. Olive and rust--not red. They turn that color after you cook them.

Hook: Any 2x or 3x long hook from #10 to #6, most commonly a #8 Thread: Black or dark olive. Tail: Mottled olive turkey marabou tied at least equal in length to the body of the fly. It’s hard to get the right color sometimes, so feel free to mix mottled natural and plain olive. 2-4 strands of Krystal Flash add a nice touch. Body: Reinforced peacock herl as in the Carey Special. Hackle: Palmered saddle hackle. I use either grizzly or dark ginger grizzly. Dyed olive grizzly is also fine. Feel the freedom of the wind in your hair when you choose the color-don’t stress. I’ve used many colors. They all worked. Ribbing: Fine gold wire counter-wrapped after wrapping the hackle.

You will notice that 2 of these flies consist only of tail, body, and hackle. Although I can tie some pretty fancy flies, for actual fishing, I prefer simple. Sometimes people call them “guide flies.” I am a firm believer that the important factors are presentation, size, structure, and color, in that order. Simple flies meet those requirements as well as complicated ones most of the time. Plus, fewer tears are shed when you lose a fly you tied in 3 minutes, compared to one that took 30 minutes. Also, an awful lot of fishing time does not involve matching a hatch. During those periods simple buggy looking flies with lots of action work fine. They can be taken for many different kinds of bugs or baitfish, so pattern selection is less complicated.

Tactics

When you first approach a stillwater during non-hatch times, think about the needs of the fish: safety, temperature, oxygen, and food. These needs are usually satisfied by water that is relatively shallow (maybe 2-10 feet deep) with some structure to provide both safety and a food source. Weed beds, sunken brush and logs are pretty dependable spots. Also, watch for moving structure like foam lines.

If bass are the quarry, they tend to stay in a small area, and they defend that territory. Largemouth, especially, are ambush predators who lie in wait for a meal. Ironically, this is similar to trout in a river, who wait for the current to deliver food. In my experience, trout are less territorial in stillwaters and often cruise for food. So while that old largemouth may always be by the same stump, a large predatory trout is often on the move. That’s why active fishing—covering lots of water can be productive, and that’s what these three flies are all about.

Effective tactics are related to your mode of transport. You might be walking the shore of a reservoir looking for bass, or wading the shoreline of a lake hunting trout. You might be in a float-tube, pram, or canoe.

From shore you are fishing from deep to shallow—this is effective for imitating damsel nymphs migrating to shore in the spring. If wading, you can fish parallel to shore—this is perfect for imitating dragon fly nymphs on the

hunt, or tiny baitfish feeding, but staying away from deeper water where the predators hunt.

If you are in a watercraft, you have many more options. A float tube is perfect for trolling a fly, and these three flies are good candidates. If I’m moving from place to place on the water, I often troll during my journey. It can be a great way to find a concentration of fish—then stop and cast. A float tube is also perfect for maintaining your position in the wind while still having your hands free to fish. Canoes, kayaks, and prams can be a real pain unless you double anchor. They are; however, great for drifting and casting. Two people drifting with the wind, casting to opposite sides, can cover a 100 foot-wide section of lake. That’s presenting flies to lots of fish. Hang a small bucket (the technical term is drogue) off the stern as you drift—it will keep your craft in a constant orientation relative to the wind direction.

Another tactic is to use a trailing fly behind one of these three flies. A small nymph, scud, or midge pattern 1-2 feet behind can work wonders. Fish notice the big fly, but take the smaller one. If you do this, connect them with clinch knots at each end, but use a lighter tippet for the small fly. If you snag up, you’re likely to lose only one fly rather than 2.

For starting out, you probably have the rods and reels you need. 4-6wts are typical. More important are fly lines. If float tubing, I carry 2 rods—one with a floating line, and one with an intermediate line. Once in a while, a fast sinking line is useful, but fish that are in deep water often aren’t very interested in eating. The floating line works well for dry flies and rising presentations, or when fishing from shore in shallow water. The intermediate will keep your fly at about the same depth for most of the retrieve—just count down to the depth you want. I hope this quick introduction to flies and tactics whets your appetite for trying stillwater fishing if you have not already done so. If you want more information, I would recommend Fly Fishing California Stillwaters by Bill Sunderland, Stillwater Fly Fishing Secrets by Hal Janssen, and any of Denny Rickards books. You also might try that internet thingy.

Finally, I’ve observed something very interesting over the years as I have fished stillwaters. The folks in boats are all casting as close as they can to shore, while the shore anglers are casting out into the lake as far as they can. Hmmmm.