Ok Mike… welcome back to the fly… things change and they stay the same…

Well you are starting out with a good question … bobber or keep moving… this is one of those questions that will cause a wide set of answers…

The answer is up to you and what you are willing to do and how long you are willing to give something a try… I personally use both techniques depending on what is happening on the water…

The following are opinion only… If you are going to use a strike indicator you need to anchor. You will need to find the exact depth where you are going to drop your fly (and you may want to make a note on a pad). Then you need to get the fly down to the bottom or close to it. Remember that the fish will go up and down throughout the year with the oxygen plain. If you are tying your own flies I would build a weighted box and non-weighted (because if a bite turns on and you bust off you want that fly back down as fast as possible). Always try and keep track of the exact depth that you had your fly when you catch a fish (incase you bust off, your bobber slips, whatever). We also have found that sometime putting a fly on the bottom as a drop fly and then one about 12 – 18 off the bottom, use to different flies (chironomid, and San Juan worm)… be willing to change things around… will produce more fish.

Now the appearance of just sitting there… well you really aren't… you will allow your fly to drop to the bottom and sit, then after a few minutes you will do a very slow retrieve (strip), generally it will be, an inch pull, inch pull, inch pull then stop (the stop is about the same as the time it took you to do the slow pulls), then you jest keep repeating that until your line is in then recast and start again. So you really aren't just sitting there doing nothing.

You can always keep trolling… this is a great way also. But you will need to find a spot that hold fish and then just keep trolling through that area. Again if one fly isn't doing it switch and keep trying new flies.

There is a GREAT book that I would recommend you read and then read it again! I will help you get more fish. The book is “the Fish Bum's Guide to catching Large Trout” (an illustrated manual on Stillwater tactic for the intermediate fly angler) by Mike Croft. It is like a comic book on fishing, but it is great.

Keep at it and tight lines!

The weather is starting to warm the water.... OH I CAN"T WAIT...


... The Honey Hole