In anticipation for this years predicted "decent" run of summer-runs and the likely pressure to be applied by recreational fisherfolk; what drift set ups are successful at elliciting strikes from summer-runs that have been heavily pressured?

In the past, I have had more success using no bait on these fish. Just a small drift bobber fished solo or a woolly bugger fished with at least a 5 foot leader.

I have had success with long leaders and slighlty weighted (barely weighted...) october caddis nymphs. I also have had success with waked flies....at least getting them to rise to the presentation.

I think the more subtle and natural the presentation, the more likely to get a "dour" fish to strike.

If I fished bait, it would be a small cluster of eggs (dime sized) under a float with a split shot to get it down.

Hohwaiin,

I'm not a bug user so I can't speak about what eric said about his fly techniques, but he has a good tip on presenting bait a little differently than most do, and that's probably the whole point. Scope out what the fish may have been presented with already, and then try something a little different. A whole 18-count shrimp under a float with just enough shot to get it down can also be a good method. One other thing that's worked for me in the past is to tie a "boondogging" float rig, where you use your float to drag your bait (go small) downstream while your lead hits every few feet. It gives a more natural presentation than drift fishing, but your bait moves downstream a little more slowly than free-drifting under a float. This gives a fish just a little longer to look at your bait, without it feeling a heavier lead when it picks up your offering.

One other thing I've used with some success is spinners fished in frog-water tailouts.
I've found that even fish we had presented bait and jigs to, would take a spinner swept across the tailout before we left the hole.

Just a few thoughts I thought might help. Good luck in your pursuits.....


Fish on.....

Dont be afraid to leave the bait at home and toss small corkies/cheaters with yarn. Especially with the high water of snow runoff we are experiencing now. I have had good success so far this season with just plain ol' drift gear. When things get really low and clear, try tossing a black wolly bugger the same way u fish regular drift gear. Spinners are always effective too, just remember to match them to the water conditions.

tight lines....

Actually bait works well even in low clear conditions. You just need downsized baits. size 4 hooks with a tiny corky. shrimp tail on a jig below a clear float. Dark spinners. And the good ole night crawler is always a good bet in summer. Even catch you some nice cutties with it also. Drifting flies can be effective also if your not a bug tosser. Fish early and late when the fish are still moving around and not spooked yet.
Fish the choppy water instead of the pool where you can stare at them and them at you.

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Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

Howdy,
Fishing the summer hole on the Sky. with good numbers of fish that have become uninterested, I watched James (if you fish Reiter during the summer you probabaly know who he is) get his limit and lose a couple in short fashion. He fishes the other side of the river so I had to ask. The technique is a 3-2 shot slinkie, at least 7ft. leader and a small tuft of yarn in the bait loop. Another current post is discussing lining of fish, and while this set-up could line fish in situations the summer hole is quite deep coming through a large boulder on shore and another mid-stream. Low flows put the ixnay on a good drift, so what the trick is the long leader gives you a microdrift once your tiny weight anchors. Yarn color changes, what worked yesterday won't today is the rule of thumb.

Several years ago, on the S.F. Stilly in a hole called Swiss Cheese I did some study on the couple dozen Summer Steelhead which held there during low flow. Guaranteed first cast fish-on holes are what makes all the leg work worthwhile. Getting another take here seemed impossible, so I decided to see what it would take by going lighter and lighter on my line test (I also started casting off the top off the cliff in order to see the reaction) A nightcrawler on 4lb. with no weight would slowly sink past the suspended fish nearly reaching bottom when one of the fish(not always the same one) would race over sniff the worm then fin back to where it started. Heres the kicker, take the same crawler and chuck it by itself into the pool, and the same result except the fish would eat it. My conclusion is fish do know when line is involved and sometimes care.