How easily do you all find that trout on Putah get spooked? Any particular tactics that you've have found successful? Which of the following are/aren't important?
Ideas I've considered:
- Avoiding brass beads
- Using no larger than 5x fluoro
- Avoiding overly flashy flies. I'm thinking flashbacks or bright flies like a Frenchie are probably not right, but maybe a Red Headed Stepchild could still be worthwhile.
- Using a New Zealand strike indicator (generally, any colors for strike indicators to avoid?)
- Increasing the distance b/w my split shot and fly (12-18")
So I've used lines up to 10lbs. The flies I've used have flash or a hot spot with red or orange. If you're casting to a fish and they've gotten spooked it's because they've seen you. That's my experience.
I sometimes think fishermen over think the whole stealth thing. Of course if you go crashing through a slow moving spring fed creek with crystal clear water where the fish can see for miles, you're not going to have much luck. But if you fishing water where you can't see them and they can't see you....fast moving runs, riffles etc with surface churn, I don't think you need to spend too much time on your belly. When I'm drifting nymphs thru water like that I seem to catch most of my fish 3 feet away from my boots or even less. And we've all hauled multiple fish out of the same hole or run. Surely seeing their buddies suddenly take off in a frenzy with a hook in their mouth would spook fish for a long time, but it doesn't. I'm sure some of us have even caught the same fish twice in the same day.
I've also caught fish that I know have seen me. I've seen them dart for cover when I false cast, but they still rise and take the fly...sometimes the urge to eat is greater than the urge not to be eaten.
We've all drifted huge boats right over the top of fish and they still take the fly.
ON the average, its best to do what you can to lessen your presence, but it can be over emphasized sometimes.
I use 4x flouro on Putah all the time, the water is not as clear as most mountain streams where I will use 5x. I never use brass beads at Putah. But make no mistake, they will spook if they see you. I spend a lot of time fishing the slow warm parts of Putah in and around Davis. I can always see fish swimming in the slow water and I'm surprised at how well they can spot me before I even approach the bank to make a cast.
Never had any luck with brass beads. These trout are pretty selective when it comes to size and color of the fly. Small 18-22 tied skinny will work just fine. I think the brass beads put them off. Green, red or tungsten beads are good.
In regards to the original post and strike indicator. I'll use a small white bobber type. This will support heavy split shot better than yarn. I like to get my flies down quickly. Or just simply take off the indi all together if you're in the right type of water.
Just to elaborate on what Ty had said about beads. I think beads, especially gold beads, are a victim of their own success. On some streams gold beadhead flies are so popular that some well known anglers feel that the fish not only ignore gold beadhead flies, they get spooked by them. On Putah I've had more success with dark colored beads for my mayfly nymphs. However, for the Copper John, for whatever reason, the gold has worked better for me than dark beads. I also use gold bead on my oiive fox poopah. So I guess what I am saying is that there are no hard and fast rules.
Clubby, regarding the distance between the split shot and the fly, I typically use only an 8-10" distance. My reasoning is that I want my flies to be very near the stream bottom so I make this distance short. I don't know if I'm scaring fish away by doing this, but I've been fishing the stream for many years and I've been very happy with my success there.
