Fly Fishing small lakes?

[Shooter Jr.]

Well, I know it isn't the best time of the year to try some lake fishing, but I'm just dying to get out and fish for trout. However, i have no clue what I'm doing. i have a few lakes in mind and they are quite small, and not very well used by other anglers, campers and such, but they are stocked, so i figure it might be a good place to start! But here's the problem, i know nothing of lake fishing and id really like the basics on it, such as whens the best time of the day? how deep? in the weeds and side of the lake? or in the middle? and good fly recommendations to get me started? Anything and everything can help, and i appreciate all comments.

[lostindian]

Try first thing in the morn just as the sun is coming up and you can fish until 9am.The fish hangout near the shore about 15' deep,when the weather gets hotter they will go deeper.What lakes are you thinking of trying?you can also fish in the evening start around 6pm then the lake starts to look like glass.You will see where the fish are when they start to feed,troll with a dry fly see what is on the water and base your fly color size to the hatch.

[warnniklz]

If you're by yourself, fish 2 rods. One a floating line and the other a sinking. Just start trying flies. Don't be afraid to change them every fifteen minutes or so.

Small lakes are my favourite lakes to fish.

[5 spike]

Get the old man to take you up to beavertail, fly fish the far shorline in the bay across from the boatlaunch .Hell phone me when you go im comming too.

[ncurrie]

If you're by yourself, fish 2 rods. One a floating line and the other a sinking. Just start trying flies. Don't be afraid to change them every fifteen minutes or so.

Small lakes are my favourite lakes to fish.]

x2! Small lakes are the best! On your dry line try some chronomids, and on your wet line try simple things first, shrimp, carry's, 52 buicks etc..... Good luck!

[Benthos]

If you only have a floating line, I'd start with a black or olive micro leech under an indicator fished a foot off bottom. Never hurts to have a few chironomids, but if you are new to lake fishing, try some black with red rib. I'd you have a sinking line, basic sparkle leeches or wolly buggers should do the trick

[KB90]

when I started fly fishing I found micro leeches to be the best bet. (red, purple, black, green) Floating line with a 6-8 foot leader, cast and slow retrieve with a strike indicator. (same set up as chroni fishing)

Chronomid fishing can be tricky trying to match the hatch, although it is usually most productive.

I would watch the guys pumping out the fishes stomach contents and constantly sampling the water for different hatches and they would be into to fish all day. I would just use a micro leech and still catch fish just not as many. And it was a great way to start until someone showed me the ropes and shared a few chroni flys.

[Glenny]

Go to youtube and start watching some Brian Chan videos. There's some good learnen there.

[835]

Jr, You got a boat? or other floating device?

Lakes are totally different from rivers. I find the fly selection is compleatly different.

Flys: Choronimids you need a few of thoes. Fish them with a strike indicator just like a bobber and worm. Dragon fly nymphs, fish them with a sinking line cast out let sink and SLOWLY strip in. Water boat men, Tikka270wsm showed me the importance of them by cleaning my clock a couple times.... fished similar to Dragons. Wolly buggers, Sparkley olive body bead head olive hackle. Cast out let sink and strip in steady.
Sorry about size that will be dependant on your lake. There will be other flys that work too but dont leave home without some of the above.

Fish the shoreline, find structure. Weather it be fallen trees, creek mouths, holes, dropoffs... fish that.
Ifyou find a nice dropoff with a weed line in it cast paralell to the drop and strip back, sometimes parking on the flats and casting too the deep works well too. It looks like a bug migration to hatch in the shallower warmer water.
Trolling works well too, get on a bugger and troll SLOW. When you think you are going slow enough slow down.
Fish dries to risers in the am and pm, and fish wets in the mid day.

What you go shoot a bear and yer on to the next thing now? :)
as always pm me if you got questions. I might miss a thread but i wont miss a pm.

[RoscoeP]

Some lake shorelines are pretty bushy so hard to access and cast. A belly boat would let you get off shore and cast anywhere. Cheers Roscoe

[280 77]

Do yourself a favour and go and buy the book "Flyfishing Trout Lakes " by Brian Chan & Phil Rowley , or if you can find one , get a copy of "The Ghilley" by Alf Davey . Either book will cover just about everything you need to know about flyfishing in B.C. and they are very easy reading . I still refer back to my copy of the ghilley and I've been addicted to fly fishing for about 20 years now. If your going to get a float tube , spend the extra $$ and get either a pontoon or a small car topper they are way easier to fish from.

[Shooter Jr.]

Sounds like chronomids with a strike indicator, or micro leaches work best? Fish shorelines early in the morning and evenings will be most productive?

[springpin]

Chironomids, leeche patterns, nymphs. Don't forget some top water stuff to. I find my most productive dry is the klinkhammer special...but the Tom thumb is top notch also.

[ryanb]

Ive never failed to catch fish when their feeding on the surface with an Adams dry fly. It's a lot of fun watching them rise to grab your delicately presented dry fly.

Higher elevation lakes stay cooler longer into the summer allowing for good fishing even in the height of summer.

[spreerider]

go watch the lake one day before fishing you should be able to see around where the fish are rising and plan accordingly when you do go fish it. When i do summer hunting scouting trips i always set my binos on every lake and see what sgoing on, if i see lots of movement i make sure to come back that way or maybe find a way to the lake and throw a line in if the water is moving enough

[835]

Sounds like chronomids with a strike indicator, or micro leaches work best? Fish shorelines early in the morning and evenings will be most productive?


Definatly one of the more productive methods of fishing for sure... Though it gets boring :)
But that is also why i love rivers!

Just make sure you get out. By August things really slow down in the fresh water. As well keep an eye on the beach, Fishing for Pinks and coho. That is around then.

[warnniklz]

A sample of what I've been using this year...

A bunch of nymph patterns with some pink rolled muddlers.
Also have an olive micro leech and a chroni tucked in there
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/283655_10151864150470387_821222585_n.jpg

The blackbead head chronimid at the top was the hottest
fly for a morning a few weeks back. I was down to my last
one out of four, then it didn't have another nibble all day.
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/179096_10151864153030387_1218215107_n.jpg

So I went back to my trusty marabou nymph seen at
the bottom.
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/403796_10151864173795387_285613416_n.jpg

[.303]

PM sent to you.

[835]

Waren,

Whats with the pink muddlers? i dont think i have ever sen one. Everything else in there seems conventional but them muddlers.... What do you figure they are doing.

[warnniklz]

I have a couple cut throat spots that these work
really well in. They're in my fly box but I don't recomend
them for lakes really. More of a stream pattern. But any
lakes that get salmon runs, try them out in the early summer
when the trout are feeding on salmon fry and what not.
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/563519_10151864277060387_2047102229_n.jpg

[835]

RIGHT!
now you say that it makes sense. I Lived in Ucluelet for a long time flyin for Coho and Chinook,,,, But i never thought about a pink muddler. Blondes in green and blue were my go to's for that. But i think i might do some of those up for Steel head...

[warnniklz]

They're also great to have in the box if you're really doing well on something like a black leech. And then Nosey McNoserton comes over and asks you what you're catching them on, I just say this big pink thing.

[spreerider]

one time me and a buddy were fly fishing a mountain top lake and tried everything in both our boxes and had hardly any luck, only a couple small ones. some other guys showed up fully geared up with high end stuff and started slaying fish left right and center, around noon we stopped for lunch and they came by and we chatted and they offered us some pink muddlers said thats what they were using.
i threw one on and within minutes had the biggest fish of the day in the boat, and the rest of the day went quick.
tried the same fly a few other places and nothing as soon as i get the chance i am going back up to that lake and trying the pink out again.

[ianwuzhere]

Fly fishing small lakes can be very productive if you know what your doing.
My go to is a few different patterns of leaches that i like to troll. Not too close from shore but not too far- maybe 10-20 feet deep range. If im trolling my fly with sinking line sometimes i will zigzag in and out of the depths, ya never know when you have to drop it downtown to the depths for the bigger guys..
I caught a few fatties last week-heres a couple pix- on flys:

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r141/ianwuzherephotos/060-2.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r141/ianwuzherephotos/035-1.jpg


http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r141/ianwuzherephotos/008-Copy.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r141/ianwuzherephotos/018-6.jpg


Everyones got their special tied up go to flys- with some practice youll have your special ones. Trolling larger flys such as leeches, wolly buggers, muddler minnows are some of my favs. Micro leeches/bloodworms, and chronies all have their places and when dialed in at the right depths fishing this time of year can be great.
Good Luck and dont forget your camera!

[Benthos]

That last rainbow is a beauty. Did you put a tape on it? Any throat pumps?

Doesn't quite look like 'hoot' lake, but definitely another gem

[Benthos]

Leeches and chironomids and maybe shrimp will cover off 90% of a fishes diet.

Chironomids can be challenging if you don't have a good supply to match the hatch.

If you have a sinking line, use wolly buggers and leeches. A floating line, black, olive and maybe maroon micro leeches under an indicator.

Basic, but you will catch fish.

Dont over complicate it, stick to the basics.

[Islandbowhunter]

Great thread, just read it for a bit of education!

@Ian nice fish!!!

[5 spike]

Something that just came to mind after reading more of jr thread is i used to fish doreen lake in kelowna when i was a teen in the spring when i wasnt chasing girls and partying. I used to use a black leech on a sinking line and strip out all the line until i hit the backing. then i would row down the middle of the lake.I would only row once every 5 minutes and it was deadly.I think that leech going up and down slowly was to much for them. In the evening i would switch to a dry line with deer hair flys in the shallows.Thanks jr you just brought back some great memorys.

[warnniklz]

When I'm trying a new lake with a boat and pulling oars, I like to slow right down. Then let my fly sink to the bottom. Once it's at the bottom I start pulling the oars. Then the fly rises and then when you get a strike, you know how deep to fish.

Here's a little guy from today
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/552630_10151865720030387_524331195_n.jpg

and another on a black pattern chronie
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/552672_10151865720450387_449453301_n.jpg

[warnniklz]

If you aren't going to keep a fish keep it in the water... you can still get pics

[Bistchen]

Check out

www.gofishbc.com (http://www.gofishbc.com)

[Don_Abbate]

Go to your local fishing shop or online and buy this book Morris And Chan on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes. Everything you need to know about getting started fly fishing lakes its awesome lots of pictures and easy reading very interesting, and i hate reading, unless its about hunting or fishing. its by Skip Morris And Brian Chan two well respected fly fisherman good luck

[Don_Abbate]

the book will tell you all your go to fly's where to fish and how to read lakes and everything you can ever think of. all your questions will be answered