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I'm new to fly fishing, and have been practicing the last few weeks. I went to the community pond, and using a small copper john, got lots of bites, but only one hook up that got off at the bank.
How do I properly set the hook on a small fly like the copper john? I usually just gently pull up when I feel the tug, but by then the fish is already gone. I find it odd that with such a small fly they can bite it and then spit it out without getting hooked. What's the best way to set the hook?
I'm thinking maybe I'm moving the fly too fast and they are just nibbling at it. Should I move it really slow?
thanks for any advice
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This is what "I" do. Keep rod tip down, when you feel the take slowly pull the line with your stripping hand. This pulls the fly on a level path and the fish will follow. Lifting up on the rod pulls the fly up.
So, first I pull, then I lift.
It is possible to fight and land a fish without raising the tip.
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I do a pull with the stripping hand and a sharp pop of the wrist of the rod hand to lift the fly. set into the fish if possible on still water, rivers are a little easier to set up stream as to not pull the fly out of their mouth.
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Depends if your using an indicator or not... If not not try using one an that will help you get the feel of the wben the fish snags the fly. All you have to just watch the indicator while your stripping your line and if the indicator moves just lift the rod tip up and you will snag the fish most of the time. That's how I helped teach myself...
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Don't be too hard on yourself nobody gets hooked up on every bite/hit.
Oh and the "gently pull up" might be your problem. Strike when you feel the hit. I do like FG and I pull but I pull hard. The one guided trip I took years ago taught me this saying when setting the hook. "Setting the hook is like going a hundred miles an hour for twelve inches."
Now that is for still water and nymphing rivers. Not so much for dry fly fishing, obviously.
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Listen to FG.
When stillwater fishing in a ‘toon, I put the pole tip in the water and angle the rod so it is the same as the sinking fly line – I want the straightest line from the reel to the fly with as little interaction with the guides as possible. Sometimes I end up holding the reel almost to my ear with my tip a number of inches under water. I can feel the lightest hits, and as said by FG, I’ll twitch the line forward to entice a take and then lift the tip for the strike.
My hook ups have substantially increased using FG’s method.
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Are you Float tubing on the community ponds? or fishing them from shore?
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Fishing from shore. I went to the pond this morning and tried the technique that flygoddess mentioned. I got one with a black wooly bugger, but didn't have any luck with the nymphs.
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Also sharpen your hooks it can make a huge difference.
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Practice makes perfect,guess you will have to keep trying and find the technique that works best for you. Do sharpen those hooks. Also,our community ponds tend to hold really small blue gill and such that will strike at your flys and tease you.
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