What is your best still water tips?

[Wkmaster14]

I am a horrible lake fisherman but am trying to get better. With some lakes opening up this spring I thought it would be a good idea to share some tips techniques for fishing Utah lake's and reservoir's. So help me out as well as others.
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[chickscanfish2]

Where do you even start?! There's SO many different ways to still water fish (which is my personal FAVORITE!!!)! There are so many different conditions & situations that would depend on what you should "use". I prefer to fish a dry and a dropper, using my dry as an indicator (obviously hoping for some top action as well). I've also as of recently been VERY successful floating buggers below an indicator when there's some movement to the water. Nymphing is what seems to work for me most of the time. But nothing beats a day when you're spoiled by fish hitting your dry fly all day. []
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[flyfish_88]

Stillwater is my favorite and also what i have been most successful at. I learned most of what I know from books and articles from Marv Taylor. I have several of his books. Here is a link to some articles and such that he has written. There may be some stuff in them that would help you be more successfull.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features...rchive.php
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[kochanut]

i fished with flygoddess and mojo once, i than went pro
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[chickscanfish2]

I want to go pro!!!!!! [blush]
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[Lobina_Mosca]

Hit the Wasatch Expo, there will be a few classes about stillwater fly fishing. Grant Bench is teaching a great one that applies to the local stillwaters. Mike Andreason, stillwater Guru, will be teaching a class on stillwater. Lynn Scott, from BS Flies, will be teaching another stillwater class too. And if you're really desperate, I'm teaching a high mountain class that covers a lot of stillwater style strategies.
http://www.wasatchexpo.com/workshopreservations.htm
Rock on!

Curtis
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[sinergy]

I hear Allen Flyfishing will be there too []
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[flygoddess]

They will be!!!! I am looking forward to seeing Justin, what a great guy!
I will be there as well. As for Stillwater. I have to say it is my favorite, could explain why I ended up with so many boats...[]
I am bringing some slip indicators for those that use a floating line on Stillwater. Great fun deep nymphing with 30' leaders! Plus Chironomids.
I will also be tying stillwater flies. Stuff that works at DC, Rockport, Strawberry, Henry's.
I urge you to look into buying some sinking line. Maybe a Type II to start with.
Not sink tip, but Density Compensated or Wet Cell. Density Compensated is a uniform sink and works everywhere. Wet Cell forms a belly. Good for weedy bottoms.
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[kochanut]

[quote chickscanfish2]I want to go pro!!!!!! [blush][/quote]

by pro i meant i kind of wing it and just hope for the best, and it usually never works out for me
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[GreenHorn]

I have fished with kochanut and i vouch for his just wing it part...but it always works for him. LOL!
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[flygoddess]

Yea, but that was a river...LOL And freezing.
But I agree, he gets the fish,...oh and he gives good net[laugh]
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[chickscanfish2]

Well if that's the case, I'm as pro as it gets! [] I will say that trial by error / fire (fire being anger due to frustration as I was learning) has been my best teacher yet! Gotta love the wing it approach......it can be VERY effective.
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[cpierce]

What kind of fish are you fishing for?

I am going to assume trout.

Trout in lakes are ruled by temperature, oxygen, predator threat, and food.

Most of the food is on the shoals (1-25 feet), but being as it is shallow, that water is subject to warming in the summer sun and predators. So trout will cruise the shoals early in the day and late in the evening. MIddle of the day they will usually move to deeper water for a level where they have good oxygen, temperature, and feel safe. For those same reasons overcast days with a little chop will be better fishing than sunny and calm.

My best tip to you is to use a boat or float tube with a good fish finder. The fish finder will help you to learn the lake you are on and where the fish are hanging.

You have to find them before you can figure out what they will bite.

Good Luck!
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[Wkmaster14]

Yes i meant trout. I have a float tube and am working on hooking up my finder to it. I agree that will help me alot in locating the fish just need to fish the right presentation. thanks for all the replies so far.

Wkmaster
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[Tangled_not]

here's a long winded post of mine from last spring, I hope it helps! Some of what I wrote has already been addressed in the thread.

I've found a few things to remember while fly fishing from a tube or toon. first, in my experience, having your presentation at the same depth as the fish is the most important consideration. i have seen great patterns fished at the wrong depth, that yields very little to no action. I've also seen UGLY flies catch fish because they were fished at the correct depth. fish feel much safer under the surface a ways(especially in daylight hours), and spend the vast majority of their time eating and hiding under a good blanket of water. Fish also tend to be somewhat lazy, the less effort they have to expel for a meal, the better. Find the "sweet spot" in the water column. A sinking fly line is an absolute must. a medium sink fly line is a good all around choice, and probably what i would recommend for a starter. Although, my personal favorite is a fast sink line, it gets into the strike zone quicker, and allows me a little more flexibility in the depth of water i can fish. A fish finder is a really good idea (especially with a fast sink line) mostly to monitor depth. while fishing shallow water i like to be close to the bottom without being snagged on the bottom. Most of my fishing happens in relatively shallow water (10-30'), so with the right combination of line, fly, and presentation i can fish anywhere in that range of depth. Without a good depth finder, you are pretty much guessing. you'll definitely hang up more without one. i feel lost when i dont have my old reliable fishin' buddy. Fish finders are not a must, but a dang good investment.

another important consideration is the pattern you're fishing. i like to fish larger patterns like wooly buggers, zonkers, bunny leeches, mohair leeches, etc... bigger bait, bigger fish! If the fish are biting, one of these patterns is sure to get some attention. reds, brown, white, black, and green are all tried and true. you may find one color, pattern, or size might be the hot ticket that day, but overall these are a pretty safe bet on any Utah water, year round.

I always fish with the fly rod, line, and fly in as close to a straight line as possible. drop the tip of your fly rod right in the water, and grip the line with one hand, the rod with the other. this way you'll feel the smallest pickups or strikes. this is really important, as most of the time it takes a good hook set to seal the deal.

i usually slow troll the fly by kicking backwards, a slight twitch or a series of strips at varying speed and frequency can also trigger a strike. sometimes the fish need a little coaxing. you'll even catch a good number of fish while reeling in! i'll use a breeze to my advantage, and drift. if necesarry you can slow the tube in a breeze(or wind) by pointing your feet/fins straight down, it acts like a drift sock.

i would definitely recommend a nice calm morning while you are getting used to navigating with a tube. the wind and waves can be frustrating when you're learning. Also, know your physical limitations, a full day on the water kicking the entire time is hard work. after a long day in cold water, i'll almost always end up with a charley horse or 2. i've seen fisherman get blown across Strawberry and Mantua Res. from not paying attention to the weather, and their own physical limits. what goes out, must come back!

It's my favorite way to fish. The simplicity of the float tube, and fly rod is what has me hooked. good luck!
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