Post by Nick Pionessa on Jul 28, 2009 9:51:56 GMT -5
I have been getting a lot of questions recently about how to fish the trico hatch so this will be an attempt to clarify and discuss some of the useful techniques. Hopefully other members will be able to learn from and add to this as we go along. I will start this off by going over just how I personally would approach and fish a stretch of water during a trico hatch and spinner fall.
Tackle- light weight rods 3, 4 or 5 at most would be good with length being rather personal. For the larger water described here I like an 8'+ 4wt rod for the ability to cast distance if needed and a bit of line speed to get loops under overhanging stuff and make quick casts with short drifts to steadily rising fish. It is also small enough to work around obstacles easily. A leader of around 12' total down to 7x is typical though not always necessary. Technique plays a large roll here since you only need a dead drift when the trout is looking at your fly. The point is that a longer tippet makes it easier to get a good drift but it's not mandatory, for example; on a breezy day it may be tougher to achieve the accuracy needed for narrow feeding lanes with a long light tippet and leader, than it is too fool the fish with heavier, shorter tippet on ruffled water. There never is one answer to a question that is always changing.
The male tricos hatch in the dark or late evening in preparation of the females hatching at first light. Therefore the hatch is almost exclusively females. This is important since they are different colors. For the hatch, emerger patterns and duns will be needed as opposed to spent wing patterns although they seem to be interchangeable at times. This link will go over some patterns that have proved effective over the years.
Matching the Hatch – Tricos
Lets start off on a good sized stream we all know, also well know for it’s tough, wild fish and technical water. Approaching the stream the first thing to note is the water along the current on your side. This area is often overlooked and until you walk up, the seam on your side is just as good as that seam on the far side. Watch this area for a minute to see if there are any sippers there. You may think spooking a few fish is no big deal and par for the course but if they spook, they flee and spook others. Even moving a slowly feeding carp or school of suckers quickly to the other side can put down a whole pool. Move slow and look hard. One trick I learned is to not string up your rod until you get to the stream. This makes you have to stand around a few minutes before fishing. It is a rare morn when I don’t see something I, at first, didn’t notice.
I should also mention that this is only going to cover dry fly techniques. My feeling is that dries are the only way to fish the trico hatch. This is also totally untrue and just my opinion, mind you.
Now that we are sure we have a good handle on what’s happening on our pool we need to determine a game plan based on our visual assessment. Typically you want to pick off the outside fish first but if there is a way better fish surrounded by dinks (often the case) you may need to ignore some to concentrate on others. Chances are that one fish hooked will put down the rest, at least for a few minutes and possibly for the day so this is a crucial decision. I will try to get a fish or two off the side and keep them away from the pod once hooked but it is a chance to take. If given the choice I will always fish downstream drifts to selective rising fish. You have to keep low and in the shadows for this though since you are in the trout’s line of sight. Keep in mind the closer they are to the surface the farther they can see to the sides and front.
Moving slowly to not wake the pool or staying out of the water altogether if possible I will make a false cast or two to get the length right but keep them to a minimum and in the shade if possible and never near the risers. There are two ways to get good slack for a good drift and one is to cast with just enough energy and five or six feet off the water to have it loose energy in the tippet and fall in a pile of loose leader and then unwind as it drifts down to the fish. The other is to overpower the cast and stop it hard causing the leader and fly to bounce back, again landing in a pile and drifting down. The latter is tougher in bright sun and touchy fish since it tends to throw some water spray and may catch some sun glare on the line. You want to drop the fly far enough away from the fish to let the tippet unwind in the drift but if it’s too far up you may get drag as the fly approaches the riser. Unfortunately this is largely determined by experience since it is never the same, ever. Each drift is different, no question. We will assume your cast is true and on target. The fish is sipping away and your fly is approaching and sure enough he eats it.
Fishing dries downstream requires a pause before the hook set to allow the fish to put its head down to increase the chance that we won’t just pull the fly out of its mouth. If you simply see it happen and wait till he tilts down then strip line and move the rod low and to the side you are on. This all helps to get a good jaw corner hook set. This needs to be done gently so as not to break the tippet but solidly. If you can’t see well enough just pause a second from the rise and do the same hook set. Once you get good at it it’s really more of a feel than a sight. Most fish I hook this way I don’t even raise the rod at all but simply strip till I make contact the give a slight tug to the side. Tiny, sharp hooks go in very easily.
Once the fish is on it’s your job to try and keep it from spooking the rest of the pool. You need to keep the rod low and to your side and attempt to lead it away to your side for a quick landing. While doing this you also have to remain fairly still or you will wake the hell out of the pool and put them down anyway. Get him in the net or hand and kneel or bend down in the water so you don’t lift the fish out, especially if you aren’t using a net. They don’t like being dropped on the gravel from chest high. Snap a pic if you like and turn him loose and hopefully you did it right and the rest are still there. Rinse, repeat.
Feel free to add your own insights and tactics and also to ask any questions this article may bring to mind.
Tackle- light weight rods 3, 4 or 5 at most would be good with length being rather personal. For the larger water described here I like an 8'+ 4wt rod for the ability to cast distance if needed and a bit of line speed to get loops under overhanging stuff and make quick casts with short drifts to steadily rising fish. It is also small enough to work around obstacles easily. A leader of around 12' total down to 7x is typical though not always necessary. Technique plays a large roll here since you only need a dead drift when the trout is looking at your fly. The point is that a longer tippet makes it easier to get a good drift but it's not mandatory, for example; on a breezy day it may be tougher to achieve the accuracy needed for narrow feeding lanes with a long light tippet and leader, than it is too fool the fish with heavier, shorter tippet on ruffled water. There never is one answer to a question that is always changing.
The male tricos hatch in the dark or late evening in preparation of the females hatching at first light. Therefore the hatch is almost exclusively females. This is important since they are different colors. For the hatch, emerger patterns and duns will be needed as opposed to spent wing patterns although they seem to be interchangeable at times. This link will go over some patterns that have proved effective over the years.
Matching the Hatch – Tricos
Lets start off on a good sized stream we all know, also well know for it’s tough, wild fish and technical water. Approaching the stream the first thing to note is the water along the current on your side. This area is often overlooked and until you walk up, the seam on your side is just as good as that seam on the far side. Watch this area for a minute to see if there are any sippers there. You may think spooking a few fish is no big deal and par for the course but if they spook, they flee and spook others. Even moving a slowly feeding carp or school of suckers quickly to the other side can put down a whole pool. Move slow and look hard. One trick I learned is to not string up your rod until you get to the stream. This makes you have to stand around a few minutes before fishing. It is a rare morn when I don’t see something I, at first, didn’t notice.
I should also mention that this is only going to cover dry fly techniques. My feeling is that dries are the only way to fish the trico hatch. This is also totally untrue and just my opinion, mind you.
Now that we are sure we have a good handle on what’s happening on our pool we need to determine a game plan based on our visual assessment. Typically you want to pick off the outside fish first but if there is a way better fish surrounded by dinks (often the case) you may need to ignore some to concentrate on others. Chances are that one fish hooked will put down the rest, at least for a few minutes and possibly for the day so this is a crucial decision. I will try to get a fish or two off the side and keep them away from the pod once hooked but it is a chance to take. If given the choice I will always fish downstream drifts to selective rising fish. You have to keep low and in the shadows for this though since you are in the trout’s line of sight. Keep in mind the closer they are to the surface the farther they can see to the sides and front.
Moving slowly to not wake the pool or staying out of the water altogether if possible I will make a false cast or two to get the length right but keep them to a minimum and in the shade if possible and never near the risers. There are two ways to get good slack for a good drift and one is to cast with just enough energy and five or six feet off the water to have it loose energy in the tippet and fall in a pile of loose leader and then unwind as it drifts down to the fish. The other is to overpower the cast and stop it hard causing the leader and fly to bounce back, again landing in a pile and drifting down. The latter is tougher in bright sun and touchy fish since it tends to throw some water spray and may catch some sun glare on the line. You want to drop the fly far enough away from the fish to let the tippet unwind in the drift but if it’s too far up you may get drag as the fly approaches the riser. Unfortunately this is largely determined by experience since it is never the same, ever. Each drift is different, no question. We will assume your cast is true and on target. The fish is sipping away and your fly is approaching and sure enough he eats it.
Fishing dries downstream requires a pause before the hook set to allow the fish to put its head down to increase the chance that we won’t just pull the fly out of its mouth. If you simply see it happen and wait till he tilts down then strip line and move the rod low and to the side you are on. This all helps to get a good jaw corner hook set. This needs to be done gently so as not to break the tippet but solidly. If you can’t see well enough just pause a second from the rise and do the same hook set. Once you get good at it it’s really more of a feel than a sight. Most fish I hook this way I don’t even raise the rod at all but simply strip till I make contact the give a slight tug to the side. Tiny, sharp hooks go in very easily.
Once the fish is on it’s your job to try and keep it from spooking the rest of the pool. You need to keep the rod low and to your side and attempt to lead it away to your side for a quick landing. While doing this you also have to remain fairly still or you will wake the hell out of the pool and put them down anyway. Get him in the net or hand and kneel or bend down in the water so you don’t lift the fish out, especially if you aren’t using a net. They don’t like being dropped on the gravel from chest high. Snap a pic if you like and turn him loose and hopefully you did it right and the rest are still there. Rinse, repeat.
Feel free to add your own insights and tactics and also to ask any questions this article may bring to mind.
