Big Hole River, Jim Stibbs, Thurs Sept. 10th, 1992
Another bright clear day, a little cooler than yesterday. Jim took us to the section of river upstream of Wise River. Jim put me to fish nymph on a fast ripple running centre of the river. I started fishing directly upstream by standing in calm, clean water and did nothing until Jim came to check me out.
He pointed out the following :
The sun was creating shadows when the line was cast.
The water was too shallow and did not have sufficient ripple to allow me to stand in the water.
He suggested I use a “Turf type” indicator and fish in the riffle itself on an up and across basis.
Tuft Indicator
Length of polypropylene (or wool) fibres tied on end of leader using 1/2 blood knot. Tippet then tied to leader above tuft using 1/2 blood knot and then slid down to tuft. Result is that tuft cocks up.
Once I started using this method I started catching plenty of whitefish. Takes were very easy to spot and hit. Tuft floated extremely well. I then tried dry fly at point A and caught a small rainbow of about 12″.
For rest of day I fished downstream dry fly and caught one fish (small rainbow and lost a bigger one.) The technique then is to cast down and across ( preferably to rising fish - choose the fish - and keep giving sufficient slack to allow a good dead drift ( The Henry’s fork technique). The technique is suited to relatively slow steady currents and rising fish. It is also a good technique for rising fish in tail of pool when upstream fishing could be difficult because of current speed coming out of pool. Off to Ennis tomorrow.
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