Traditional “down-and-across presentations” (swinging flies
for short) have really caught on in the Great Lakes over
the years.
Standard practice in the Atlantic Provinces for Atlantic Salmon and in the Pacific Northwest for steelhead, even the “skinny water” tributaries of the “steelhead alley” region of Lake Erie have seen more steelheaders experience the jarring take of a swung streamer or tube fly
Standard practice in the Atlantic Provinces for Atlantic Salmon and in the Pacific Northwest for steelhead, even the “skinny water” tributaries of the “steelhead alley” region of Lake Erie have seen more steelheaders experience the jarring take of a swung streamer or tube fly
Swinging
flies is most effectively done on Great Lakes
tributaries that contain long/wide gravel runs and pools of relatively
consistent depth. “Active” steelhead in the warm water tributary flows of the
fall and spring (above 40 degrees F) are particularly susceptible to this
technique. It can be performed equally
well with both single-handed and spey or double-handed fly rods. The new
“switch” style fly rods popular today are really small spey rods and are ideal
for swinging flies on the small to medium size water of most Great
Lakes tributaries.
To be
successful at swinging flies, the steelhead fly fisher should keep in mind the
following list of the Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Swinging Flies for Steelhead:
1.) Do
“read” the water before wading/casting. Look for likely steelhead holding areas
(the Target Zone or TZ) that are conducive for swinging a fly through. These
include the drop-off at the head of pool, current seams located in pools and
runs (which steelhead like to hold along), the slow current area in a pool
tail-out and the riffles below boulders.
2.) Don’t
begin swing presentation without planning your wading strategy. Position
yourself by wading above the TZ (easily done on many Great Lakes
tributaries which are rather shallow) to allow you to effectively swing your
fly “down-and-across” to steelhead. The strength of the current and depth of
the river (as well as how strong of a wader you are) will determine how
precisely you can position yourself above the TZ and also work your way downstream.
3.) Do
control fly depth on the swing with the correct sinking system for the water
flow and depth being fished. By using sink tips of different lengths and sink
rates (measured in inches per second or grain weight), you can precisely
control the depth of the fly. This is analogous to changing split-shot when
dead-drifting. Typically you will need to go to a slower sinking tip (as you
fish your way down a run or pool) since the current flow slows down as you work
downstream.
4.) Don’t use heavily weighted flies when trying
to get your fly deep on the swing. It is best to rely on your sinking system
versus using a heavily weighted fly. Keeping the fly as light as possible will
allow the fly to have a lively and natural swimming action on the swing. Flies
that are too light though (like plastic tube body flies) may need some weight
added to them (like a light metal conehead) for proper leader turnover.
5.) Do
use your leader length (along with the sinking system) to control fly depth on
the swing. Leaders in the 4 to 9 foot range will keep the fly higher up in the
current flow versus a shorter leader (less than 4 feet) which is ideal for
keeping the fly down close to the stream bottom when steelhead are moving less
for a fly (flows colder than 40 degrees F).
6.) Don’t
“over-cast” when initially working your way downstream to TZ areas. Many
steelhead hold surprisingly close (literally at your feet). The prime example
is at the head of a pool or run where steelhead often hold at a sharp drop-off.
Steelhead will also hold amazingly close, especially early in the morning, on
overcast days and heavily stained water.
7.) Do
stand directly upstream to the area you want to swing your fly through (the TZ)
and begin by casting your fly line at roughly a 45 degree angle downstream to
the left or right of the TZ.
8.) Don’t
fail to mend your fly line on the downstream swing. After your initial cast (as
the fly line makes contact with the water), immediately throw an upstream mend
in the fly line. This will help sink both the fly line and the fly more
quickly. Follow up by dropping the rod tip and move it across in front of you,
stopping at the point where you want the fly to swing to.
9.) Do
control the “belly” that forms in the fly line as the fly swings
down-and-across through the TZ below you. The size of
the belly will determine the “swimming speed” of the fly as it swings across in
the current. Multiple upstream mends of the fly line eliminates or reduces the
fly line belly size, slows the speed of the fly and makes the fly sink deeper.
By minimizing line mending you can keep the fly line belly large, causing
higher fly speeds on the swing but with higher fly position in the water
column. Sometimes downstream mends (and line stripping) are necessary to help
swing flies through slack water areas at the end of pools and runs.
10.) Don’t recognize that the
majority of steelhead will take the fly as the fly line straightens out
at the end of the swing; chasing the fly across the current and hitting it from
the rear as it stops. It is important to anticipate the strike at that point.
Also, at the end of the swing (if there has been no strike), hold the fly
directly downstream of you momentarily and then follow-up with a strip
retrieve. This can induce takes especially with large streamer, leech and wooly
bugger type patterns which provide a lot of movement in the current flow.
11.) (Bonus Tip) Do be patient when a steelhead takes a fly
on the swing. Simply raise the rod up, and to the side, and the steelhead will
essentially hook himself. Try to make this hook-set at a slow to moderate speed
to avoid pulling the fly out of the steelhead’s mouth (remember, the steelhead
is directly downstream of you). Steelhead takes when swinging flies are shear
predatorial in nature and vary from a hard tug on your line to a veritable
explosion, especially in the warm tributary run-off of fall and spring.
More detailed information on swinging flies for steelhead can be found in John Nagy's classic book "Steelhead Guide, Fly Fishing Techniques and Strategies for Lake Erie Steelhead." John Nagy's new book the "Steelheader's Journal" makes a great companion book to the Steelhead Guide for steelheader's looking to keep track of their steelhead trips on the steelhead tributaries.
Please go to sidebar for ordering information for these books.