Salty -- I'm pretty comfortable with hardware but one thing I did not try much (or enough of) was trolling flies. How are you fishing the flies? Alone or behind a dodger or flasher? What leader test # / length? I've got several of Alan's colorful creations (and time / condition instructions) but I've not fished them much and I've not had so much as a hit. On Moosehead I got almost NO early bite from 0530 - 0700 (most action between 0700 - 0900) but I pretty much exclusively trolled with hardware off riggers. I wonder if lead + flies would have been better for early / first light? There were some bug hatches and signs of fish on top but I felt wholly unprepared as to how to tap into that...near surface to 15-ft trolling with hardware produced nothing. I got all my decent fish at depth on hardware.
Still fishing 6 colors or deeper. Using 50 to 75 ' leader on lead (8#) Tying a small barrel swivel with 4 to 5' Seaguar leader 4# to 8# test. I tie fly to leader. No dodger.
Salty - sounds simple...the little I've done with streamers I have rigged them in similar fashion. Must be I'm not fishing them early enough or at the right depth...or that I'm not fishing Winni! Do you fish the same depths with the streamer flies as the lures or do you fish them shallower than lures at first light? Also, since you had Alan "the man" Nute out with you, I note he likes to use little dodgers he "tunes" with 18" of leader to the fly. How did Alan's technique compare to yours in terms of hits, fish etc.?
We didn't use any dodgers at all that day. I think the flies match the bait best, so I think the key is to find the bait first. We fished hardware and flies at the same depths.
Salty, were you using the flies mostly with lead or riggers? I think I recall you did best with flies off lead. Any thoughts as to whether to put flies back further from the ball when on 'riggers to mimic the presentation off the lead? Also, did you use your verticals on the riggers that day? Sorry for the 20 questions, I'm a total novice with flies....Eric
