Low Water Drift Tech.

[Snapset]

I love Silvers.
But what do you do when the water is so low and you know that by the time the water comes up they will be too dark to eat? Well, you catch them in low water. Here is a technique that gives a big advantage to the fly-fishers, especially the cabin fever crazed maniacs who nymph fish the deschutes in March (like myself). The 2 rivers I would use this tech on are the Kalama and Eagle Creek. You don't want to use this in a bigger river like the Lewis, or even the Clack.

First find a good hole, where there is fast water immediately adjacent to water 3 feet deep or more, but not more than 7 feet deep. You want to be able to keep your rod tip straight above the water you are fishing. Stealth is also important.

Use a long limber rod, a fly rod or noodle rod is best, but a 8 foot steelhead rod will even work in a pinch. Tie your mainline to a # 4 or #6 hook with an egg loop, and 10" above that, a split shot or 2. 4 feet above the hook, attach a big corkie to your line, just like a strike indicator. The Corkie should make the whole rig neutrally buoyant. Put a dime sized egg cluster on the hook.

Flip it upstream about 10 feet and let it drift down, keeping enough tension on the line to keep the corkie visible. You want the eggs within a foot of the bottom. As your gear is not on the bottom, any twitch is a bite so lift straight up to set the hook. It is just like drifting a nymph, fish the seams adjacent to holding water. Watch for flashes. These may be a bite, so set the hook on them if they are near the corkie. If the flash is not a bite, it will at least tell you where those shifty Coho are holding at the moment.
Remember, the top layer of water is moving faster than the lower water, so you need to keep your rod tip slightly upstream of the corkie, this slows the Corkie and keeps your bait from dragging behind.

I guess you could do this with fly line, but I would feel a bit odd about having eggs on a hook with a fly line.

For small water, clear conditions, this is unbeatable.

[Chris Nordling]

Snapset,
Great technique, I just wonder about hook sizes. So many streams these days have hook restrictions, it makes it harder to go with real small baits. I think I read that ODFW might be changing some next year, we'll just have to wait and see. A couple of things to add. First, don't forget your polarized glasses. These work wonders in low water years for seeeing into the chop water. Second is longer, light leaders, with a slight preference for 6# ultra- green maxima or an 8# flourocarbon line. Picking a neutral color corkie might also help on those days when they'll take anything. Good fishing.

Chris images/icons/cool.gif

~ Team U.S.A. ~

[AllThumz]

It looks like hook size restrictions will be dropped for 2002.

2002 Proposed Sport Fishing Regulations (http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/Regulations/2002regs.htm)

John

[ampersat]

sounds like fun. i'd love to hook into a fiesty coho on my 5-6wt fly rod. i'll have to give it a try in a spot on the sandy i've had my eye on. tough to fish with a baitcast rig but should fish well on a fly rod. if it works, you'll hear about it.

[WheresMyBobber]

I once took an old fiberglass fly rod blank and made it into a spinning rod for low water conditions. I think it was fishing in low water for silvers that gave me the idea. It worked great - I could fling small spinners clear across the Clack, and drift fish very light weights when needed. It was a fun rod to fish with, and did just what I wanted it to.

I just might have to make another one of those, because I have no idea what happened to my old one. images/icons/confused.gif

[Deleted User]

Good tech Snap. We have been doing a similar thing using a light spinning rod, light line, and the smallest natural cork float. Then present small egg clusters, shrimp tails, and 1/16 oz. jigs along the seams. Right on about the stealth approaches! Try retrieving a spinning pink worm in those conditions.

[ChuckDog]

RT,
Are you talking like a 4" or 6" plastic worm?

[Silent Lucidity]

How would you go about modifying a flyrod into a spin rod? Just put a larger eye at the reel end and attach a fighting butt to it? I'm curious.

[WheresMyBobber]

Making a fly rod blank into a spinning rod is easy, especially if you're starting with a blank. You just build it with a spinning reel seat and handle, and spinning guides. I just went to the store and took the guide measurements from a similar length spinning rod.

If you're starting with an already built fly rod, you'd have to take off the handle, reel seat and guides and start from there. More work, but it's do-able.

[Silent Lucidity]

Ah, that's a project for another day then. Thanks for the info.

[RichH]

I've got two 7 weights being tied up for spinning reels as we speak. Just ordered two Okuma Epix reels to go on them. It's a great way to fish steelhead from a drift boat. I learned how to do it from Bill Urie down on the upper Rogue. I'm hoping the rods will be done soon so I can hit the silvers. images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/wink.gif

[Silent Lucidity]

Careful those reels. There are numerous reports of the handles breaking clean off of them. images/icons/shocked.gif

[Thumper]

I think I've finally figured out the Okuma Epix problem. The dumb plastic cap on the side opposite the handle bears on the tension adjustment screw in such a way that as the reel turns the cap can actually loosen the adjustment screw. When the adjustment screw is loose enough it falls out and the handle goes bonkers. I solved the problem on my Epix by taking the cheapo cap off and putting it on the shelf of my fishing bench. Now the tension adjusting screw stays tight and all is well with the world.

[Deleted User]

Chuckdog, I'm refering to using the 4" pink worm and cutting a half inch off the head end. I skew on the 3 1/2" of it onto a jighead hook bended in such a way that it spins when retrieved (experiment); using no other lead in low water. You can also hook it up to a 2 hook sandshrimp backtrolling type rigup with a sliding upper hook; maybe around 8 lb. test line for low water silvers and steelhead. Then just put a slight bend in the worm and use a 36" leader with a small weight by the mainline swivel. Cast and let it sink and slowly retrieve it with some intermittent twitching added.

Jack, on my way back from the Cow Mon. I stopped in at Bob's in Longview and bought an Okuma AV30 for only $39.95. Great spinning reel for the price; has 7 ball bearings.

RT

[smilesforu]

I have 4 loomis gl3 fly rod blanks 8 weight (1088) If anybody wants to buy one. $85 each
Could bring it to FloatillaIII or ship for $10

I couldn't pass them up... images/icons/rolleyes.gif I needed more rods like a dozen more reels or holes in my head

[Krome Brite]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Snapset:

attach a big corkie to your line, just like a strike indicator. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How do you attach a big corkie to your line?

[ 10-07-2001: Message edited by: Krome Brite ]

[Snapset]

I prefer to fold the line over and pinch it tight enough that I can force the folded end through the hole in the corky. Pull a small loop through, then pull the corky through the loop. Tighten it up so that the loop comes tight, but make sure the loop comes back so it is barely protruding from the hole . This will keep the Corky from falling off during casts. Another method is to just pull the toop through, then toothpick the hole the loop came through. Some people like to put the leader straight thru the corky, but I don't like to cut off all the gear below the corky (Mostly when flyfishing).

[Krome Brite]

Thanks Snapset. Think I'll try it this winter too if we don't get much rain and the water's low. images/icons/wink.gif

[Osprey]

I think the problem the guys up here were having was, the little break-down button on the handle was falling out....!#*&%#@ was most of what was said after this happened.
I contacted Okuma and they said it was slight production problem,so I order a couple extras just in case,I ve heard of aleast a half dozen reels with this problem, mine seams to be OK,but I'm packin a spare.....Os http://www.steelheader.net/ubb/graemlins/flag.gif