swinging for winters

[spooner]

what is the corect way to swing a fly with a sink tip? what kined of water are you swinging in how deep are you tryinng to get your fly? does your fly need to be right neer the bottom?is it a natural dift or is there alwase tention on your line? do you use a weigted fly with your sink tip?

I know this is a lot of info to ask. I bring my fly rod along some times for winters when the river gets low but I dont think Im doing it right and I give it up and grab my bait rod. I wont to try swinging first and see if i can get it down too where i feel IM doing it right then try nimphing. and ill be back to pick you brains about that too.
thanks for the info my next trip I will just bring my fly rod and practice all the info I get here.

[thefishnfool]

Probably one of your mistakes is swinging the fly when the river is low. High and dirty water conditions are my favorite for swinging a fly as it moves the fish out of the deep water and onto the shallow flats that are ideal for swinging a fly.

Swinging a fly is like swinging a spoon to put it in terms that you probably understand. You are going to start your cast strait across or slightly down river and throw an upstream mend in it and then let it swing. You want your fly to be swinging just above the bottom.

Tim

[TallFlyGuy]

what kined of water are you swinging in how deep are you tryinng to get your fly?


That depends.

does your fly need to be right neer the bottom?


Not necassarily

is it a natural dift or is there alwase tention on your line? do you use a weigted fly with your sink tip?

That depends.

You have to put your dues in, and if you really want to learn fast, hire a guide and have him teach you some of the finer points. It's money well spent. Dec Hogans book has some great stuff in it, but again, until you are out on the water "seeing" what really matters, it's not gonna "click" in your mind.

[sothereiwas]

:yeahthat:

I will swing the fly in many different ways depending on

water depth
width of holding water
current speed
surface currents
structure
water temperature
style of fly

Its a long road ahead if you wanna learn it on your own, I would definitely go with a guide. I would go as far as doing a guided trip in the summer and winter as the two styles of fishing can be very different.

Brad

[spooner]

thanks for all the input. I been fly fishing on the side for years so im not a expert by no means but Im not complete novice. the info I was looking for is the finer points and common mistakes you more experenced see others doing when you are on the river swinging flys.maybe this is a new thred question.

[2/0Dee]

Common mistakes: 1) swinging to fast
2)fishing to deep
3) mending to much.

1)Try to keep the swing as slow as possible. It can be hard it you don't mend properly.

2)As stated before it is not allways nessary to be on the bottom. You can fish under steelhead. I know I've done it.

3) once the fly comes under tension try not to mend at all if possible. This is when the fly is really fishing and you don't want to mess with it to much.

Lastly, pratice makes perfect. The only way you are going to get it is if you do it. Proper mending is the key to depth control and swing speed. The only way you will learn how and when to mend is to spend time on the water

Hope this helps
Mike

[spooner]

Common mistakes: 1) swinging to fast
2)fishing to deep
3) mending to much.

1)Try to keep the swing as slow as possible. It can be hard it you don't mend properly.

2)As stated before it is not allways nessary to be on the bottom. You can fish under steelhead. I know I've done it.

3) once the fly comes under tension try not to mend at all if possible. This is when the fly is really fishing and you don't want to mess with it to much.

Lastly, pratice makes perfect. The only way you are going to get it is if you do it. Proper mending is the key to depth control and swing speed. The only way you will learn how and when to mend is to spend time on the water

Hope this helps
Mike
sorry for the slow responce I been gone for a week.

that is some good info and exactly what I know i do all the time. I mend too much trying too keep the bely out of my line. so are you saying make the first mend count too slow your swing down?

[D3smartie]

When i was guiding the thing that killed me was guys mending like crazy once they cast. cast out, mend once or twice, and then let it swing.
There are so many variables based on conditions and such that it is tough to give advice over the net.
Maximize the time your fly is in the water and effectively swinging... thats the best advise i can give you.

[2/0Dee]

sorry for the slow responce I been gone for a week.

that is some good info and exactly what I know i do all the time. I mend too much trying too keep the bely out of my line. so are you saying make the first mend count too slow your swing down?

I like to make a big first mend and most times I need a second. I try to keep it to two at the most. You will get to the point when you know you need that second mend. The Angle at which you cast will almost allways determine the number of mends you need. 45 and down rarely needs a second mend unless there are some funny currents but 90 and down will almost allways need a second mend.
Hope this helps
Mike

[blazerman]

2/0Dee is right on the money. You don't need to be on the stones, as Steelhead don't look down. You should be fishing about 2 feet off the bottom. Cast, mend, and then don't mess with it! Also, you are looking for an agressive fish, so keep moving! The more water you can cover in a day the better.

[FishWonk]

All the above sounds good to me. Going out with someone who's experienced at a time when the water's got a bit of color, the fish are aggressive, and putting in some time would be my recommendation. And regarding finding a willing fish, covering water seems key, as usually I find steelhead will take it on the first swing rather than the 10th. But usually I don't fish past the 5th, or sometimes 2nd, swing, so I may be missing something there...

Also, try a river with a strong wild run. For some reason, most of my wild winter steelhead have taken a swinging fly, while indicator fishing egg patterns has been the rule for hatchery fish. have others observed this?

I'd be interested to hear what others say, but I like to fish non-weighted flies when I'm fishing a sink tip, but I'll use weighted flies when swinging with my floating line in the winter. Just feels better, and seems to work!