Clinch Report Sunday Aug 17, 2008

[waterwolf]

Originally Posted by jzimmerman

I would normally agree with the whole don't bother with a dry dropper thing on the Clinch River, but last Saturday I caught around 30% of my fish on the dry and the others on a midge. I fished an emerging midge pattern as my dry and it seemed to be the ticket for the day. Oh and I caught somewhere b/t 25 and 30 so you can do the math.

The biggest and most pressing problem with using a dry for an indicator is that due to the nature of a dry fly it is incredibly hard to pick up micro-drag in your drift. Sure micro-drag doesn't bother little fish and the occasional decent fish, but to consistently catch quality fish out of the Clinch perfect drifts are mandatory in my experience. A dry fly just doesn't offer the same view to the angler that a small piece of yarn does.

Also, the fish which feed on dries this time of the year are generally small <10" and for ME I would rather catch 20-30 quality fish then 20-30 dinks.

It is just a differing perspective on a day on the water and other then the drift issue, it is up to you as to what outcome you are happy with.

[waterwolf]

Originally Posted by tennswede

Waterwolf!

I don't know how we got in on the subject of dropper dry. I don't ever use a dropper dry and I wasn't on Sunday. I'm using a point fly which is either a traditional soft hackle or wet, or a bh nymph. I then tie on a smaller midge on to the bend of the hook. I.e. two subsurface patterns and I don't ever use an indicator of any kind.

Thanks,

Not minding your business too much but why no indicator?

Are you not dead drifting your flies?

Droppers tied off of hook bends result in lots of poor hooksets in the point fly due to the dropper mono getting in the way. They tangle more, they look unnatural, and a host of other things.

Do what makes you happy and what you enjoy, but understand that a simple single fly/indicator rig will catch ten times the fish and much better quality fish then soft hackles, droppers, point flies etc etc.

[tennswede]

Waterwolf,

I fish both, upstream and downstream. I really catch some good ones down on the swing the old wet fly style.

I don't doubt that you catch a lot of fish your way but to say that soft hackle doesn't work that is really laughable. Tell that to Sylveste Nemes, Dave Hughes, the old dead man Pritt and Stewart in England.

I rest my case

[waterwolf]

To be honest I used to fish with Soft Hackles a long long long time ago. Back when there was no jail and we parked under the bridge or at the Piggly Wiggly. Those were the days when the riffle behind the church was a long way from civilization in our eyes. I know all about Sylvester Nemes, but that doesn't mean I bow down to the man. Sure his technique will work, but is it the best method for the Clinch?

Almost 25 years of fishing and 10 years of guiding on the river assures me that no it is not, but if it works for you and you enjoy it then by all means fish that way. It is not my place to tell others how to fish, only advise that there is more effective ways to catch fish on the clinch. I feel like I owe it to others to help out as much as I can and provide insight to methods which are the most effective.

Soft hackles, attractor dries, and down stream swings will catch fish, but in my experience it is limited to fish <10" long and stockers. If a person wants to consistently contact fish 14"+ the above methods are not the best way to accomplish that in the Clinch from my experiences. Also, if a person wants to consistently day in, day out catch fish on the Clinch the above are not the most effective tactics either. Sure they work, but if something works better why not maximize your profits compared to your investment.


Take my advice or not, at the end of the day it really doesn't matter to me.

[psnapp]

Originally Posted by waterwolf

To be honest I used to fish with Soft Hackles a long long long time ago. Back when there was no jail and we parked under the bridge or at the Piggly Wiggly. Those were the days when the riffle behind the church was a long way from civilization in our eyes. I know all about Sylvester Nemes, but that doesn't mean I bow down to the man. Sure his technique will work, but is it the best method for the Clinch?

Almost 25 years of fishing and 10 years of guiding on the river assures me that no it is not, but if it works for you and you enjoy it then by all means fish that way. It is not my place to tell others how to fish, only advise that there is more effective ways to catch fish on the clinch. I feel like I owe it to others to help out as much as I can and provide insight to methods which are the most effective.

Soft hackles, attractor dries, and down stream swings will catch fish, but in my experience it is limited to fish <10" long and stockers. If a person wants to consistently contact fish 14"+ the above methods are not the best way to accomplish that in the Clinch from my experiences. Also, if a person wants to consistently day in, day out catch fish on the Clinch the above are not the most effective tactics either. Sure they work, but if something works better why not maximize your profits compared to your investment.


Take my advice or not, at the end of the day it really doesn't matter to me.

Waterwolf,

You do go back a ways, don't you! A friend and I used to park at the Piggly Wiggly and fish up as far as Jones' strawberry patch (before we got caught!). We've probably passed each other on the stream at one point or another. I used to fish with Hal Clem and David Scates, and a couple of times with Larry Crisp. Man, those were the good ole days!

Phil

[Flat Fly n]

Jeez,
I used to see Waterwolf putting his waders on over his diapers! Why his parents used to drop him off at the Piggly Wiggly and let him skateboard down that long concrete culvert to get to the river, with a 9ft 4wt in his mouth, and 7x tippet falling out of his pockets! He caught his first thousand fish down by Lewellyn Island before his got his first kiss! HA! Old, that boy ain't old.....just seasoned!

Listen to the wolf, although he should have told you to be sure and use those REALLY loud colored yarn thingies. They work GREAT! What ever you do, don't waste your time coloring a white one in gray tones so as not to spook big fish!

BTW. Sowbugs and scuds don't work either. Fish spit those out in favor of midges!

[JimmyC]

I've always done quite well with olive and tan cranefly larva, and I have caught several in the 16-20 inch range on that pattern. Pinch me, I'm miraculous!

Originally Posted by waterwolf

There are very very very few cranefly larvae in the clinch so imitating one is not happening.

[waterwolf]

Originally Posted by psnapp

Waterwolf,

You do go back a ways, don't you! A friend and I used to park at the Piggly Wiggly and fish up as far as Jones' strawberry patch (before we got caught!). We've probably passed each other on the stream at one point or another. I used to fish with Hal Clem and David Scates, and a couple of times with Larry Crisp. Man, those were the good ole days!

Phil

The pull to Jones' is of epic proportions. Hats off to that hike. I was lucky and had permission to cross his place shortly after my 16th birthday. Those names especially Larry Crisp are from another era in Clinch history.

Originally Posted by Flat Fly n

Jeez,
I used to see Waterwolf putting his waders on over his diapers! Why his parents used to drop him off at the Piggly Wiggly and let him skateboard down that long concrete culvert to get to the river, with a 9ft 4wt in his mouth, and 7x tippet falling out of his pockets! He caught his first thousand fish down by Lewellyn Island before his got his first kiss! HA! Old, that boy ain't old.....just seasoned!

Listen to the wolf, although he should have told you to be sure and use those REALLY loud colored yarn thingies. They work GREAT! What ever you do, don't waste your time coloring a white one in gray tones so as not to spook big fish!

BTW. Sowbugs and scuds don't work either. Fish spit those out in favor of midges!

Waders Heck I was only 12 or 13, I didn't need waders. I remember fishing around where the weir is now and not wearing them during the winter. Ahh to be young and tough again.

You forgot grizzled in your description of me, and always always fish the orange colored yarn it works the best. White, same color as Goose down and foam, fish could care less.

Originally Posted by JimmyC

I've always done quite well with olive and tan cranefly larva, and I have caught several in the 16-20 inch range on that pattern. Pinch me, I'm miraculous!

Depends what size I guess, and just playing devils advocate but how many MORE 16-20 inch fish would you have caught if you were using something else?

[JimmyC]

2.00 X 10^9!!! A LOT?! hehe

Depends what size I guess, and just playing devils advocate but how many MORE 16-20 inch fish would you have caught if you were using something else?[/quote]

[waterwolf]

Sorry missed the class on text message lingo.