Millers

[Rockyraccoon]

Originally Posted by MadisonBoats

I probably get half of my takes when I start to reset my cast.

The old swing up off the bottom technique. Deadly for sure.

[bhrt]

Originally Posted by appalachian angler

It sure is nice to have the Clinch back ain't it? Thanks for sharing your success with us!

Mike

Or lack therof! I spent a few hours Saturday morning after the 9-10 pulse and had no luck. There was no obvious activity as the water drained down the first 90 minutes. As the water stabilized I started seeing rises but no obvious hatch.

Tried the following:
No indicator, standard size midge
Wooly Booger (sp?) as the water was still a bit high from the 1 gen pulse
Midge with pheasent tail dropper
Midge under indicator

Checked the fly periodically and routinly had snot coverage so I assumed I was getting deep enough. Maybe too deep?

Only action was when something nailed my indicator! Will use a small dry from now on as has been suggested here.

There were a few folks out but not combat fishing by any means. Saw a few others have success but it appeared most of us were flailing away. Felt if I had another hour may have had some luck, however if I stayed another hour the boss may restrict future trips!

I'll figure out this river yet.

[Waterborn]

Yeah, it can be frustrating sometimes...the good ol' Grinch as its sometimes called. Really though, 90% of the time I'm fishing and indicator, shot, and pt/midge dropper combo. Most of the time its just a midge, but since its spring and sulphur are about to be full throttle, a small pt will usually get more action for me this time of year. When I see rises I'll switch accordingly. On falling water I have to add some shot to get the fly down, if I'm catching grass (or snot) then I'll drop the indicator a couple of inches. A scud is a good falling water fly too, though I mainly use em on overcast days.
Sometimes fresh stockers will have a field day on indicators - slap a hook on it just for grins...at any rate, your determination to figure it out and that you are attentive to whats going on the water already has you ahead of the game...won't be long.

[Flat Fly n]

a sulphur colored X-caddis with a brown Z-lon tail(shuck) will work in a sulphur hatch as well......heck, their just fish!

[fourx]

Early last week I was fishing around 61 bridge. About 3-4 in the afternoon a zillion empty nymphal shucks came pouring down the river. Enough to indicate a significant hatch somewhere upstream. I also fished this weekend and never saw more than a few shucks here and there. My question is: has anyone seen a good hatch from say, peach orchard to cold water? I mean a zillion shucks that one day (mon. after Easter). Phil? Rodney?

4X

[ChemEAngler]

Originally Posted by fourx

Early last week I was fishing around 61 bridge. About 3-4 in the afternoon a zillion empty nymphal shucks came pouring down the river. Enough to indicate a significant hatch somewhere upstream. I also fished this weekend and never saw more than a few shucks here and there. My question is: has anyone seen a good hatch from say, peach orchard to cold water? I mean a zillion shucks that one day (mon. after Easter). Phil? Rodney?

4X

I saw a couple of sulfurs coming off on Friday afternoon down low. But, there was not a significant amount of surface activity anywhere. Not many shucks either. All fish were caught on a #16 BHPT.

[Rodonthefly]

Originally Posted by fourx

Early last week I was fishing around 61 bridge. About 3-4 in the afternoon a zillion empty nymphal shucks came pouring down the river. Enough to indicate a significant hatch somewhere upstream. I also fished this weekend and never saw more than a few shucks here and there. My question is: has anyone seen a good hatch from say, peach orchard to cold water? I mean a zillion shucks that one day (mon. after Easter). Phil? Rodney?

4X

Shoot me a email, I'll give ya the skinny

[Corbo]

Well; SM and me floated from the peach orchard to 61 on Saturday and it was fabulous... a few fish were rising to midges but we primarily soaked beadhead Quasi PT's under an indicator with awesome sucess.

We counted a few dozen sulphurs over the day; no fish rising to them.

If you are hooking snot choke up, too deep.

My observation after a zillion years fly fishing is that a lot of BEHAVIORAL DRIFT occurs in the weeks prior to the main Sulphur hatch... essentially the sulphur nymphs swim up into the water column, drift on the current and settle back to bottom.... My guess is that they are letting the current take them to an area more suitable for real emergence OR they are "practicing" their swim-up technique. Don't know for certain but the trout key in on this behavior readily.

A couple weeks ago on the Holston I had more rises to my white Palsa indicator than to the dry's I tried! Go figure?

[Flat Fly n]

I have not seen anything but a sparse hatch but the fish are busting a PTN I am tying right now so I will try to remain calm about dry fly fishing until the time comes. I do know the swallows are showing up in the afternoon about 3pm so they are checking as well. The grass is as thick with nymphs as I have seen in a while so soon.

[appalachian angler]

I caught 5 slot rainbows and 1 slot brown at the church working the seams with a pheasant tail soft hackle 12" below a yarn indie and a modified PT nymph on a dropper 6" off the bend of the softie. ALL fish took the nymph. Later, as the birds started working, even with nearly no adults to be seen, fish started smashing my soft hackle when fished alone and swung down and accross. This was yesterday(tues).

Not sure what Corbo meant by 'behavioral drift' but perhaps the nymphs are going through an instar where they shed their shuck in favor of thier new body growth. No matter, the trout certainly must notice. In Shawns' video, trout can be seen swiping what appear to be nymphs in mid water column. I seldom, on the Clinch need to suspend a nymph below and indicator more than 24". More often than not, merely 16" is adequate to get the bite. I use as small a piece of yarn that I can get away with. I realy like that Loon Outdoors "Strike Two" yarn in flourescent chartruese/yellow or whatever that color is. The stuff floats like no other and needs NO treatment to keep it floating. I often save the used pieces and get another round out of them!

here's a recipe for my most successfull "sulpher" nymph to date:

Hook: TMC 3769 sz 14
Thread: 8/0 yellow UNI
Tail: wood duck fibers, fanned
Abdomen: palmered natural pheasant tail (about 4 fibers only)
Rib: Hot Yellow Ultra Wire sz small, counter wrapped
Thorax: Hares' Ear dubbing; mix of all hair from the mask tied in a loose dubbing loop
Wing Case: natural colored slip of Canada goose wing secondary coated with Salley Hansen's HAN
Head: gold sz 3/32 tung bead
Hint: Tie this nymph slight, as if it were being tied on a sz 16 hook

Mike