Fly Fishing Lakes

What is it about an angler that makes him think that fly fishing lakes is somehow not
quite kosher? Is it the concept that fly fishing lakes is "easier" than fishing moving waters?
Or is it an excuse because the fisherman in question has no idea how to fly fish in lakes?

Stillwater fishing can be as rewarding and as challenging as fishing rivers and streams. It
just requires a different approach.

Know where to fish when fly fishing lakes

The same principle applies when fly fishing lakes as it does when fishing moving water;
if you don't fish where the fish are, you won't catch them. You need to know the water
you are fishing.

There are several things to consider when reading lake waters. The first is an old familiar;
fish needs for protection and food are the same as in moving water. They just don't have
to contend with currents.

Lake fish are often found in or around weed beds. You might lose a fly or two, especially
if you are fishing wets, but you'll hook into a few big ones if you use the right fly and
concentrate on the weed beds.

Any structure in a lake (I include reservoirs in this category), man-made or natural, is a
good place to throw a line. During the spawning season, female trout come into the
shallow waters to make their nests; the males follow to fertilize the eggs.

In a recent lake fishing trip I hooked my largest fish about ten feet out in three feet of
water. A good sized male who was guarding the nest, he took my fly as it passed by his
nose. Spawning trout are often opportunistic feeders.

Fish the depths when fly fishing lakes

Fly fishing lakes vary in depth. You should be prepared to fish all levels. Your floating
line might work for fishing all levels of a river or stream, but on a lake you'll need to
consider different lines.

If you want to get down to the bottom of a 50 feet lake, a floating line is not going to do it
for you, without a huge amount of weight on your fly. Having several lines of different
sink weights is a plus when fishing these waters.

The retrieve: knowing what works on fly fishing lakes

Your fly needs to imitate the behavior of the insect it is representing when fly fishing
lakes. Think about it for a moment.
When an aquatic insect emerges and heads for the surface, how is going to get there? Not
too many will take the tourist route. Their survival instincts will ensure that they get to
the surface as quickly as possible.

That being said, different insects emerge differently. A midge or caddis fly will probably
head straight up to the surface. If you are fishing these insects, a fast vertical retrieve
works well. That's what the fish expect.

A damsel fly is a different story and your retrieve needs to reflect its almost horizontal
move to the surface. It is looking for a structure where it can shed its casing. Retrieve
more slowly when fishing a damsel imitator.

You should spend a little time watching the actions of insects on the water. The closer
you can imitate their behavior, the more trout you will tempt into taking your fly.

Be flexible when fly fishing lakes

No, I don't mean that you have to twist yourself into a position that a contortionist would
envy – although it does help when you're trying to cast to a particularly difficult spot.
When fly fishing lakes you need to be prepared to change leaders, tippets, lines and
tactics, often!

The fish are the ultimate determiners of how and what your fishing techniques should be.
What works one day, will be useless the next. It's difficult to explain why sometimes
what seems to be the worst cast brings home the best fish. Maybe that bad cast or retrieve
made the fly move like the real thing would.

Varying the weight and length of your leader can make a difference in whether or not you
are catching fish. It's not always the fly pattern that is wrong.

If you know you are in an area where fish should be, then work out the reasons why they
are not biting. A change of tactics will often bring about a change of success.

Fly fishing lakes from a float tube

Float tubes and pontoon boats are the ideal vehicles for fly fishing lakes. The increasingly
number seen every year indicates how successful these are becoming. You can even get
depth and fish finders to attach to your float tube.

The advantage of fishing from a float tube is that you can fish from the water without the
expense of a hard-hulled boat. In fact the float tube can take you closer to those shoreline
spots where lake fish like to gather. If you know your limits as well as those of your float
tube, this method could open a whole new world of still water fishing.

Fly fishing lakes can be every bit as fascinating as any fly fishing. If you're already
fishing rivers and streams, consider trying the lakes. When the fishing season is over on
the high mountain streams, you'll likely find that there's a lake close by where you can
throw your line. Now that can't be all bad, can it?