# Newbie needs some tips: Trout surfacing



## Population Control (Oct 16, 2007)

I am fairly new to flyfishing and not very good with understanding all of the different flies and their life cycles. I understand some of the basics of the dry fly versus nymphing.

Yesterday I was on the Provo River and heard that the Bluewing Olive was coming off so I tied one on and spent the day fishing. I probably caught 5 or 6 after being there all day BUT I'm pretty sure it could have been a lot more.

As I was fishing I could see the fish barely sticking their noses out of the water and taking something that was on top. I tried and tried to catch them but they just weren't interested in my fly. I changed flies to what I thought they might be taking probably six or seven different times but just could not read the fish and what they wanted.

My question:
When a fish surfaces with the splash is he taking a dry?

When the fish are just sticking their noses out of the water and sipping on something, what's the difference?

Any and all tips are greatly appreciated.

P.S. There was a guy with an older gentleman up above me continually catching fish and I wanted so bad to go talk to the guy and get some pointers but worried that because I wasn't "paying" it would be bad fish etiquette

I was lucky enough to catch and land this guy









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## trout bum (Oct 5, 2010)

Great fish! A splashy rise that you can hear and usually leaves a bubble is a fish taking a dry. It knows it's meal can get away so it wastes no time. A nose calmly sipping could be a fish targeting an inactive adult or a spinner and a dorsal or tail fin is a fish targeting emergers or cripples caught in the surface film. Try a dry/dropped pattern. Tie an emerger 4-6 inches below your dry. Use the dry as an indicator. Hope this helps. Good luck! 

T.B.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

they will also be slurping midges off the top too. A griffeth's gnat in 18-20 can serve well. But Trout Bum is spot on - tie an emerger below your dry. That will increase the catch rate.


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

This time of year it could be a few different things hatching. Take peoples word with a grain of salt and do the homework for yourself, more importantly do it on site at the river. First thing you want to do is buy a little fish tank net or one of the various seine nets offered. You need to know what is hatching to be effective, especially on the Provo where the fish are pretty heavily pressured. One instance comes to mind last February I went on the perfect stormy day and got into an awesome BWO hatch I managed to have the perfect fly and caught 4 fish on consecutive casts I lost my fly so I tied on the last one I had of the pattern caught 2 more and lost my fly. Tied on a slightly different variation of a BWO and and one size to big and struggled to catch fish for the next 2 hours. I know how hard it is to be patient when there is a hatch but I promise If you take the first 10-20 minutes observing you will be rewarded. Unless i'm really short on time my plan of attack is observe for 4-5 minutes looking for major clues. i.e are there lots of bugs on the water, are fish rising it can be very subtle so you need to be observant and I like to get on my haunches. just by looking closer you can see if they are slurping dries off the top or getting them subsurface. After I do that Ill seine the water to try and find out what they are eating. once you become more familiar with entomology you will probably know what they are eating before you seine but you still want to find out size and color. after you get that its time to focus on drag free presentations, having fun and catching fish!! good luck I love this time of year on the river.


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## Flyfishn247 (Oct 2, 2007)

Its still a little early for any BWO hatch, most likely its the mid-day midges coming off. Gary is spot on, a griffiths with a rainbow midge dropper will catch fish.


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

Splashy rises to midges or BWOs are usually small fish. Larger fish can subtly poke their heads out of the water and suck a dry down without much commotion.

I spend a lot of time in the spring (when the water is clear) observing feeding trout--especially those going after BWOs. Here are some of the things I have learned over the years. BWOs are fairly easy to see when a good hatch comes off. The duns on the surface look like small sailboats with upright wings. Some will flutter and skitter a bit on the surface as they try to take flight. I have watched trout sip the still floating duns and I have watched them key in on the fluttering ones. The ones that chase the fluttering duns can produce a little more showy rise. 

Some trout will sit just under the surface and sip the duns as the float to them. These trout will usually stay pretty stationary near a seam and just let the bugs come to them. Some will move a little from right to left as they take the bugs.

I've watched some trout follow a dun downstream a bit, then turn and take it and then move back up to where they originally started. 

This early in the season if you see heads and mouths coming out of the water but do not see a bug, they may be feeding on midges. Midges are harder to see, but if you focus and concentrate you can still see them.

If you see bulges in the water that look like a rise but do not see a head, the trout may be feeding on emergers just under the surface or midge pupae just under the surface. That is why a small emerger pattern under a dry can be effective. 

I too love this time of year when nature seems to come alive again. I've found that observing trout can be as fun as catching them and helps develop tactics for catching them when you do get a chance to fish.


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## Population Control (Oct 16, 2007)

Man guys- I have so loved reading this thread. I bet I've read each of your comments 3-4 times and then googling the flies and things mentioned here. Please keep sharing!


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## slapwater (Jun 18, 2009)

A couple other things to consider might be:

1)Fly size. Go Smaller. I've had days on the Provo around this time of year just like you described. People around me catching fish but me not doing as well. My best adjustment was to tie on a smaller bug.

2) Presentation. Tiny flies can get drug around like crazy by tippet too thick or casting across current seams and it can really kill your odds. Longer leaders with finer tippet help a lot, especially if you are fishing in the slicks where a lot of midges emerge. The water surface looks relatively smooth but there are micro-currents and eddies everywhere and the fish have all day to look at your fly so the presentation has to be good.

This is one of my favorite times to fish the Provo. Midge hatches are awesome dry fly fishing. Keep at it, try different things and have fun. You'll figure it out.


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## Population Control (Oct 16, 2007)

Help me understand the right length of leader, tippet, etc. when do you need to replace the leader or tie in new tippet. 

How important are the correct knots? I'm working on my nail knot skills


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## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

I use a tapered leader about 9 foot length. I will tie the fly on the end of the leader without tippet to start. When I lose a few flies and leader end, I will start to tie on sections of tippet. These are typically just 18 to 24-inch sections of 5X or 6X tippet. I use the double surgeons know to tie the tippet onto the leader. It holds well if tied correctly and lubricated with a little saliva when cinched down. It is way easier to tie than the blood knot which people use. It keeps the leader and tippet in line just fine. It is strong enough for most of the trout around here.

I can fish a lot without having to replace the whole leader by just tying on tippet until the diameter of the leader gets too large, then I tie on a new leader. 

I'm pretty simplistic in my approach. I know guys who spend a lot of time worrying about leader length, size, turnover, and leader material, but I haven't found it matters much if you get a good set-up that will turn the fly over correctly and lay out nice and smooth. Some of that has to do with casting ability too.


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## slapwater (Jun 18, 2009)

HighNDry covered it. Just don't get too hung up on specifics. Start with a 9' 5X tapered leader when fishing small dries. If you get refusals or fish rising around your fly but not taking it, tie on some 6x tippet and mabye a smaller fly. I rarely have to go finer than 6x on the Provo. If that doesn't work, focus on the fly size and profile.


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