Ten Tips for Fly Fishing in Low Clear Water
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- I used to be intimidated by fishing in low and clear water conditions. However, I've come to love confronting the challenges presented by these conditions and I've even started to seek them out the last few years. In this video, I share 10 tips I've learned for how to catch trout consistently in clear water. I also put these tips into practice in a pool. I hope these tips will help you on your next outing in skinny clear water.
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Anglers like this are what make the sport so great because they're honest and actually share tips that work! This channel is inspiring the content I'm sharing too! Thanks guys 🤙💯
Gosh - are you saying some fishermen AREN'T honest? ;-)
My biggest lesson from this video is that patience is KING followed very closely by excellent technique and know how. Bravo 🎣🙏
That heron tip is spot on. I've learned much fishing prowess simply by sitting and watching them. These were all great tips! 👍👊🏼🇺🇸
B Dickinson thanks
Speaks well and louder than most; instructors , excellent
Wading in deeper water/heavier flows are often difficult for me (and I use a wading staff for those). Any tips for that type of wading?
I really appreciate your thoughtful videos. These are tips I can implement on high pressure water, not just thin.
Really glad you enjoy them. And yes, these are definitely tips that can apply to a range of circumstances including highly pressured rivers.
Perfect.. I also love size of the creek...
Love to watch you think your way through a section of the river. This video up leveled my skills a ton. Thanks Devin!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Man, you're a ninja with that casting. Every once in a while I get my zen working and it flows, but you've got it dialed. Thanks for sharing your insight. It's sinking in slowly. I'd better watch again.
Devin, great video! We encourage you to continue with these types of vids!
Great video Devin. I now understand better the importance of switching up the weight of the flies. Sometimes I get lazy and don't want to switch or change systems and say to myself "there are no more fish in that hole". But I see differently now. Thank you.
There are tips, and then there are TIPS! Thanks Devin.
Thanks for this Devin! I watched both of the full length videos on euro-nymphing and started using the method last year. I struggled a bit and now, with this video, I know why. We have a lot of skinny water here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I know now that I was probably using too much weight most of the time. I will watch this several more times and then put it to use. Thanks again!
Dave in NH that’s a common mistake for a lot of folks. It’s just as detrimental to have too much weight as it is to not have enough.
Thanks for the video Devin!! I learned a lot. I found your point about progressing the weight of your flies from light to heavy in skinny water to be super helpful. I always to keep that in mind when I'm fishing an average size stream, but never considered it for smaller water.
Tried this last week and it was very effective. 6 in the net and 2 hooked but lost. Another bonus was I discovered my casting isn't where I need it to be. The tighter surroundings made it very obvious. Thank you Devin, and team, for providing practical and effective information.
Another great video, I have been using your advice and it has been really paying dividends for me, the first pool/run i fished today I caught 3 Grayling and two Browns, fishing nearer to me first then fishing further away, and changing the weight of the bead during the run, of course in the UK we tend to have high water in autumn and winter, though the rivers are low just now, and its been a damp summer so a lot of the time the rivers have been running high, which has been good for salmon and sea trout, but presents more problems in a bigger river targeting Browns and Grayling, I have all the modern nymphing videos and the adaptive one , plus I have just ordered the new book, thank you for being a great instructor and a inspiration
Thanks for all the support. Hopefully our materials have helped you out on the river.
Excellent video, Devin. Love this format and length.
Kenny Van Zant thanks. Glad you liked it.
great vid! just rewatched and its just as good as when it came out. Thanks Devin! Super helpful🙏
Thanks. This is still one of my favorites I’ve filmed as well.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Well done!! Surgical approach to getting the most out of holding area.
Big O thanks. Hopefully it helped.
Thanks, Devin. Informative and inspirational, a good combination.
Roger D Stover thanks.
Love the video. Great recommendation on working from bottom to top of a run. I have always done the opposite.
bryhlick glad you enjoyed it
Excellent! Great information!
Thanks! This is still one of my favorite videos we’ve shot.
Great videos and instruction, thank you!
Thanks! We hope it helped.
Thank you fir some awesome insights and advise, love your work
Fred le Roux thanks!
Great video Devin a lot of fantastic tips especially fishing shallow to deep thanks keep them coming
Richard Lloyd thanks
Thanks Devin. I’ve learned so much from all of your videos.
Pat Batad glad you liked it.
Thank you.
Thanks for watching.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I really liked the stalking like a heron tip.
cascade fly fisher glad you enjoyed it.
Great video quality. Thanks
Matt O'Keefe much appreciated
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for such an informative video. I will be fishing similar water in the Waioeka River later this week and although I caught a couple of 3 lb plus fish last week I had few takes.I will take on board your suggestions and half your skill level to hopefully catch a few more. Thanks from down-under in NZ.
John shand happy fishing!
Definitely a video to re-watch a few times, well presented information. Thanks for putting out these quality videos Devin, I’ve definitely improved my euro game and tying after watching your videos.
Rick Lee glad you enjoyed it.
Great video Devin. Thanks!!
That rock on the other side of the creek at 16:20 is really interesting. awesome video as always!
Sadly it's actually a piece of concrete. The campground chucked some rip rap in the river for "bank stabilization" at some point.
Great video excited to see you do some longer format videos with some fishing mixed in. Scratches that itch when I can’t actually go fishing.
It was a very helpful video. Great job and Thank You for sharring it with us. Keep more coming.
Superb info! I’ll put it to work tmw!
Eric Downs have fun
Love the video! I don’t utilize switching methods of fishing enough.
Super vid, fun trip, and great tips. Thanks.
David Woods glad you enjoyed it.
Very Help! Low water has always been a challenge for me. I appreciate this session. How I have a better idea how to go after this type of water condition.
Richard Sentz good deal. That was the goal.
Great advice & great video,heron step clothing color & fly selection are spot on,the other advise I'd give is limit your back cast or casting, standing or kneeling if your waving your rod around the fish notice it,they can see a # 22 dry so do the math,tight lines & bent rods 🤟
Excellent!
Great informative video Devin! I've been fishing a small local stream with my euro rig and was not having success recently. After watching your video it is clear that I have been in a rut by using my favorite tried and true euro set up. I'll be hitting the river the next few days and your video gave me tons to think about, especially with switching up my rigs, flies, and leader (and analyzing the whole stream). During colder months, I just get too used to being in the mindset that the fish are always lethargic and hunkered down, so heavy nymphs dragged near the bottom are the only thing that works.
Fritter Films glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully it helps on the water.
Great job Devin, as usual you are inspirational.
Outstanding content as usual Devin! Thanks for bringing it!
Rick Campbell glad you enjoyed it.
That stream is very similar to many of the ones here in southern CO, so your demo is very inspiring. I've been thinking about trying euro nymphing, but figured it wouldn't be of much use on skinny, clear water. Another thing I was wrong about! :)
will watch this one again and again. Nice work Devin! When is the new video "Adaptive ..." coming out? Turns out I have some extra time these days.
Taylor Warnick we’re hoping the digital copy will be ready in the next couple weeks and probably two weeks after for the dvd.
Outstanding! Great resource...Thanks! (Btw, this is my 4th time through the vid -- maybe I'm a slow learner! lol!)
Stephen glad it was worth watching 4 times!
Great stuff as always! I'd love to see a video on how you organize you fly boxes at some point. Cheers
the master. so good, man.
Kurt Perham thanks. Very kind.
Fantastic video. One of the best I've seen. The camera angle opposite and above at the end real compliments the earlier from behind angle and gives the viewer a good grasp of the water type. Also like the details regarding bead sizing. Might have missed it but was wondering about the details of your Euro rig? Is it your dry-dropper with the extra tippet before the ring or the micro-thin? Also what was the size and length of the tippet? Can't wait for the your next full length video. Still mining the first two for nuggets that help every time I'm on the water.
Rick Price Rick Price the euro rig was a micro thin leader. I’ll be detailing it in our upcoming full length film. It’s also in the current issue of fly fisherman magazine. I was using 7x tippet in the video. The tippet was long and I marked it with skafars wax for my sighter and set the sighter around 1.5x the depth of the water.
Great video Devin.
3guys3girls thanks
Devin! Great and helpful Vid! Going to purchase the new book! And the last one! May I make a video suggestion? Would you please show us more of the flies and rigs (closeups) as you use them? That would be tremendously helpful. Thank you!!
Great video Devin!!
Great post. Thanks Lance. Hey, we "stillwater" guys are looking forward to a video with some tips on loch style fishing and maybe some info on the "washing line" technique. Really appreciate your teaching techniques.
garyweglarz this is Devin. Lance actually isn’t directly associated with our site. I’m currently writing a stillwater book so there will be plenty of that in there. We will likely do some stillwater videos along the way as well.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Hey Devin, that was like a total "senior moment" on my part. I know exactly who you are, have your book and both euro-nymphing videos, know you are writing a stillwater book and almost asked you about that when I came to a couple of your presentations at the Pleasanton, CA fly fishing show not that long ago. Just a total brain-freeze on my part buddy when writing the comment! Would love to see a stillwater video sometime though, especially one that focuses on some of the U.K. methods that aren't well known here in the north america. Thanks guy. Great work as usual.
Very informational video. Just a couple of questions. What tippet retainer are you using? Also, tell me about your chest mounted fly box. Is a special box or a standard box with Velcro? How about doing a gear dump video. I have several different backs and slings but they aren't very organized. All my tippet spools are inside and I usually have to take the pack or sling off to get to them. Same with my boxes. It would be nice to be able to access them more efficiently like your setup appears. Thanks for sharing and keep the videos coming.
Bill Whitaker my box is on a custom made lanyard from Golden Trout Lanyards. Steve can create the same one for you if you contact him.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Thank you. I just ordered one of his Game Changer II Fly Box Lanyards.
Amazing
Great video! As far as the colors where i live you must wear florescent orange vest and hat in the fall and winter in most of our good fishing spots. The conservation officials say that fish can't see different colors. I know they are wrong but what can you do it's hunting season?
Devin, I really look forward to each of your postings knowing that each one will be filled with great usable tips. BTW, what wt. dry fly rod were you using. The T&T Contact 10"8" I purchased from you is fantastic!
edward constantini thanks. I was using a 9’ 4 weight T and T Paradigm for the dry fly rig.
Great video Devin, I was wondering which midge patterns were you using? How soon will the new video be available. I spoke with Lance recently and he mentioned that there might be a download version available before the DVD.
Bob Feld I’m going to be doing a tutorial on the midge pattern. It’s a simple perdigon style midge.
all great info.....
Awesome 👊
Near to far, back to front, shallow to deep...good approach! I'm guilty of not changing my fly weight enough.
Question: assuming you weren't talking/teaching, how long do you think you'd spend fishing a pool like this one with the rig & weight changes?
great tips, caught my first fish on a dry dropper in really clear water. thanks!
is there any way to tell, absent a rise, if fish are in a shallow section upstream?
Great video Devin! Always so informative. I’m wondering, is that an Evolution LTX on the T&T Contact and if so, which size? Thanks
Is it T&T Contact with downlocking seat? What model 10'8 or 11'3?
flykeys yes. This one is a 10’ 3 weight but I have the others too www.tacticalflyfisher.com/thomas-and-thomas-contact-nymph-rods/
I was out fishing clear skinny water today, perfect timing. How do you have that at flybox attached to your waders?
Lilly Munster it’s on a lanyard.
Tactical Fly Fisher do you sell that box and lanyard?
Lilly Munster we have the box. It’s an orientsun foam box. www.tacticalflyfisher.com/orientsun-foam-fly-boxes/
Steve at golden trout lanyards can make the lanyard for you.
Thanks Devin, great video. What's the advantage of changing flies over using shot, i.e. going from a 2.5 to a 3, then back to a 2.5, over just adding shot above the 2.5 then removing it? Is it just a habit from competition, or are there other reasons? Thank you.
There are lots of strike detection benefits of having the weight in your fly. It’s also extremely beneficial in tight seams to have the weight focused in a single fly so that the it will stay in that seam and drift with it. A shot, or another fly, will catch current outside of the specific seam you’re trying to drift in and lead to micro drag.
Great video! Thanks! Just wondering how you hook your net up there, looks like you have another attachment on your side? Hard to tell. I have my net handle is down so the net bag is not catching on brush all the time as I move up and down a creek or river. Then when I grab it, I have it by the handle right away and just pull it off the magnet.
Silverm9r this video explains my net. czcams.com/video/gBM0Nu6sd6o/video.html
Learning so much from you, Devin! Is there an efficient way to carry two rigs, especially since you're traveling on the river?
Thanks. If you're on a larger river where your 2nd rod isn't likely to hit trees then I use this rod holder www.tacticalflyfisher.com/opros-3rd-hand-rod-holder/
Otherwise I just lay my other rod(s) on the bank and move them with me. It might seem like a hassle but it takes less time than re-rigging each time I want to make a change.
By ‘removing the dry’, clip off the dry leaving tag hanging, right?
@@joemarlow5209 yes
Devin, Fun and informative. Thanks.
Which Thomas & Thomas rod were you using for your lighter dry-dropper sequences?
Shannon York this one. www.tacticalflyfisher.com/thomas-and-thomas-paradigm-fly-rod/
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 OK, thanks. I've heard some good things about that new rod.
Shannon York it’s my favorite dry fly stick.
Devin, do you carry 2 rods, one loaded with a regular fly line and a euro rod? That is my biggest annoyance with Euro, not being able to switch out and cast drys into the wind
wyomingtrout when I expect to need the dry fly rod I bring multiple rods.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Can you recommend a Euro leader and casting techniques that work for dry fly fishing or are expecting to much from Euro rigging? I actually ran into a PMD hatch once a small western WY tailwater. Being the lazy guy I am - I left the sz 16 Copper John on and added a Breadline emerger to the bend on 2 ft of 5x tippet. I was able to cast this rig and if I kept the rod high the emerger would float and I hooked some fish on the dry. A funky system but it worked.
wyomingtrout you can fish dry dropper with just about any euro rig. I don’t fish single dries though.
Hey Devin, watching this video again as a refresher for the low clear water we have in NC right now. I am looking into a dry fly/light dry dropper rod to carry alongside my euro rod for situations like this one. I read below that you are using a 9' 4wt here. Any advantage to a 4wt over a 3wt dry fly rod? Is it better for casting long, Spanish style dry fly leaders? I am trying to decide between the two. Thanks for all these videos. Just placed an order from the store and really looking forward to trying the micro leader formula you used in Adaptive Fly Fishing with the Skafars Neon Wax.
There's no big difference between one or the other but there are big differences between rods within the same weight. I would look for a medium-fast to fast rod. You want to be able to throw a tight loop with that long leader without getting tailing loops. If you tend to shock rods with your casting stroke then that will be harder to achieve with a slower/softer action rod.
Hey Devin, great video with a lot of information. Can I make a suggestion though? I think it would be really nice to see what sections of the pools that you're targeting. Often times, the shot just doesn't show the water very well because of how grainy it comes out. Can anything be done to improve the focus of the water?
Skylar Holliman everything is shot in 4K or 1080 and uploaded that way. Sometimes CZcams compresses the video based on your streaming settings and capabilities but we have no way to change that.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Lame. It would be great to watch it in 4K. I think even 1080P @ 60 FPS would be an improvement.
Skylar Holliman I watched it on my phone and computer. It looks fine on both but I have pretty good web speed here.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 It's in high def for sure. I think what I'm trying to say, is it's a bit too far away from the water to actually see what you're doing while you're describing the techniques. The foreground and everything is Crystal clear. I think it might be helpful to actually be able to see your drifts, but the water isn't in focus enough to see them.
@@skylarholliman1982 I agree that these videos are super helpful and amazing. I have a very fast connection and am watching on a 5K display, but I also agree it would be helpful to see the line/leader in the water as it's going through the drift. Usually it's very hard to see on video even if in sharp focus (and even in real life), especially with "thin to win" rigs. 4K would definitely help, but I was thinking that doing some post processing where you highlight the line like they do for the puck in a hockey TV broadcast might help. It might look cheesy but it would help people who are learning like myself. Note that this would also apply to the the excellent modern nymphing videos which I purchased and downloaded on Vimeo in 1024 HD. Thanks you Devin for everything you do in teaching and producing great content!
what size dry are you using to suspemd the 2mm beadhead
It was an 18 or 20.
Great video! A video on how you deal with switching between rigs would also be useful. Seems like you had two rods? Is that preferable to one rod with different reels? Etc
Jeff Denning I often bring multiple rods. Other people switch out reels or different leaders, rigs etc. It just comes down to trying different options and seeing what you prefer.
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Do you have a place where you discuss the leader you use for dry dropper in more detail?
Jeff Denning it’s in my book Tactical Fly Fishing and it will be in our next feature length video Adaptive Fly Fishing
@@tacticalflyfisher3817 Awesome--looking forward to it!
How do you handle carrying two fly rods like that all day? A lot of places I fish have a lot of vegetation around the stream. Do you have some sort of a fly rod holster or do you hand carry both rods and just leave one on shore? Also, It looks like you have a G4 Bag. How do you like it so far ? Thanks. Great video, I fish this type of water a lot.
I have an opros 3rd hand rod holder that we sell in the shop. For smaller streams with vegetative cover I just place the rod in the bank as I move along.
How do you have your fly box mounted on your chest like that? That's much easier than digging it out of a pack. I couldn't find what it is at your online shop. Thanks!
The box is an orientsun foam fly box which we sell in the store. The lanyard was built for me by Steve at Golden Trout Lanyards.
I notice you have both the fishpond and simms waterproof bag, which one do you prefer?
sebastian walker they’re pretty similar but so far I like the zipper better on the Simms.
Awesome video! What line/ leader length were you using with the Euro setup?
Thomas Wade it’s the micro leader in my book Tactical Fly Fishing. It will also be featured in our next video Adaptive Fly Fishing that is coming out in the next month.
Tactical Fly Fisher gotcha, love the book also! Do you use the micro formula all the way to the reel or do you manage fly line out of the rod tip?
Thomas Wade I’m. It sure I understand your question but if you follow the book it is close to what I had during this video.
Cool thank you, love your work!
👍👍👍👍👏
Sold,amazing video!!!!subscribe!!!!
Being a professional, like yourself, why are you still not using rubber nets such as Nomad Fishponds, which are commonly known to preserve a fish's natural outside slime coating?
The mesh on my net is rubber coated. Also, commonly known is not the same as scientifically known. I worked as a fisheries biologist for a number of years. Mesh nets were ubiquitous as scientific sampling nets. As long as they are wet, I know of no studies citing soft mesh nets as an issue for slime or scale damage.
You need a pack goat to carry all that gear..sorry..
Doesn’t bother me but everyone has their own setup for a reason.