Dangling in the Parklands

In early June I once again visited the lakes in the Parklands region of S.W. Manitoba. As with previous excursions I was  providing back to back hosted stillwater seminar trips for 26 fly fishers, all keen on improving their stillwater fly fishing skills.   I have been providing these hosted stillwater seminar trips for over four years now.  I venture out each spring and fall.  For some of my students these trips are starting to form part of their annual fly fishing adventures.  Seeing old friends on each trip is a welcome bonus.

Pauline shows why she keeps coming back to the  Parklands.  This local resident was  27" long and had a 17" girth.  That's over 10lbs! (Photo Courtesy of Barry Stokes)

Some of my students have visited these waters on their own but after seeing the success and camaraderie within in our groups chose to participate in my hands on seminar format to grow and develop their stillwater skills.  Fifteen or more anglers all working together provides an excellent learning environment and during our debrief sessions expedites figuring out just what the fish want.  The synergy is similar to a group working efficiently on a large jigsaw puzzle as opposed to one or two people struggling to get it completed.

Bob Vanderwater (left) and I present Bob Morenski (center) with a cheque for $500 
(Photo Courtesy of Bob Vanderwater)

The lakes we target on these trips are public waters chosen for their potential to produce quality rainbows, browns and aggressive tiger trout.  Getting to these lakes just takes time, for me about 10 hours.  The lakes offer easy access and great launch areas, even some camping.  But these lakes didn’t happened by accident.  The Fish and Lake Improvement Program for the Parkland Region (FLIPPR) works with local rural municipalities to make the incredible stillwater fishing the Parklands is becoming famous for a reality.  But like all groups they need our help. For example, the electrical cost to run aerators on the lakes isn’t cheap.  Without winter aeration most of these quality lakes would perish due to winter kill.  Our students, most awestruck with the fishing they were experiencing, were keen to support FLIPPR so they could return in the future.  Bob and Karen Vanderwater, who provide invaluable help in administering and coordinating my trips, and I agreed.  Everyone in both groups donated funds and on behalf of both groups Bob, Karen and I were pleased to present FLIPPR board member Bob Morenski with a cheque for $500 towards their ongoing efforts to maintain these lakes.  If you visit the Parklands region we encourage you to do the same.  It is a small price to pay.

Chironomids were on the menu

As with my spring 2011 trip chironomids were front and center, providing me with the opportunity to introduce students to my absolute favorite way to fly fish lakes.  One group, who were joining me for a second straight year from the Ottawa area, came specifically to learn how to fish chironomids.  Thankfully Mother Nature was in an excellent frame of mind and this trip would allow me to provide instruction using three different chironomid presentation techniques, the naked technique, indicators and full sinking lines or ‘dangling’.  It is rare to be able to provide comprehensive instruction on all three methods as often conditions and trout location dictates only one or two methods, typically those involving floating lines.

I have touched on strike indicator tactics and most recently in my previous blog entry entitled, “Naked in Utah” the naked technique previously.  Dangling is another deadly but not widely used or known technique. 

Big fish like chironomids and lots of them!

Dangling involves a full sinking line from an anchored position.  I prefer type V or VI density compensated lines such as Rio’s Deep series of lines.  You can dangle with slower sinking lines too.  Some of my students did well using clear intermediates. Typically, dangling  works best in water too deep for floating lines, 20 feet or greater but it can work in water as shallow as 12 feet if conditions are right such as windy conditions or water with reduced visibility due to suspended algae.
Leaders are short, 3-6 feet depending upon the number of flies you are using.  The more flies the longer the leader.  I often use a short length of 2x or 3x tippet attached to the fly line loop using a loop to loop or improved clinch knot.

Tiger's love deep water during the day.  They are a perfect candidate for dangling.

The key to dangling is to accurately set the depth so your flies suspend roughly one foot off the bottom.  To do this we used a technique often used to set indicator depth.  Attach a pair of hemostats to the fly and lower it over the side.  Strip off enough line to allow the hemostats to sink to the bottom until the line goes slack.  Reel the line in until you just feel the weight of the hemostats.  Reel in two to three more times ensuring the flies sits just off the bottom.  Strip in the line and remove the hemostats.  You can mark the line with a small section of masking tape so you can find your mark again after you land a fish.  Rio’s new lines feature a built in hang marker set at 13 feet.  I make note of which guide the marker is near and use this to reset my line.

You know you are just above the bottom when you hook a sucker.  Part of my Tokaryk Gand Slam.

With the line distance figured out make a cast.  It looks like you threw the line over the side of the boat, 18-20 feet of line and leader isn’t much.  Avoid the temptation to strip off more line.  If you do all you end up doing is dragging your flies through the mud and debris along the bottom. Let the line sink so it is hanging or dangling directly below the rod tip.  Yes you are fishing directly below your boat, pontoon boat or float tube.  You can let the flies sit below or after a while begin a slow handtwist retrieve with lots of prolonged pauses and bring the flies up through the water column.

Be warned most takes are not subtle.  Hang onto your rod if you aren’t careful it is possible to have the rod ripped from your grip.  A rod with a soft forgiving tip is not a bad idea.  Trout tend to come over the top of the fly and if you are bringing the fly up and the trout is going down the resulting strike is hard and aggressive.  Don’t be fooled by takes as the end of the fly line nears the surface.  Trout often follow the fly up through the water column taking only a few feet below the surface.  Who says fish are afraid of boats?

My standard dangling pose

I encourage you to give dangling a try.  It is a great method to use on windy days and it offers a social element as well as you can carry on a conversation without having to have an eye or both eyes on a floating line or strike indicator.  Short of being unconscious you won’t miss a strike. 

There is still space available for my fall hosted schools, September 13-17, 2012 and September 17-23, 2012.  Please click here for more information.

An Atypical Fall

Continuing with my fall catch-up my next trip after Fortress Lake involved escorting a group of fly fishers back to my current stillwater paradise, the lakes of southwest Manitoba.  A region blessed with incredibly productive lakes, large browns, rainbow and tigers nestled within un-crowded rural landscape.  A land of six or 7 weight rods and minimum 2x tippet!  All in all, my kind of place!

Few things beat a spectacular sunset

I was fortunate to arrive the evening prior to everyone arriving to get things set up for the week.  Unload and sort out the food, check out to make sure the accommodations were in order and get my presentation materials organized for the seminars that are a feature of these hosted trips.  Bob and I were able to get things done efficiently so we were able to pre fish one of our featured lakes to see what we might expect.

As I readied my boat and gear it still felt like summer, warm and muggy.  The lake was still in bloom and the unseasonably water temperatures showed no sign of the fall fishing we were hoping to run into.  We tested out our usual favorites but fishing proved tough.  In the mid-afternoon backswimmers began to stir.  These larger cousins of the water boatman began to take flight while others returned to the lake crashing into the surface like tiny pebbles.  It took a while for the trout to clue in and respond. As soon as I saw the first aggressive swirl of a trout chasing a backswimmer I grabbed my Outbound Hover complete with a washing line set-up.  I had been hoping this might happen and had prepared my second rod in anticipation.

Backwimmers were on the move

The washing line is an English presentation technique. It is an excellent method for imitating water boatman and backswimmers.  A buoyant fly is placed on the point.  Between the buoyant point fly a traditional, non-buoyant pattern hangs from a dropper.  The buoyant fly helps keep the other fly within the depth zone you are targeting or when working near the bottom away from weeds and debris.  I wanted to target the top 3-4 feet.  So in my case one of my favorite boatman or backswimmer patterns featured in my latest book, Steve Jenning’s Ultimate Boatman on point coupled with a smaller boatman pattern and my hover line proved perfect.  Or so I thought.

For those who don’t have my latest book, StillwaterSelections here is the Ultimate Boatman recipe:

Hook:    Mustad S82-3906 #12

Thread: 8/0 Olive

Body:     5/8ths Foam Body Slim, White or Tan

Legs:      SuperStretch Floss or Stillwater Solutions Midge Stretch Floss, Olive

Tying Note:  Use permanent markers to provide the necessary markings on the foam body.  Coat your finished artwork with thinned C-Flex Cement or Soft-Tex.

Fish were swirling all around me.  A few chased the backswimmers across the surface pushing large wakes.  Their behavior reminded me of a dog snapping at your ankles.  Despite my best efforts to plop the fly in the ring of the rise I couldn’t hook up.  After a few minutes of frenzied fish activity it went quiet so I made a long cast, let the fly sink for roughly ten seconds and then began a slow erratic hand twist retrieve.  About halfway back to the boat the line simply went tight and then a whole lot of head shaking began.  After a number of runs a few cartwheels I had a beautiful fat pound rainbow resting in my hands.  It was shaping up to be another memorable week in the Parklands.

Ultimate Boatman 1 Trout 0 (Courtesy of B. Vanderwater)

Our group arrived, had dinner and after I provided an introductory session settled in for the night.  The following morning was just ugly.  Strong winds from the northeast and driving rain.  We lasted until roughly 2pm before cooler heads prevailed.  Fishing was tough and of the people who accompanied me that day we only managed a couple of small rainbows.

The next day was a typical post cold front day.  Bright clear skies, a temperature drop of about 10C and strong winds once again.  With all the change and transition following the passage of a cold front fish had shut down.  It proved a good day for sightseeing around the lake, showing different techniques for slow conditions such as hanging flies static beneath indicators, slow retrieves, working deeper areas, and targeting areas foraging fish might be found.  Beaver lodges, weed beds, sunken islands and drop offs.  It was not a banner day for fish catching by any stretch.

And then there are tiger trout.  These fish are a ‘bucket list’ experience for many who attend my hosted trips.  A brown/brown trout hybrid these fish are unique, aggressive and in the Parklands reach appreciable sizes.  Twin Lake, located just north of Roblin is a catch and release fishery that is consistently reliable.  For me it is a lake that fishes better as the day progress.  This trip proved no exception.  We were welcomed once again by a familiar companion, wind.  Some of the strongest I have seen on this small and typically well protected lake.  

As was the case earlier in the week the washing line technique proved a valuable technique.  Backswimmers began to move in the mid-afternoon.  Although the breeze was still an issue the aggressive swirls and splashes began to increase in numbers and frequency.  

I couldn’t resist any longer! Tigers are a blast on top.  Often you can drag them up using a large #8 or #6 popper or dry fly such as a Chernobyl Ant stripped and twitched across the surface.  In keeping with my washing line theme I grabbed my 6-weight rod rigged with a Rio Grand and rigged up a ChernobylAnt on point coupled with the Ultimate Boatman on a 6-inch dropper.  Within a few seconds I had my first rise and promptly missed it.  Chalking it up to excitement I recast and began twitching and twisting the fly back.  A second fish rolled, again on the boatman, I waited longer than the perquisite, “God save the Queen” count just to be sure. I missed the fish again.  This happened seven times in a row!  I brought my fly in close to see how it was working.  Everything seemed fine.

Tiger trout smash surface flies with almost reckless abandon at times

I swapped the flies around going for more of a hopper dropper approach.  The tigers didn’t seem to like this arrangement nearly as much as I think the boatman dangled a bit too deep, back to my original arrangement. Casting out, again my theory proved fact as I soon had a rise but once again no hook up.  This was getting humorous! At least that’s the way I remember it! The Ultimate Boatman rides in the surface film just like the natural backswimmers it was called to imitate.  I felt that the dropper set-up might be injecting just enough slack so the fish spat the fly just as I was coming tight. 

I stripped the flies in and re-rigged tying the Chernobyl directly off the bend of the boatman so it trailed some 2-3 feet behind.  Within seconds of placing the flies near a recent rise a rolled on the boatman. This time I did not miss.  For the rest of the afternoon I hooked fish consistently.  It proved an interesting lesson that I stowed away for future reference the next time I run into a similar situation.

Beautiful Parklands brown (Courtesy of B.Stokes)

While the trip was the gangbuster event it typically is Twin and its typically cooperative tigers iced the cake.  Getting them on top was an added bonus.  The week proved itself to be one of perseverance and patience.  Driving home the lesson that you have to play the hand you are dealt and make the best of the conditions before you.  Heck, it beats working doesn’t it?

Spring Parklands Report

As some of you are probably already aware, I make a point of travelling to the Parklands region of S.W. Manitoba each season.  This region currently offers some, if not the best, stillwater fly fishing in North America.  From the diversity of the species, the remoteness of the region and the average fish size the Parklands is tough to beat!

An average Parklands rainbow

Earlier in June I had the pleasure of hosting two groups of fly fishers for a weekend and week-long adventure respectively.  Based out of Arrow Lakes Lodge we visited a number of quality stillwaters within the region.  Most within 40 minutes of our base, two of the better lakes are less than 20 minutes away.

Providing a casting and presentation demonstration

Each day I provided a seminar appropriate to the region or to the specific opportunities possible on the chosen lake for the day.  Subjects included strike indicator techniques, how to fight big fish, stillwater entomology, forage fish tactics casting and presentation techniques to name a few.  At the end of each trip the group gathered their images and after a photography seminar we all relived the fish and experiences of the trip.  The final night always proves itself the most memorable.  Check out my Facebook page for my Parklands Spring 2011 album for additional photos.

Bob and Karen Vanderwater

Good friends Bob and Karen Vanderwater provide invaluable assistance ensuring these hosted trips become a successful reality, both in the months prior and over the course of the event.  Frankly, I would be hard pressed to do it without them.  Their spirit, energy and organizational skills help keep all of us on track.
While on the water I spent time with each student as we worked together to unlock the challenges each lake threw our way.  Spending time with each student is perhaps my most memorable part of each trip.  I get a chance to get to know each student a little bit better and we both benefit from the inevitable exchange of ideas, information and experiences.  The look on their faces as they release the trout of a lifetime is the icing on my cake!

Now that's a rainbow!

The weather for the 10 days I was there started perfectly, sunny skies and light winds.  But as the weekend passed into the week our weather pattern shifted.  A good day always seemed to be followed by a rainy blustery day.  The up and down conditions did not deter the group from Spokane who joined Bob, Karen and I for the week.  Seasoned stillwater fly fishers, this group donned their rain gear or waders, shrugged their shoulders and soldiered on.  Our day on Pybus reminded me more of coastal steelhead or salmon fishing than the Parklands.  By midday I gave up trying to bail my pram as the steady deluge made it pointless. 

Our last day on Tokaryk, a lake we re-visited by popular demand, the wind blew from the N.E. at over 50 km/h.  Despite the ocean like swells trout responded with unbridled enthusiasm for our leech and baitfish patterns suspended beneath indicators.  The swells pitched our patterns aggressively and that’s just the way Tokaryk’s large rainbows and browns liked them.  The takes at times were just down right scary!

Karen's 28-inch brown

Fish size was large, typical for the Parklands. We had numerous fish in the 6-8 pound range.  A 23-inch rainbow for example, weighed between 6-7 pounds!  A number of nine pound fish were caught along with one 10 pound monster.  Karen took the largest brown of the trip on the final day of the week long trip.  It measured out at 28 inches!  Also during the trip Jason from Spokane caught the largest tiger I have seen to date while he was with me in my boat.  It measured 27 inches and topped 7 pounds!

Jason's 27-inch, 7lb tiger

I began the trip using 3X 8.2 pound FlouroFlex Plus fluorocarbon tippet which did a great job.  But there were a few instances where I had to switch to 2X 12 pound FlourFlex Plus to tame some of the Parklands trout I crossed path with.  We had one fish that I estimated in excess of 8 pounds snap the hook clean off the bend on a #12 3XL black and red Ice Cream Cone!

Chironomids and some caddis were hatching in decent numbers.  We apparently missed a spectacular chironomid hatch on Patterson Lake by a day.  The volume shucks that were clustered together on the surface the following day was almost biblical.  There were also clouds of fathead minnows gathered in the shallows.  The browns and rainbows seemed to enjoy mauling them, almost at will.

The shallows were thick with schools of fathead minnows

While on Patterson my first student asked if I would show him how to fish chironomid pupa without an indicator using the traditional floating line long leader or ‘naked’ technique.  Since chironomids were definitely on the menu we ventured out into deeper water targeting the sloped edge of the main lake basin.  Double anchored parallel to the ridge that ran between a main lake point and the western end of the island we targeted water between 15-18 feet deep.  I used a leader set up that was at least 25% longer than the depth of water we were fishing, 21 feet.  A #12 black and red ice cream cone went on the point and a #12 Chromie hung off my sliding dropper some 4 feet above the point fly.  After making a long cast roughly 30 degrees to my left I let the wind swing and drift the fly line.  I let the flies sink 30 seconds before beginning a painstakingly slow hand twist retrieve.  Conditions were calm.  I concentrated on the fly line, watching either the tip or a slight ‘squiggle’ in the line for a take.  Almost every take was seen before it was felt.  After two hours I had my first convert.

The ‘naked’ technique proved itself as deadly as it ever was.  Making me wonder why I don’t use this method more often.  It also works great for imitating mayfly and damsel nymphs, caddis pupa, even leech patterns.  By the end of both the weekend and week-long events almost all of my students had had the chance to take fish using the ‘naked’ technique.  Some had such confidence in the method that they discontinued using indicators for the balance of the trip.  I encourage you to give this method a try.  he largest tiger trout of the trip resulted from this presentation technique.  If you check out one of my previous blog entries you can find out more about this deadly stillwater presentation technique.

We are already planning on returning to the Parklands in 2012 for both a weekend and week-long hosted trip in both the spring and fall.  I will be returning in September with another group.  These trips have proven extremely popular selling out in a matter of weeks just through word of mouth.  If you are interested in joining Bob, Karen and me in 2012 let me know right away.  Our hosted trips include accommodation all food, seminars and one on one time with me on the water.

Prowling the Parklands-Fall Report

This past Labor Day weekend found me once again prowling the productive stillwaters of the Parkland's region of southwest Manitoba.  As with the spring, I led a group of nine enthusiastic fly fishers, most of which had only heard about the stillwater riches this region has to offer. Bob and Karen Vanderwater worked with me once again helping coordinate this event.  Their help and support is invaluable and provides an element of polish to the whole trip.  

Twin Lake Tigers, just one of the Parkand's stillwater attractions

We based ourselves out of the Barn in the Bush located at the southern end of Lake of the Prairies.  Barn in the Bush, as its name would suggest, is a refurbished barn converted into squeaky clean comfortable living quarters.  All of the lakes we visited on this trip, Tokaryk, Patterson and Twin were roughly an hour away.  Owners Steve and Betty Morris provided wonderful accommodations and put up with our early morning convoys to the various lakes.  If you are looking for great accommodation complete with queen size beds, kitchenettes, individual washrooms and showers in each room then Barn in the Box is the place to be.  It was the perfect base for our group.

Barn in the Bush provides great accommodation

Day one began bright and early with a large bacon and egg breakfast.  Lunches were made and we were soon on our way to Tokaryk Lake near the town of Oakburn.  Those of us within our group who had fished Tokaryk in the spring were full of anticipation. Tokaryk had been spectacular in June, both in average fish size and quantity.  This time fishing was a bit tougher as the region was just recovering from a bout of unsettled weather.  We did not get into the numbers we had originally hoped for but the size and quality of the fight was as we remembered.  A variety of patterns produced fish for most of the group including leeches, dragon nymphs and flashback bead head Pheasant Tail nymphs.  Although it was early fall I took all of my fish on chironomid pupa patterns.  By the fall stillwater trout have typically seen so many chironomid pupa over the course of the season that they respond to a properly presented pattern in an almost Pavlovian fashion.

Tokaryk rainbows still like chironomids

The next day we visited Patterson Lake, a mere stone’s throw from Tokaryk.  Patterson is a large trophy lake containing browns and rainbows.  Typically this lake challenges the fly fisher but every time the line locks up or the indicator plunges beneath the surface chances are it is going to be a big fish.  Today was no exception.  The day was sunny and pleasant but the wind was blowing from the east, a precursor to changing weather.  I expected tough fishing.  One of the students, Mike joined me for the first two hours and was into fish almost immediately on a balanced leech.  This fish managed to wrap the line around both the bow anchor rope and electric motor.  However, with some creative ‘gymnastics’ and teamwork we were able to free the line and land a nice fish.   Two other students Rob and Gerald joined me later in the day catching some of the largest fish of their lives.

Gerald's first Patterson brown

Bob and Karen began at their usual spot near the beaver lodge on the southeast end of the island but soon moved through the narrows and into the bay on the island’s north side to get out of the persistent easterly wind.  Taking advantage of the wind lane that formed downwind of the ‘narrows’ they did well hanging flashback bead head Pheasant Tails beneath an indicator.  Soon the rest of the group gathered there and I experienced one of my best days on Patterson.  A flashback Pheasant Tail on the point and a small #14 boatman dropper produced consistently.  The waters were alive with immature fat head minnow fry and the flashback Pheasant Tail did a great job suggesting them.  Throat samples revealed minnow remnants and tiny water boatman.  As the day wore on a few browns trickled into the mix and both Karen and I managed to wrestle a few Patterson residents.

Patterson browns are big and fat

Two members of our group, Doug and Rick, supported by a desire to explore and a well charged battery explored the far end of Patterson and had a fantastic day.  Doug took the largest fish of the trip, a magnificent 28 inch rainbow.

Now that's a rainbow!

It was a great day, all of us were glowing from the bright sun and the numbers of fish we had caught and released, a true testimony to the quality of the Parkland's area lakes.

Twin Lakes tigers like foam boatman and back swimmer patterns

Our final day found us hunting for tiger trout on Twin Lakes located a short drive north of Roblin.  Twin is a catch and release fishery full of large aggressive tiger trout.  The day however started slowly.  A large low pressure system had swept up from Montana and blanketed Saskatchewan and south western Manitoba.  The normally cooperative tiger trout weren’t willing to play right away.  By midday most had yet to dance with a tiger.  I was fortunate to land one on an Ultimate Boatman cast tight to the shoreline tules.  In the early afternoon fortunes began to change.  Doug figured things out by casting tight to the tules with a variety of boatman patterns, managing to land over a dozen tigers.

Steve and Betty admire a Twin Lakes tiger

During the previous nights session I provided the group with an overview of Twin and made a point of mentioning a tiger trout’s willingness to come to the surface.  Doug soon switched from his boatman patterns to a large Chernobyl Ant and continued to take large tigers on the surface.
 

Twin Lakes tiger returns to its haunt

Foam based boatman and back swimmer patterns were the patterns of choice as their buoyant nature was perfect for the shallows when used in conjunction with a clear AquaLux line.  On many occasions I would make a cast and a tiger would roll aggressively where my fly landed.  From time to time I thought the tiger had rolled on a natural boatman and as I stripped to cast and cover the rise I soon found out that the rise was actually to my fly. The take had not had time to transmit down the fly line.  Casting into gaps and channels in the tules was the winning ticket as tigers cruised in water barely deep enough to cover their backs.  This is a common sight during the fall period as trout stocking up for the long winter ahead prowl the shallows eating just about anything they come across.

Mike enjoying his Parkland experience

Our Twin Lakes adventure was the perfect cap to another superb trip.  Everyone in the group was beaming from their experiences over the weekend.  We are already working on a larger scale trip in June of 2011.  The June trip will offer the choice of a four day trip straddled over a weekend and a longer Tuesday to Sunday excursion.  Amongst the trip curriculum I will once again be providing a series of stillwater lectures, daily de-briefs and focused one on one time with each student to ensure maximum learning and the most rewarding experience possible.  If this sounds like something you would like to experience please let me know.  I will be putting a course handout together shortly.  By preliminary interest we have already received these trips will sell-out in short order. 

For more information and images from our trip please drop by my Facebook page and read Bob and Karen’s report on the Central Alberta Fly Tyers Blog.