well...this tip doesnt just work for new water. i hope this isnt going to be
too elementry. you need to find out the food base at the time your there.
very ez...mininal equipment. what you need to get is a screen like from a
screen door on a house. preferably not a metal one...but a nylon type one.
this will fold ez to fit in your vest pocket. 1 foot by 1 foot is
sufficient. wade out in the river,...pick a spot that has a "feeding
channel" . dont worry about putting the fish down....knowing what they are
eating is more important....the fish will be back up again in 20 mins or so.
hold the screen across that feeding channel and screen out whats floating
by.. screen should be at 90 degrees to water surface so its flowing through
it..only a small part above the surface. then after a few minutes remove the
screen as not to lose what you have screened out. inspect the insects youve
caught in it. this is the available forage at the time. get out of the
river..and match what you have...type and size are definitley more important
then the color because the fish are seeing the insect backlit. first time
i did this was in a small creek in dillon montana. i had tried everything
in the flybox....didnt get one hit. there were risers all over. so i got in
put them down...screened...got 3 or 4 insects...being a novice at the
time...didnt have the faintest idea what i had there. so i went to my
truck..waders still on...and drove to frontier anglers fly shop like 5 mins
away. the owner tim tollet looked ....and matched it for me....he even
trimmmed some flies he had to the proper size. i went back out. on the
first cast i hooked a really nice brown . landed a few more after that too.
another thing i do....i am a firm believer when in a new area is to get a
guide on the first day...well worth the $$$. and you pick his brain while
your out too! otherwise you need to try the "attractor" patterns.
kevin
